As we transition to the 2025 NFL Draft cycle, who are the preliminary top 10 defensive tackle prospects in the upcoming class? The 2025 group could bring us the first blue-chip talent since Jalen Carter and several early-round nose tackle candidates.
Way-Too-Early Top 10 DT Prospects in the 2025 NFL Draft
It’s fair to say that, in terms of pure blue-chip talent, the 2024 NFL Draft defensive tackle class was a bit underwhelming. Only two DT prospects went in Round 1, and one was more of a hybrid. Nine went in the Day 2 window — but there was something lacking at the top.
Johnny Newton and Byron Murphy II were highly regarded in the scouting community, but the 2025 NFL Draft DT class could go on to have the volume, variety, and blue-chip talent that the 2024 group fell short of having.
10) Yahya Black, Iowa
Iowa Hawkeyes defensive lineman Logan Lee went to the Pittsburgh Steelers late on Day 3 of the 2024 NFL Draft. If all goes well in the 2024 regular season, Yahya Black could go off the board much earlier than that in 2025.
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At 6’5″, 306 pounds, Black is an absolute power plant. He has the explosiveness and length to violently form creases in the line, but he also has the lower body mass and strength to hold the fort at 0- and 1-tech. His versatility on the interior will bode well for him.
9) Jamaree Caldwell, Oregon
If you’re looking for a sleeper who could rise in the 2025 NFL Draft DT class, Jamaree Caldwell might be your man. The 6’1″, 325-pound lineman accrued 6.5 sacks and 8.5 tackles for loss with Houston in 2023, and now he’s playing for Dan Lanning at Oregon.
True to form with his production, Caldwell has a level of athleticism and explosiveness off the line that’s unexpected for his size and mass. He has the heavy-set frame and natural leverage to hold the line, but he’s also very capable of going on the attack.
8) Aeneas Peebles, Virginia Tech
The sawed-off defensive lineman mold is one that some teams won’t entertain in the NFL Draft. But the best ones can be special disruptors in the right role. At 6’1″, 290 pounds, Aeneas Peebles fits that profile, and he’s coming off a five-sack, 8.5-TFL season.
At his size, Peebles has stellar natural leverage and frame density, both of which enable him to hold up against the run. His mold also brings explosiveness and lateral mobility in the pass-rushing phase, plus his hot motor ensures that he always remains a factor.
7) Walter Nolen, Ole Miss
Raw talent can be an accelerant for NFL Draft prospects, and that’s what Walter Nolen has in spades. Nolen was a five-star recruit before signing with Texas A&M, and he logged four sacks and 8.5 TFLs in 2023. He’s now since transferred to Ole Miss.
Nolen is still largely winning off talent alone, which only makes his production that much more impressive. He brings great energy — which he’s still learning how to channel — and his combination of burst and power is superlative at 6’4″, 290 pounds.
6) Tyler Onyedim, Iowa State
The Iowa State defense is quietly stacked with defensive talent in the 2025 NFL Draft. Jeremiah Cooper, Myles Purchase, and Malik Verdon could all eventually fight for capital, and Tyler Onyedim has early-round potential with his natural tools.
At 6’4″, 290 pounds, with high-end proportional length and explosive capacity, Onyedim is tailor-made to be a disruptor. He excels as a one-gapping 3-tech but also has the power profile and point-of-attack strength to take situational reps from 5-tech.
5) Dontay Corleone, Cincinnati
There are several nose tackle candidates in the early 2025 NFL Draft group, and of that subsection, Dontay Corleone has some of the most alluring tools. Corleone has a documented Feldman Freak who’s reached 18 miles per hour on the GPS, and his power can be overwhelming.
At 6’1″, 320 pounds, he’s dense and well-leveraged but also has the arm length and loading capacity to blast blockers back off the snap. Corleone logged three sacks and 6.5 TFLs in 2023 and could be due for even more as he eyes an ascent toward the NFL Draft.
4) Deone Walker, Kentucky
Deone Walker is a special raw talent. And we’ll just say this right here: If he can fix his pad level, Walker can ascend to become the DT1 of the 2025 class. He’s 6’6″, 348 pounds, and logged 7.5 sacks and 12.5 TFLs in 2023 — outproducing some edge rushers.
Walker has the potential to be a true force of nature and transcendent pass-rush threat at 0- and 1-tech, similar to Dexter Lawrence. He also has the quickness and explosive freedom to take reps at 3-tech and 5-tech, and obliterate reach and duo blocks.
3) Kenneth Grant, Michigan
As we rise further into the top-five range, we’re now amid potential blue-chip prospects for the 2025 NFL Draft cycle. Kenneth Grant is third on the preliminary list, and he’s right in the mix to be the top NT in the 2025 class.
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Grant is a freak of nature at 6’3″, 339 pounds, who reportedly ran below five seconds in the 40-yard dash. His strength allows him to control gaps with ease, his grueling power washes over blockers like a tsunami wave, and he has the burst and bend to stunt and rush gaps.
2) Tyleik Williams, Ohio State
I’m of the mind that, had he declared for the 2024 NFL Draft, Tyleik Williams could have gone off the board higher than his teammate Michael Hall Jr., who went to the Cleveland Browns at No. 54 overall. Williams is a DT prospect unique among his peers because of his versatility.
At around 6’3″, 320 pounds, Williams has the size and stout frame of a 0- or 1-tech. But on film, he plays anywhere from 1- to 5-tech. Williams’ power can slab blocks, he has the burst and flexibility to stunt across gaps, and his motor runs hot — as evidenced by his 10 tackles for loss.
1) Mason Graham, Michigan
The second of two Michigan defensive tackles on our preliminary 2025 NFL Draft top 10 DTs list, Mason Graham is perhaps the strongest contender for the DT1 mantle. Graham logged three sacks and 7.5 TFLs in 2023, and there’s a sense he can do even more in 2024.
At 6’3″, 318 pounds, Graham almost has the size and frame density to be a nose tackle. Yet, he moves with inhuman quickness for his size, and his heavy hands can jar opponents at the contact point. He’s a run-scheme destroyer and a pass-rush weapon on the interior.
Honorable Mentions
- Thor Griffith, Louisville
- T.J. Sanders, South Carolina
- Alfred Collins, Texas
- Davin Vann, NC State
- Ty Hamilton, Ohio State
- Elijah Roberts, SMU
- Tim Smith, Alabama
- DeMonte Capehart, Clemson
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Other 2025 NFL Draft Position Rankings
Check out our other way-too-early position rankings for the 2025 NFL Draft:
- Top 10 QBs in the 2025 NFL Draft
- Top 10 RBs in the 2025 NFL Draft
- Top 10 WRs in the 2025 NFL Draft
- Top 10 TEs in the 2025 NFL Draft
- Top 10 IOL in the 2025 NFL Draft
- Top 10 OTs in the 2025 NFL Draft
- Top 10 EDGEs in the 2025 NFL Draft
- Top 10 LBs in the 2025 NFL Draft
- Top 10 Safeties in the 2025 NFL Draft
- Top 10 CBs in the 2025 NFL Draft