Is Iowa State’s Tyler Onyedim a sleeper to know in the 2025 NFL Draft defensive tackle class with his scouting report? The Cyclones’ dynamic disruptor has all of the necessary physical qualities. Now, it’s time to put it all together.
Tyler Onyedim’s Draft Profile and Measurements
- Height: 6’4″
- Weight: 295 pounds
- Position: Defensive Tackle
- School: Iowa State
- Current Year: Redshirt Junior
Onyedim’s raw tools have always been eye-catching. In fact, as far back as high school, you could argue he’s been winning off those tools alone. That’s what makes his potential so exciting.
At Foster High School in Richmond, Texas, Onyedim was a standout. As a senior, he racked up 12 sacks and 21 tackles for loss, utterly eviscerating any and all blockers who lined up opposite him. And as a three-star recruit, he signed with Matt Campbell’s ISU squad.
After a redshirt season in 2021, Onyedim first saw heavy rotational action in 2022. That year, he played in 12 games, logging 11 tackes, three TFLs, and the first sack of his career. Onyedim’s development was a slow burn early on, but he broke out in 2023.
In 2023, Onyedim amassed 42 tackles, two sacks, and 6.5 TFLs, earning honorable mention All-Big 12 recognition from the league’s coaches. He’s starting to get noticed on the national stage, but there’s still more work to do.
Onyedim’s Scouting Report
Strengths
- Sports a lean, flexible frame with excellent natural leverage and proportional length.
- Hyper-explosive athlete with a lightning-quick first step and urgent acceleration capacity.
- Has the energetic twitch to bait blockers toward inside paths, then capitalize with swims.
- Comes off the snap with bristling energy and has the lateral twitch to offset blockers.
- With his lean mass and proportional length, has impressive take-on strength and power.
- Well-proportioned frame and overarching flexibility allows for easy leverage acquisition.
- Able to stack arm-over moves after bull rushes and long-arms, building off power.
- Can use his length and lean strength to pry through combo blocks and enter pursuit.
- Has the requisite ankle flexion and torso flexibility to pry around blocks at tight angles.
- Burst, agility, and hip alignment freedom make him a force on stunts and counters.
- Proactively uses his length to keep his frame clean while engaging blocks on stunts.
- High-motor rusher who’ll consistently seek to fight through contact and impact the QB.
- Is a dangerous pursuit threat with his combined explosiveness, agility, and flexibility.
- Flashes good play recognition, both against option plays and screen blocks.
- Has the alignment versatility to play anywhere from 2i to 5-tech and 7-tech.
Weaknesses
- In spite of frame dimensions, has room to add more mass to supplement strength.
- Holds up surprisingly well against doubles but can more consistently limit displacement.
- Doesn’t quite have the elite hip flexibility to sink below the apex from wide alignments.
- Despite lateral agility, hip stiffness sometimes limits the range of lateral explosions.
- Sometimes diverts too far upright at initial contact, nullifying base load and power.
- Naturally plays a bit tall with pads at times and can more consistently acquire leverage.
- Overall, can be much more consistent with his initial pass-rush plan and hand precision.
- Sometimes drifts into contact before engaging with his hands, losing the contact battle.
- Still improving at supplementing special mobility profile with efficient, intentional hands.
- At this point, still struggles often to finish hand moves and maintain resolve throughout.
- Can lose composure and balance when attempting to pry through on second effort.
- Is occasionally a tick late off the snap and can improve timing when aligned wider.
Current Draft Projection and Summary
Entering the 2025 NFL Draft cycle, Onyedim grades out as a top-75 prospect, and a potential early-round candidate at the DT position. There’s still much for Onyedim to work on, but he has the high-level tools, motor, and alignment versatility to generate appeal.
At 6’4″, 295 pounds, Onyedim has just about every physical tool you could hope for. His explosiveness is hyper-elite. He’s incredibly quick, agile, and explosive off direction changes.
Onyedim is incredibly flexible, both when prying past blocks and when adjusting his hip alignment — and his length allows him to channel power.
In 2023, the Cyclones often used Onyedim in a way that put his tools at center stage. He’s a dangerous stunting threat who can win when stressing angles or off-setting blockers from 5-tech and beyond. In run defense, he can beat wide-alignment reach blocks and enter pursuit, and his motor never rests.
As Onyedim’s pass-rushing production implies, his pass-rush arsenal is still a major work in progress. With his tools, he more often generated pressure as an angle attacker, and when tasked with winning 1-on-1 with effective hand usage, he at times struggled to finish moves and beat anchors.
Going further, Onyedim may need time to acclimate to a more traditional one-gapping role from interior alignments, if that’s the role he plays at the next level. There’s a lot of projection with a player like this, but if Onyedim can keep refining his game, he can command early-round capital as a hybrid-alignment joker with impact upside.
