{"id":868248,"date":"2026-04-17T09:03:20","date_gmt":"2026-04-17T09:03:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/868248\/"},"modified":"2026-04-17T09:03:20","modified_gmt":"2026-04-17T09:03:20","slug":"selecting-one-defensive-tackle-for-patriots-in-each-round-of-2026-nfl-draft","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/868248\/","title":{"rendered":"Selecting one defensive tackle for Patriots in each round of 2026 NFL Draft"},"content":{"rendered":"

Welcome to Potential Patriots!<\/p>\n

Each day leading up to<\/a> the NFL Draft on April 23, the Herald will introduce prospects the Patriots are likely targeting position by position. The Pats have 11 draft picks, including No. 31 overall and extra selections in the fourth and sixth rounds. The Patriots are expected to target<\/a> edge rusher, offensive tackle and tight end, though they could pad their depth at any position.<\/p>\n

Below is a breakdown of the Patriots\u2019 best prospect fits at defensive tackle:<\/p>\n

1st round<\/p>\n

Kayden McDonald, Ohio State<\/p>\n

Ht\/Wt: 6-2, 326<\/p>\n

Scouting report:\u00a0Fans would likely be disappointed if the Patriots used a first-round pick on a defensive tackle rather than filling bigger needs at edge defender, offensive tackle or wide receiver. But McDonald, 21, comes from a program that Patriots head coach and Ohio State alum Mike Vrabel is very familiar with.<\/p>\n

McDonald could replace Khyiris Tonga immediately as an early-down run-stuffing nose tackle, and he has the potential to develop as a pass rusher, as well.<\/p>\n

The greatest case to be made for the Patriots to take McDonald is if they don\u2019t plan on retaining defensive tackle Christian Barmore after this season. McDonald then would be thrust into a bigger role in 2026, starting next to Milton Williams.<\/p>\n

2nd round<\/p>\n

Domonique Orange, Iowa State<\/p>\n

Ht\/Wt: 6-2, 322<\/p>\n

Scouting report:\u00a0Another massive nose tackle with long arms for his frame, Orange might never develop as a pass rusher. But he\u2019s incredibly strong and could be difficult to move off the point of attack for opposing offensive linemen.<\/p>\n

The Patriots currently lack a player with Orange\u2019s build in the run game.<\/p>\n

\"IowaIowa State defensive lineman Domonique Orange (95) breaks through the offensive line of scrimmage against TCU during the first half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Nov. 8, 2025, in Fort Worth, Texas. (AP Photo\/LM Otero)
\n3rd round<\/p>\n

Chris McClellan, Missouri<\/p>\n

Ht\/Wt: 6-4, 313<\/p>\n

Scouting report:\u00a0McClellan is a slightly slimmer nose tackle with more production as a pass rusher. He\u2019s a solid athlete, running a 5.05-second 40-yard dash at the NFL Scouting Combine, and he generated six sacks last season in the SEC.<\/p>\n

4th round<\/p>\n

Darrell Jackson, Florida State<\/p>\n

Ht\/Wt: 6-6, 315<\/p>\n

Scouting report:\u00a0Players like Jackson, who has a wingspan over seven feet, don\u2019t grow on trees. He was a team captain as a senior at Florida State and registered 7.5 sacks over five seasons split between Maryland, Miami and Florida State.<\/p>\n

Jackson was able to overpower blockers in college but might not have the same success in the NFL. The Patriots drafted his teammate, Joshua Farmer, in the fourth round last season.<\/p>\n

5th round<\/p>\n

Kaleb Proctor, Southeastern Louisiana<\/p>\n

Ht\/Wt: 6-2, 291<\/p>\n

Scouting report:\u00a0Proctor has some Milton Williams to his game. He\u2019s a 6-foot-2, 291-pound interior defender who runs a 4.79-second 40-yard dash and registered nine sacks as the Southland Player of the Year in 2025. Most impressively, he had strong moments against FBS competition while facing LSU and UNC.<\/p>\n

The 21-year-old small-school prospect is worth a Day 3 gamble. Despite his smaller stature, his 33-inch arms and 79 3\/4-inch wingspan are relatively long for his height.<\/p>\n

6th round<\/p>\n

Bryson Eason, Tennessee<\/p>\n

Ht\/Wt: 6-2, 323<\/p>\n

Scouting report:\u00a0Eason began his college career at linebacker before bulking up and moving to defensive tackle. He\u2019s just 6-foot-2, but his 33 1\/8-inch arms shouldn\u2019t be an issue in the NFL.<\/p>\n

The Tennessee product tested pretty well at the combine, running a 5.09-second 40-yard dash. He lacked production in college, generating just 4.5 sacks, but with his size and athleticism, he should be able to play along the defensive line.<\/p>\n

7th round<\/p>\n

Gary Smith III, UCLA<\/p>\n

Ht\/Wt: 6-1, 319<\/p>\n

Scouting report:\u00a0Smith, who played at Duke before transferring to UCLA, is another option to play in the middle of the Patriots\u2019 defensive line at nose tackle. He doesn\u2019t have the same type of versatility as other bigger bodies on this list, but if he can prove to be able to take on double teams and stuff the run, then there could be a spot for him on a 53-man roster.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Welcome to Potential Patriots! Each day leading up to the NFL Draft on April 23, the Herald will…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":868249,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[4955,833,839,7,838,1167,249,6,15,835,61050,208,107497,43714,112574,19972,112575,834,61051,61052,80497,724,837,238,261,505,16165],"class_list":{"0":"post-868248","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-nfl-draft","8":"tag-2026-nfl-draft","9":"tag-drake-maye","10":"tag-eliot-wolf","11":"tag-football","12":"tag-mike-vrabel","13":"tag-new-england","14":"tag-new-england-patriots","15":"tag-nfl","16":"tag-nfl-draft","17":"tag-nfl-news","18":"tag-nfl-patriots","19":"tag-patriots","20":"tag-patriots-2026","21":"tag-patriots-free-agency","22":"tag-patriots-free-agents","23":"tag-patriots-game","24":"tag-patriots-moves","25":"tag-patriots-news","26":"tag-patriots-schedule","27":"tag-patriots-stats","28":"tag-patriots-trades","29":"tag-pats","30":"tag-robert-kraft","31":"tag-seahawks","32":"tag-seattle-seahawks","33":"tag-super-bowl","34":"tag-super-bowl-lx"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nfl\/116419246061847654","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/868248","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=868248"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/868248\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/868249"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=868248"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=868248"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=868248"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}