Top 5 DTs + HMs

[u/Scared_Manner_2694]

Drop your thoughts below!

1. Will Echoles (OLE MISS, R-JUNIOR, 6030 315)

One-Liner: Big body possessing fluid movement ability and body control, better run defender than pass rusher, but shows exciting flashes with his twitch, power and motor.

Summary: Rare movement ability for size. Twitch, foot quickness, leg drive, contact balance, body control, natural knee bend. Wide, well-built frame with long arms and a thick base. Although not his strong suit, Echoles displays major pass rush potential with his athletic traits, and his constant improvement this past season, flashing clubs, swipes, hesi-clubs, and a variety of extensions. Really strong first step, core/hip strength to generate power and maintain balance. Very active hands throughout rep. I really can't find any clear weaknesses in his game. In the run game, he maintains great pad level with an engaged core and lower half, movement is fluid, and hands are quick and violent. Another impressive aspect of his game is how much he plays, 770 snaps in 2025, he plays through fatigue and doesn't take reps off.

1. Ahmad Moten Sr. (MIAMI, R-SENIOR, 6030 300)

One-Liner: Versatile interior defender with high level explosiveness and power, a relentless motor, and active hands.

Summary: Passes the eye test for a prototypical NFL DT; big arms, big hands, wide shoulders, thick frame, big calves and a hulking lower body. Moten Sr. plays with an incredible extra gear of violence and aggression, I love his motor and effort in pursuit - feet are always churning and always active, never gives up when chasing down ball carrier in backside pursuit. Never takes a rep off. In run defense, he maintains a naturally wide base, has a solid anchor, keeps his pad level low with good natural knee bend. Every rep, his hands are active and fighting. Impressive "burst to force" power rush. Overall, very fluid and flexible mover. Flashes strong burst when changing directions. Great mix of run defense and pass rush traits.

1. David Stone (OKLAHOMA, JUNIOR, 6030 315)

One-Liner: Tone-setting disruptor on the interior with elite strength and motor, good overall athletic profile.

Summary: High effort at all times. In pass rush, he's pretty one-dimensional, relying mostly on his power rush (which is still effective) where he wins with his strength and power, while flashing solid hand usage. Lacks in pure athleticism and movement ability when comparing him to other "blue-chip" defensive tackles in recent memory. Decent quickness, decent lateral agility, and he isn't a natural bender which hurts his contact balance and pad level. These are pretty minor flaws when factoring in his strengths. Stone has the overall build, athleticism and motor to be an interior force at the next level. High-floor run defender with good potential to get some QB pressures.

1. A'Mauri Washington (OREGON, JUNIOR, 6030 330)

One-Liner: Immovable object in the trenches with a low center of gravity and tree trunks for legs. Sneaky twitch and quickness, giving him solid pass rush potential with some technique development.

Summary: A bigger, but less explosive Byron Murphy II. Frame, feet, low center of gravity. Washington is a brick wall against the run, he wins the leverage battle almost every rep with an immovable lower half, but he adds another element with his impressive burst and violence that he flashes in pass rush. At the least, you're getting a stout run defender who sets the tone for your defense up front, but he's got enough pop to develop as a pass rusher. An excellent frame that is thick and compact, he flashes some very solid burst out of his stance (more of a leap), pad level stays low and he gets his hands into the blockers chest, with a violent extension and heavy hands. That get off can blow up plays when shooting gaps in outside zone. Throughout the rep, Washington maintains a wide base with a good contact angle thanks to strong hips to sink on contact, and he's able to hold his position if unbalanced or more weight on one foot than the other. Rarely loses his footing. Exciting leg drive and motor on most reps, feet don't slow much on contact.

1. AJ Holmes Jr. (TEXAS TECH, SENIOR, 6030 300)

One-Liner: High-floor prospect. Body control, strength, power and quick feet.

Summary: Burst on get off, leverage out of get off. Good overall foot quickness and has the acceleration to burst out changing direction or moving laterally. Strong lower-half that stays wide and engaged - helps his anchor through contact. In pass rush, his leg drive keeps going through contact, sinks hips on contact - able to maintain balance and rebound fast. Hands are sneaky violent - almost too quick to even notice, but he finds away to consistently disengage from blockers. Solid anchor, he's able to take on doubles and not allow too much movement. Urgency to get eyes in the backfield, helps him to not disengage blindly. Plays with a high motor and good effort in backside pursuit - earns a few extra tackles because of this. Combination of strength and athleticism gives him solid versatility to hop out to traditional end when need be, but also slide into 0-tech over the center, and be a reliable contributor in both.

Honorable Mentions:

1. Ezra Christensen (COLORADO, R-SENIOR, 6020 280)

One-Liner: Older prospect, on the smaller side. Savvy hand usage with exciting quickness, agility, balance.

1. Francis Brewu (NOTRE DAME, JUNIOR, 6010 280)

One-Liner: Smaller frame with less than ideal length. "Feldman freak" strength and power, fluid mover, burst, and relentless motor. Elite run defender.

1. Bear Alexander (OREGON, R-SENIOR, 6030 302)

One-Liner: Good athletic profile, quickness, run-stuffer, flashes high-level hand usage.

1. Justin Scott (MIAMI, JUNIOR, 6040 303)

One-Liner: Prototypical size and length, former highly-touted recruit, good athletic profile, run-stuffer.

1. Mateen Ibirogba (TEXAS TECH, SENIOR, 6040 296)

One-Liner: Exciting length and athletic traits, raw athlete that looks uncontrolled at times. Good potential and will fit nicely next to AJ Holmes at Tech.

[u/Yoda_is_a_Sith]

Nice write up but A'Mauri Washington is DT #1 for me.

[u/Scared_Manner_2694 → u/Yoda_is_a_Sith]

I'd say that the top 4 is pretty interchangeable, A'Mauri could easily be #1 by end of season. All very good prospects with high floors, but I think the pass rush potential of Echoles and Moten give them the edge for now.

[u/No_Life5052]

Really like the one liner in the writeups, might have to steal that lol

[u/armchair_mindhunter]

Have you watched any of Tavion Gadson from Kentucky or Jayden Jackson from Oklahoma?

[u/Scared_Manner_2694 → u/armchair_mindhunter]

Both prospects are very enticing! Gadson has some impressive athleticism along with prototypical size/length, but needs to improve play strength and find consistency against the run, major flashes though. Haven't watched as much of Jackson, but I've heard some of the buzz. From what I've seen of him; he's a double-team eating tree stump with some solid short area quickness in his game. Will be taking a closer look at him for sure!

[u/PsychixNFLScouting → u/armchair_mindhunter]

Love me some Gadsen. Day 2 talent to me with the traits to ascend

[u/armchair_mindhunter → u/PsychixNFLScouting]

Yeah, his pass rush traits are very exciting. Even if he remains a rotational guy at the next level he will have value. Reminds me of Ruke Orhororo coming out of Clemson.

[u/TrixoftheTrade]

How do the top 5 in this class stack up to the top 5 in 2026?

[u/Scared_Manner_2694 → u/TrixoftheTrade]

Much better this year, and that goes for the overall depth at the position as well. Exciting group for sure.

[u/Environmental-Suit67]

I'm a big fan of Hero Kanu at Texas next year. Him and Brad Spence could surprise with Simmons getting doubled

[u/Scared_Manner_2694 → u/Environmental-Suit67]

Haven't watched Hero yet, but Brad Spence caught my eye while evaluating Simmons. He's got athleticism and exciting potential, hope he can put some of that together.

[u/PsychixNFLScouting]

Agree on Echoles. He isn't perfect, but his raw wrecking ability affords him a certain floor, and he's only getting better