Las Vegas Raiders Summer Scouting: DT Rankings

I broke down the 2027 scouting classes in my early summer scouting series, and the room has a ton of potential with a long list of potential standout players. I broke down the offense and defense in articles and I suggest reading those for a broad aspect of the room. The Raiders do have some talent on the interior OL, and I’d expect Las Vegas to add more in 2027 as John Spytek does. The Raiders defensive tackle room has been an issue for a while, they lack a ton of talent but they have also devoted

resources to that position as well. Adam Butler is aging, and Thomas Booker is slated to be a free agent following the 2026 season. Additionally, the Raiders are likely banking on Tonka Hemingway to see a continued breakout in 2026, and if so you feel more confident in the room longterm but need to continue adding talent to the room to pair with those mentioned, JJ Pegues, Brandon Cleveland, and others.

These rankings are extremely early, and they will evolve over not only the summer but the next 8-10 months throughout the season, and into draft season. Some lists will feature 10, 15, 20, or more ranked prospects but I’ll include others on the list below to note.

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1. A’Mauri Washington, Oregon – 6’3/330, Sr
   • Washington could have declared during the 2026 class, and he’d have been a first rounder but I’d expect him to be a first rounder in 2027. Washington has exceptional strength, elite athleticism, and he does a phenomenal job working across the board. Washington’s frame gives him natural leverage and length advantages, which he utilizes extremely well to his advantage along with his natural core strength. Additionally the senior has an elite pass rush plan, Washington works well laterally, and he shows a ton of upside still despite being near the end of his collegiate career. Washington is best in the run game, but he has shown an ability to be a 4-6 sack defensive tackle in the NFL.
2. David Stone, Oklahoma – 6’3/310, R-So
   • Stone could very easily be the first defensive tackle off the board, he’s an exceptional athlete with elite length, and good strength. Stone plays across the Sooners DL, working a bit at NT, 3T, 2T, and some wide 4/5 technique but he’ll mainly stay on the interior at a 2/3 technique. Stone has a phenomenal bull rush, he converts speed to power well, engages his core & lower body strength through reps, and I like his hand combat skill as well. Stone plays extremely violent, but he relies on the power too often, and he needs to improve the pass rush technique. Stone has great length, but doesn’t utilize it as often as he needs to and there’s also some concerns in the run game where he’s not as much of a staple as he needs to be.
3. AJ Holmes, Texas Tech – 6’3/305, Sr
   • Texas Tech’s defense will follow up a strong season in 2025 with a possible better one in 2026. Holmes transferred to Tech from Houston and he recorded a career year in his first season with the Red Raiders with 38 tackles, 9 TFL, and 4.5 sacks. Holmes now steps into a fulltime starter role, and he has a ton of juice. Holmes plays violent, he has a good bit of lower body twitch, good length, and should take the role as a possible Skyler Gil-Howard replacement. Holmes works exceptionally well laterally, and he showed a good ability vs the run with an ability to dip, drive, and use his strength/speed profile to his advantage. Holmes needs to improve his hand strength, and his punches are inconsistent, but I also have a bit of concerns how well he handles double teams as the true starter.
4. Mateen Ibirogba, Texas Tech – 6’3/295, R-Jr
   • Ibirogba was the premier defensive tackle as a transfer from Wake Forest this portal cycle, and he could skyrocket into the first round despite just 22 tackles, 3.5 TFL, and 2 sacks in his career. Ibirogba transitioned to DT in 2024 from EDGE and he’s flashed brilliance as a pass rusher. Ibirogba is an exceptional athlete, with a ton of lower body agility, good bend, and fluid hips that allows him to push and cut through defenders well. He consistently fires off the ball, has an elite second step, and Ibirogba closes the pocket well while running a fluid loop. The Junior is extremely smart, understands rushing lanes, passing lanes, and blocking concepts which allow him to work through schemes and gaps to pair with his athleticism to beat blocks before they develop. He’ll need to improve in the run game, consistently getting moved around, and there’s a limited depth of pass rush moves with average strength and power. Ibirogba is in a phenomenal scheme at Texas Tech, that should help him develop into a possible top 10 pick.
5. Ahmad Moten, Miami – 6’3/330, Jr
   • The first true NT on this list (Washington is a bit interesting as a tweener 3T/NT). Moten has a stout frame, great length, and his lower body is extremely strong which allows him to push defenders back in the pass game while showing exceptional anchor in the run game. Moten also moves well laterally, showing an ability to slice through defenders more than you’d expect at 330 pounds. He has a quick first step, keeps his pads low, and understands natural leverage where he’ll get up and under offensive lineman. There’s issue in double teams, and Moten is an average pass rusher where he’ll really need to improve his ability to win with more diverse pass rush moves, but the pure run defense and upside is intriguing.
6. Justin Scott, Miami – 6’4/298, R-So
   • Scott is a possible DT1 candidate. He has true 3-Tech size, but plays a lot of 0/1 technique though I’d expect him to shift more into a pass rush focused role for the Hurricanes this year. Scott plays with great athletic ability, he has fluid hips/ankles, shows a good ability to stack and shed lineman, is aggressive at the point of attack, and there’s a lot of lateral flashes in his game. Additionally, I like Scott in the run game, where he’s violent, physical, and uses his athleticism to get into rushing lanes not relying on his strength profile either. There’s some issues with pass rush consistency, and Scott doesn’t always have a good plan outside speed to power, but the run game is exceptional. Scott has true three down potential, and paired with an elite motor he’ll rise.
7. Will Echoles, Ole Miss – 6’3/318, R-So
   • Echoles is young, but he’s both versatile and aggressive. Echoles plays with elite athleticsm, but despite his size I have concerns on the power profile. Echoles does have good natural size, his length is average, but he’s able to move way better than someone at 320 pounds usually will. Ole Miss moved him across the defensive line, he fires off the ball, has a quick second step, and his lower body is extremely athletic allowing him to be fluid and bend well to defeat blocks. I’d like to see him tap into the speed to power more often, and also utilize better pass rush technique, Echoles still logged 70 tackles, 12 TFL, and 5 sacks in his first season starting for the Rebels. Additionally he shows good pad level, an ability to utilize leverage extremely well, and Echoles is exceptionally smart at the position with diverse pass rush moves. The sky is the limit for him as a possible two gap defensive tackle in pass downs.
8. Santana Hopper, Colorado – 6’2/275, Sr
   • Hopper worked from a high school LB, to a standout defensive tackle while going from App State to Tulane, and now Colorado. An exceptional athlete, Hopper does lack some strength but he’s lighting in a bottle. Hopper has an elite first step, fluid hips, and powerful hands that allow him to drive defenders back. He’s an aggressive player, who enjoys the run game, and similar to others above his athleticism jumps off the screen with an innate ability to get into the backfield and slice through blocks. Hopper has a lack of length, but it doesn’t limit him, where he’ll constantly use his leverage and key punches to land and push back defenders. Hopper’s athleticism has gotten him to this point, but he has good technique, is exceptionally well built, and should translate to the B12 after a career 102 tackles, 27 TFL, and 14 sacks.
9. Mario Landino, Indiana – 6’4/281, R-So
10. Kemari Copeland, Virginia Tech – 6’4/290, R-So
11. DJ Hicks, Texas A&M – 6’3/300, R-Jr
12. Bear Alexander, Oregon – 6’3/305, Sr
    • Alexander can be the biggest riser this year, he’s spent time at Oregon, USC, and Georgia but he’s done best at Oregon, which leaves questions on his ability to be the anchor on an interior. Alexander is a run first defensive tackle, he anchors well, has good pad level, and shows strong hands which he lands consistently and violently. Alexander has good lateral agility/burst but he’s adequate past his first step. I’d like to see more development, and less reliance on his pure strength/size while developing more technique, pass rush plans, and hand combat skills.
13. Jayden Jackson, Oklahoma – 6’2/290, R-So
14. Ezra Christensen, Colorado * – 6’3/275, R-Sr
    • Christensen is currently not eligible for the 2026 season, but he should get a waiver. An elite athlete, Christensen plays stout and athletic, he does a great job firing off the ball, getting into the rep and using his elite hand combat skills. Christensen doesn’t have true power profile, his lower body strength likely will need to be improve with average ability to anchor, but he’s a fun pass rush focused defensive tackle that can win with his violence, athleticism, and motor where he’s used such for a breakout 2025 with 44 tackles, 11 TFL, and 8.5 sacks.
15. Keanu Tanuvasa, BYU – 6’6/290, Jr

Other Names To Watch:

• Francis Brewu, Notre Dame – Young, likely won’t declare, undersized but freak athlete and burst. 10 TFL, 2.5 sacks in 25 career games.
• Hero Kanu, Texas
• Ikenna Ezeogu, Penn State
• Dallas Afalava, Wake Forest
• JoJo Johnson, Texas Tech – Third DT for Red Raiders, likely takes AJ Holmes rotation spot.
• James Smith, Alabama
• Tyrique Tucker, Indiana – Possible NT1 candidate, stout physical run defender. Similar to CJ West
• Seah Fitz-Simmons, Pitt
• Jah-Marien, Latham, Alabama
• Jason Onye, Notre Dame