Defensive Line Rankings 2027 NFL Draft

101 defensive linemen ranked

DEFENSIVE LINE RANKINGS 2027 NFL DRAFT

The 2027 defensive line is led from the inside, which is unusual - only once before in the seven classes we have graded has an interior player topped this group, and three of this year's top five play inside.

Oklahoma's David Stone is the man at the top, a five-star who added eighteen pounds before his sophomore year and led the Sooners' interior in tackles. Oregon edge Matayo Uiagalelei follows with 52 pressures and six sacks across 726 snaps, a year after leading the Big Ten in sacks. Ole Miss's Will Echoles broke out as a sophomore with pressure production almost no interior lineman in the country matched across 765 snaps, and Miami's Justin Scott reached Bruce Feldman's Freaks List before playing a college snap.

The size of the group is normal - five inside our top thirty-two, as in every year since 2021 - but the shape of it is not.

LAST UPDATED: 11/03/2026

Player Rankings - Defensive Line

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#	Player	Pos	H/W/S	Weight	Height	40YD	AVG POS RANK	AVG OVR RANK	Rating	Summary
77	DL Jordan Hall	6-4 320lbs 5.45	DL	320lbs	6-4	5.45	112	614	67.1 MORE>>	Hall is a former top recruit who has battled back from serious injuries to play a role on Georgia's defensive line. He is strong against...
28	DL Horace Lockett	6-6 355lbs 5.25	DL	355lbs	6-6	5.25	25	126.6	82.1 MORE>>	Lockett is one of the biggest human beings in college football, a 6-foot-6, 355-pound nose tackle with the strength to absorb double teams...
88	DT Elinneus Davis	6-3 315lbs 5.20	DT	315lbs	6-3	5.20	131	729.5	63.5 MORE>>	Davis started ten games inside for Washington and gave the front a steady early-down presence, the kind of run-down interior who does the...
30	DT Maraad Watson	6-3 333lbs 5.20	DT	333lbs	6-3	5.20	30	176	81.3 MORE>>	Watson began at Syracuse, where he earned freshman All-American notice, and spent 2025 as a rotational nose for Texas, bringing 313 pounds...
87	DL Nasir Johnson	6-5 340lbs 5.17	DL	340lbs	6-5	5.17	87	523	63.9 MORE>>	Johnson is an enormous tackle and former top-100 recruit who also started at guard in high school. His size is rare even for the...
33	DT C.J. Fite	6-2 310lbs 5.15	DT	310lbs	6-2	5.15	29	174.5	81.2 MORE>>	Fite is the kind of interior anchor a defense leans on for early-down snaps, a four-year Arizona State presence who played 587 reps across...
58	DL Alex January	6-5 308lbs 5.12	DL	308lbs	6-5	5.12	59	327.5	75.0 MORE>>	January is a strong, physical interior lineman who does his job against the run. He holds his gap, anchors well against double teams and...
59	DT John Walker	6-3 302lbs 5.11	DT	302lbs	6-3	5.11	62	360	75.0 MORE>>	Walker is a strong, disciplined interior lineman who has found a rotation role on a deep Ohio State front. He holds up against the run,...
69	DL Markis Deal	6-5 320lbs 5.10	DL	320lbs	6-5	5.10	67	382.5	69.6 MORE>>	Deal is a big, experienced interior lineman who has started for TCU for most of three seasons. He is strong, holds his ground and can get...
49	DL Tawfiq Thomas	6-4 315lbs 5.10	DL	315lbs	6-4	5.10	46	288	78.0 MORE>>	Thomas has found a home at Georgia Tech as a powerful run defender. He holds up at the point of attack, sheds blocks to finish plays at the...
13	DT Bear Alexander	6-3 316lbs 5.10	DT	316lbs	6-3	5.10	14	65.8	84.9 MORE>>	Alexander is a stout, powerful run defender who resets the line of scrimmage and occupies blockers so his linebackers can run. He has 25...
1	DT Will Echoles	6-3 315lbs 5.10	DT	315lbs	6-3	5.10	1	13.3	88.6 MORE>>	Echoles broke out as a sophomore and became one of the most productive interior players in the country, pairing stout run defense with...

We've compared players post combine 40 times and weight and charted them on the scatter chart below. You'll find the 40 time on the Y-axis and on the X-axis the weight in pounds.
The exceptional athletic freaks (determined by the combination of speed vs weight) will be found at the top right of the chart while the less impressive athletes will be sitting towards the bottom left.

For a much improved viewing experience (with more players) please view on a larger screen.

We've compared players 40 times and weight and charted them on the scatter chart below. You'll find the 40 time on the Y-axis and on the X-axis the weight in pounds.
The exceptional athletic freaks (determined by the combination of speed vs weight) will be found at the top right of the chart while the less impressive athletes will be sitting towards the bottom left.