• Top two are 2025 prospects: Michigan’s Mason Graham and Kentucky’s Deone Walker would be the top two defensive tackle prospects if they were eligible.
• A 2026 prospect cracks the top five: Clemson’s Peter Woods places fourth and is the first 2026 prospect to crack the top 10 of one of these lists.
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The NFL is unique to other sports leagues in that players cannot enter it until they are three years removed from high school.
What if that rule changed and players could enter the draft after playing just one year of college football? Here’s how the top-10 interior defensive line prospects would shake out for the 2024 NFL Draft if everybody in college football was eligible to be selected.
(Please note: Only players eligible for the 2024, 2025 and 2026 NFL Drafts were considered. Incoming true freshmen were not eligible. Also, the 2024 rankings are how I view the prospects, not necessarily what’s reflected on PFF’s big board.)
Click below to view our other all-eligible prospect rankings
1. Mason Graham, Michigan, 2025
Graham was excellent in his first year at Ann Arbor, leading all FBS true freshmen interior defensive linemen with an 80.3 grade. He took his game to a whole new level as a sophomore. He was the fourth-most valuable defensive tackle in the nation according to PFF’s wins above average metric and was sixth in that same group with a 15.9% pass-rush win rate. Graham was one of only two interior defensive linemen in the country to finish with top-10 grades as both a pass-rusher and run defender. The other was Texas’ T’Vondre Sweat.
The rising junior has a relentless motor combined with ridiculous agility that makes him nearly unblockable. Even if an offensive lineman gets a clean shot on him, he has great power at 6-foot-3 and 318 pounds to shed the block and find the ball carrier. Graham’s a nearly complete defensive tackle who’ll continue terrorizing Big Ten offenses on his way to likely becoming a high selection in the 2025 NFL Draft.
Some of my favorite Mason Graham highlights from this past season.
DT1 in what’s a loaded position in CFB next year.
Nearly complete player: Size, agility, power, motor.
Has a chance to reach Carter/Quinnen levels as a prospect imo. @UMichFootball pic.twitter.com/PRmsCHN4pe
— Max Chadwick (@MaxChadwickCFB) March 8, 2024
2. Deone Walker, Kentucky, 2025
Walker is the textbook definition of “first guy off the bus.” At 6-foot-6 and 348 pounds, he dwarfs nearly every offensive lineman he lines up against. Most defensive tackles that size normally end up serving as run stuffers who eat double teams while adding little to nothing as a pass-rusher. While Walker can certainly do the first part (81.7 PFF run-defense grade in 2023), the latter couldn’t be further from the truth.
The sophomore’s 51 pressures this past season led all interior defensive linemen in college football while his eight sacks were tied for the most among Power Five ones. Since 2022, he’s been the second-most valuable returning Power Five defensive tackle according to PFF’s wins above-average metric (Graham is first). While Walker has the sheer strength to overpower offensive linemen, he often wins with his outstanding agility and finesse at that size. Like Graham, expect Walker to be a high pick in the 2025 draft for just how much of a unicorn he is.
Most 350 pound defensive tackles are limited to eating double teams and stuffing the run.
Not Deone Walker.
Led all FBS DI with 51 pressures this past season as a true sophomore.
Definition of first guy off the bus
(🎥: @clay_fink)pic.twitter.com/ILQhGVdF2O
— Max Chadwick (@MaxChadwickCFB) March 9, 2024
3. Jer’Zhan Newton, Illinois, 2024
Newton places third on this list but is still a top-10 prospect on PFF’s 2024 NFL Draft big board, showing how ridiculous the duo of Graham and Walker could be next year. Newton is still a worthy DT1 this year for how dominant he’s been in the last couple seasons.
Since 2022, he has led all FBS interior defensive linemen in pressures (102) and run-defense stops (55). Newton was named to PFF’s All-American team in each of those years, second-team in 2022 and first-team this past season. What he lacks in size, he makes up for with elite tape and technique.
4. Peter Woods, Clemson, 2026
Woods is the first 2026 prospect to crack the top 10 of one of these lists, let alone the top five. Even though the former five-star recruit had to compete for playing time with two interior defensive linemen who will get drafted in 2024, Ruke Orhorhoro and Tyler Davis, the freshman still shined.
Woods was third among FBS defensive tackles in pass-rush win rate (17.1%) and seventh in PFF run-defense grade (88.6). His 87.6 PFF grade was the third-best we’ve seen by a true freshman interior defensive lineman since we began charting college football in 2014. The only two above him were Dexter Lawrence and Ed Oliver in 2016, who each currently make over $15 million a year from their respective teams.
Expect Woods to become much more of a household name as a full-time starter in 2024.
Peter Woods (#11) was a true freshman doing this pic.twitter.com/eNtwoAMr1Z
— Nate Tice (@Nate_Tice) February 23, 2024
5. Byron Murphy II, Texas, 2024
There wasn’t a collegiate defensive tackle better at rushing the passer than Murphy this past season. He led all FBS interior defensive linemen in PFF pass-rushing grade (91.5), pass-rush win rate (20.5%) and pressure rate (17%).
He’s an incredibly quick player who converts speed to power very well. Murphy will likely hear his name called in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft.
Don’t think I could get tired of #Texas DL Byron Murphy split double teams by winning with leverage and the drop knee technique. An absolute nightmare trying to combo block against. https://t.co/K3uCB15gb1 pic.twitter.com/zUvwOlj6K1
— Devin Jackson (@RealD_Jackson) March 27, 2024
6. Kenneth Grant, Michigan, 2025
Between Grant and Graham, the defending national champions have easily the best defensive tackle duo in college football heading into 2024. That’s despite losing a projected second-round pick at that position in Kris Jenkins.
Among returning Power Five interior defensive linemen, Grant was the sixth-most valuable according to our wins above average metric. That’s despite playing in a rotational role on Michigan’s defensive line. The sophomore’s 78.4 pass-rushing grade in 2023 was a top-15 mark among defensive tackles as well. With Jenkins gone, Grant should only shine more as a full-time starter next to Graham.
folks Kenneth Grant (6-3, 349) is a problem … fascinated to see the next step for the Michigan DT pic.twitter.com/jxUK6SwODH
— Nick Baumgardner (@nickbaumgardner) March 8, 2024
7. T’Vondre Sweat, Texas, 2024
Murphy may have been the best pass-rushing defensive tackle in college football this past season, but his teammate was the best overall. Sweat paced all FBS interior defensive linemen this past season with a 91.7 PFF grade and a 92.0 PFF run-defense grade. He was also the most valuable defensive tackle in the country according to PFF’s wins above average metric.
While he’s a massive human at 366 pounds, he was still a plus pass-rusher. His 14.6% pass-rush win rate in 2023 ranked 15th among all interior defensive linemen in the nation. Conditioning will be critical for him throughout his career, but he’s absolutely dominant when he’s on the field.
T'Vondre Sweat (#93) with some quick hands and a close on the sack. pic.twitter.com/JEzovqA0H4
— Nate Tice (@Nate_Tice) April 1, 2024
8. Braden Fiske, Florida State, 2024
Few prospects have had a better pre-draft process than Fiske. After dominating the Senior Bowl, he tested as a 99th percentile athlete according to Kent Lee Platte’s relative athletic score.
The Western Michigan transfer shined when he was on the field too. His 28 pressures were a top-15 mark among Power Five interior defensive linemen this year. While he is on the smaller side for the position at 6-foot-1, 292 pounds with 31-inch arms, he’s a smart player who’s quick as a pass-rusher.
9. Howard Cross III, Notre Dame, 2025
Cross’ 90.1 PFF grade in 2023 trailed only Sweat and Byron Murphy II among FBS defensive tackles. He, Sweat and Graham were the only interior defensive linemen with top-10 pass-rushing and run-defense grades in the Power Five.
The fifth-year senior’s 29 run-defense stops in 2023 were tied for the second-most among all defensive tackles in the country. He was also fifth among Power Five ones with 39 pressures. Cross is on the smaller side at 6-foot-1 and 284 pounds but makes up for it with his explosiveness and agility. He enters the sixth and final season of his career as one of the leaders of what should be an elite Notre Dame defense.
Howard Cross III is on the smaller side at 6-1, 284 pounds, but makes up for it with his movement ability.
Only T’Vondre Sweat and Byron Murphy II earned higher grades in 2023 than Cross (90.1)
— Max Chadwick (@MaxChadwickCFB) March 9, 2024
10. Walter Nolen, Ole Miss, 2025
As the former No. 1 overall recruit in the 2022 high school class, Nolen began to live up to that hype in his sophomore campaign for Texas A&M. His seven sacks this year were tied for third among SEC interior defensive linemen as were his eight tackles for loss/no-gain. He was also fourth among SEC defensive tackles with a 9.9% pass-rush win rate.
Nolen is staying within the conference and will play for Ole Miss in 2024, where he’ll look to fully reach his high ceiling.
Good grief, Walter Nolen. Special talent. pic.twitter.com/qkEJYbahEd
— Carter Karels (@CarterKarels) September 15, 2023
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