Heading into the offseason, one of the Las Vegas Raiders’ biggest needs is a defensive tackle who can plug up holes in the running game. The unit lacked a true nose tackle that was an immovable force,
so Ohio State’s Kayden McDonald should be on the Raiders’ radar heading into the 2026 NFL draft.
McDonald was one of the best interior run defenders in the country this past season, ranking first at his position with a 91.2 run defense grade from Pro Football Focus. He also topped the charts with an impressive 30 defensive stops and a 13.8 percent run stop rate, posting a 1.5-yard average depth of tackle. The 6-foot-3, 326-pounder clearly can be an impact player on early downs, which is why he’s considered a potential first- to early-second-round pick this April.
Especially since Las Vegas is expected to use the No. 1 overall selection on a quarterback, the former Buckeye would be a great option if the organization wants to trade back into round one, or if he’s still available with the 36th selection. So, let’s dive into the tape and see what the big man could bring to the Raiders.
Taking on double teams is a big part of the game for nose tackles, and while McDonald is lined up as a 4i-technique in the clip above, he does a great job of staying in his gap and making the tackle near the line of scrimmage while taking on a combo block.
Texas runs mid zone right at him, where the right guard and tackle block him on the first level of the defense before the guard works up to the second level to go get the linebacker. However, McDonald attacks the man he’s lined up across from (the tackle) and takes on the block with good pad level and a wide base, allowing him to absorb contact and stay in the b-gap.
Then, when the guard climbs to pick up the backer, the defensive tackle shows color in the C-gap before using his quickness and lateral movement skills to escape the offensive tackle’s block across the offensive tackle’s face to go make the play near the line of scrimmage.
What’s even more impressive is that McDonald should technically protect the inside gap first, but that becomes irrelevant since he attacks and beats the man he’s lined up across from, on top of having the athleticism to still make this tackle.
This time, we’ll get an even better example of the Ohio State product beating the man he’s lined up across from to defeat a double team, as well as a better idea of what his role could look like in Las Vegas.
He’s lined up in the A-gap as a shade nose tackle this time, and Indiana tries to run a halfback dive with the tight end leading through the B-gap. That puts the center and right guard on a combo block against McDonald, where the guard will peel off to pick up the linebacker.
Meanwhile, McDonald attacks the center and manages to reset the line of scrimmage, which makes it difficult for the double team to be effective. So, while the guard does a good job of getting the defender’s hip and generating some movement, McDonald has no problem recovering and getting involved in the tackle near the line of scrimmage when the guard picks up the linebacker.
These last two reps are also great examples of how McDonald’s size and strength make him so difficult to move in the running game.
Part of what makes the Ohio State product a unique prospect is his ability to get himself out of bad situations. Here, he’s lined up as a 3-technique and eyeing the left guard post-snap, while Texas runs a pin-and-pull concept where the guard pulls around the edge and the left tackle down blocks him.
McDonald is late to see/recognize the blocking scheme and gets caught with subpar pad level and his hands down, allowing the tackle to generate some movement initially. So, the defensive tackle is starting to lose the rep, but he’s able to take advantage of the offensive linemen leaning by swiveling his hips and working across the lineman’s face to defeat the block and factor into the tackle despite losing at first.
To be clear, McDonald does need to clean up or be more consistent with his technique at the next level since it will be more difficult to get away with reps like this one. But his combination of strength and athleticism can help him get out of adverse situations, and his technique has already gotten better down the stretch of this past season.
We’ll get another example of McDonald getting out of a bad position on this rep. Wisconsin runs split zone with him on the backside of the playcall, where he’s taking on a reach block from the right guard. At the point of contact, he loses the leverage battle with the guard’s helmet under his, and exposes his chest with wide hand placement, allowing the guard to have inside positioning on the block.
That means McDonald is running the risk of getting washed inside, helping to create the backside cutback line for the running back. However, the defensive tackle recognizes the running back’s path, sinks his hips and changes directions to avoid getting blocked in the pile. Then, he uses a hump move to escape the guard’s block and make the tackle near the line of scrimmage.
Again, this rep had the makings of being an ugly one for the former Buckeye, but he managed to salvage it and turn it into a positive play for the defense.
As one might expect after watching the double-team reps above, McDonald is a force when left one-on-one.
Penn State is running inside zone, where he technically faces a combo block from the center and right guard. However, Ohio State blitzes the linebacker (No. 0) into the strongside A-gap while the nose tackle slants into the weakside A-gap, preventing the center from offering much help to the guard.
That creates a one-on-one opportunity, where McDonald blows up the guard by using good pad level and his strength to gain a leverage advantage. To finish, he resets the line of scrimmage and escapes from the guard to go get a tackle for loss from the backside of the play. Also, shoutout to likely first-round pick Arvell Reese (No. 8) for setting the edge and also getting involved in the TFL.
On top of that, the former Buckeye has shown the ability to two-gap when lined up as a 0-technique nose tackle, as the clip above is teach tape material.
The Hoosiers are trying to run inside zone to the weakside of the formation against an odd front from the Buckeyes, which means it’s one-on-one blocks for every defensive lineman except for the strongside 3-technique. So, McDonald is left alone with the center and manages to reset the line of scrimmage, similar to the previous clip. Additionally, he shows color in the weakside A-gap, which forces the running back to bounce backside.
Now, the back does a good job of setting up his blocking by attacking the line of scrimmage before cutting backside to run behind the combo block on the 3-technique. However, since McDonald has control of the center’s block, he manages to escape and not only take away the strongside A-gap, but also make the tackle when the running back tries to run off the left tackle’s hip.
Technically, that means he took away three gaps: the two on the interior and the outside lane where he brings the ball carrier down.
Finally, the 6-foot-3, 326-pound defensive tackle’s combination of size, athleticism and quickness makes him a real pain for offensive linemen to block because he can use the latter two as a wrinkle to keep opposing linemen on their toes.
He’s on the backside of an outside zone call from Wisconsin on this play, where the left guard fires off the ball to reach block him. Post-snap, the defensive tackle works up the field for his first step to disguise the move he’s about to pull off and get the guard’s momentum going toward the defense’s left. Then, McDonald sticks his inside foot in the ground and changes directions to make the guard miss.
That allows the defender to get penetration in the backfield, where he changes direction again to chase down the running back for a TFL when the frontside defensive end (No. 96) forces the running back to cut up the field.
As one might have guessed from the absence of pass-rush clips, McDonald is definitely a two-down player right now. Per PFF, he only registered 14 pressures on 230 pass-rush snaps this season and is still refining his technique in that department. But he does have the movement skills and overall power to work with, and he’d fit exactly what the Raiders’ defense needs to be more stout against the run.
