The NFL Draft is a year-round activity. Though we’re only a week removed from the start of the 2026 NFL Draft, teams are already doing research to prepare for the 2027 NFL Draft.
If your full-time job is to work in an NFL organization and focus on the draft, your focus will obvious remain on the next class of prospects. There are plenty of advantages to taking a year-round approach to draft preparation as an analyst or as a fan, too.
For one, spring and summer scouting gives you a chance to build up
notes on more prospects than the folks who don’t start draft preparation until after the regular season ends. Plus, having an understanding of where a player ranks going into the 2026 college season will provide much more context towards their draft trajectory, where they’ve improved going from year to year, and which possible areas they may have regressed in.
Since the Bears went remarkably thin on their defensive line with their 2026 NFL Draft, I’ve made it my focus early in my 2027 draft preparation to focus on the defensive linemen of this class. As I mentioned in a tweet on Wednesday, Chicago’s defensive line is going to look much different in 2027 by default.
As much as the “best player available” approach can find you many talented players across the board, Ryan Poles can’t run from addressing the defensive line forever. That rings especially true in the 2027 NFL Draft, where I’m noticing some talented prospects with serious potential.
Obviously, this analysis will change between now and next year’s draft. I’ve only been doing 2027 prep for a few weeks, so if there’s a defensive lineman not on this list that you like, odds are I just haven’t gotten around to watching them. However, here are some defensive tackles and defensive end I’ve liked early in the 2027 NFL Draft process that the Bears should keep an eye on.
Defensive tackles
David Stone, Oklahoma
All offseason long, you’ve heard about the Dennis Allen archetype at defensive tackle: athletic, disruptive, crafty. These traits fit David Stone to a T. He finished first in the SEC in PFSN’s CFB DT Impact Scoring at 85.9, notching 26 pressures for Oklahoma as their 2-tech/3-tech defender. He’s an explosive defender with a dynamic first step, impressive agility in space, good weight distribution at the point of attack, and a deep arsenal of moves to shed blocks. If he can stand his ground a little better against double-team blocks, Stone could be a top-10 pick in the 2027 draft.
Ahmad Moten Sr., Miami (FL)
Ahmad Moten Sr. chose to return to school for another year, but in my early viewings of his 2025 tape, he could’ve been the top defensive tackle off the board in this year’s draft if he declared. He thrives as a 2-technique, taking blocks head-on and stressing out guards with his dynamic first step and low center of gravity slipping through the A- or B-gaps. His refined hands help him shed blocks against the run and the pass, he has heavy hands at the initial point of contact. Moten has issues with missing tackles, but his disruption in opposing backfields can ruin offensive gameplans.
A’Mauri Washington, Oregon
Listed at 6’3” and 330 pounds, A’Mauri Washington is a different type of interior defender from the previous two entries. He wins with sheer gap-eating ability, impressing as a two-gapper with elite anchor strength, a stout frame, and good spatial awareness in the run game. Though his agility lacks in space, and his pass-rushing plan needs ironing out, he has enough short-area quickness to make his presence felt as a pass rusher. Washington’s upside on passing downs and pro-ready run support could see him selected in a similar top-40 range as Kayden McDonald was with the Texans at No. 36 overall this year.
Will Echoles, Ole Miss
Will Echoles finished 2025 with 39 pressures, which led all Power 4 defensive tackles. His first step is explosive coming off the line of scrimmage, and he has impressive closing speed for a man who’s listed at 6’3” and 310 pounds. His quick hands and deep toolbox of swims, rips, and push-pulls allow him to shed blocks as both a run defender and pass rusher. He fares much better against reach blocks than a lot of other interior defenders because of his athleticism and refined hands. Echoles needs to work on his pad level and flexibility, but there’s first-round potential if he can iron those out.
Jayden Jackson, Oklahoma
Factoring into a loaded Oklahoma interior defensive line featuring the likes of Gracen Halton, Damonic Williams, and the aforementioned Stone is not easy to do, but Jayden Jackson carved out a niche for himself. In fact, he was the first Sooner freshman to start on their defensive line since former Bear Tommie Harris in 2001. Jackson reminds me a lot of 2025 first-round pick Kenneth Grant, in that he’s a stout run-stuffing defensive tackle who can win as a nose or as a 3-tech. His strong anchor, heavy hands, and gap awareness help him plug up holes and disengage when the time’s right to make a tackle. Though his agility and pass-rushing finesse aren’t out of this world, Jackson’s short-area quickness, high motor, and low center of gravity give him upside on passing downs.
Justin Scott, Miami (FL)
A Chicago native who was a five-star recruit out of St. Ignatius, Justin Scott is cited as having a 1.56 10-yard split coming out of high school, which would be in the 99th-percentile for defensive tackles. I like him best as a 3-technique, where his impressive get-off speed can see up shoot up the B-gap and ruin an offense’s gameplay. He rushes with good pad level, has ideal play strength taking blocks head-on, and his agility is much better than most 303-pound men. Scott’s gap awareness as a run defender needs work, and he only has two collegiate sacks in 27 games. He needs more development, but he has first-round potential if he takes the leap in 2026.
Bear Alexander, Oregon
It took him a while to find his footing with stops at several other schools, but Bear Alexander finally started to live up to his potential at Oregon in 2025. He’s always been a talented athlete, possessing the first-step acceleration and raw physicality at the point of attack to beat guards with pure physical ability in the trenches. Though his pad level is still a work in progress, I think Alexander’s hand work looked better in 2025 than in years past.
Defensive ends
Colin Simmons, Texas
If the Bears pick high enough to select Colin Simmons without trading up, 2026 will have been a disaster. Simmons is currently my No. 2 overall player in the 2027 NFL Draft. Through two seasons, he has 21 sacks and 29.5 tackles for a loss. His explosiveness off the ball, closing speed, flexibility turning the corner, and refined hands give him elite capabilities rushing the passer. The only true knock on him is his 6’3”, 240-pound frame, which can give him some trouble with power. That said, Simmons has All-Pro upside as a pass rusher that can’t be ignored.
Dylan Stewart, South Carolina
Currently the No. 4 prospect on both the PFSN 2027 NFL Draft Big Board and my own personal board, Dylan Stewart is another freak athlete with elite pass-rushing upside in his own right. His combination of length, speed, and flexibility make him very tough to stop in pass protection, and he also uses his long arms to shed blocks and keep offensive tackles from getting inside his chest at the line of scrimmage. He also hits hard in space and has elite backside run support value. I have Stewart a few spots lower than Simmons because of his pad level in run support needing some development, but the physical tools are unreal.
Taylor Wein, Oklahoma
Now that we’re entering more realistic Bears target territory, Taylor Wein is a high-floor prospect who should remain in first-round conversations if he can build off his 7-sack season for Oklahoma in 2025. Wein is a high-motored edge defender with a low center of gravity, good instincts keeping contain, a deep arsenal as a pass rusher, and good physicality setting the edge in the run game. He doesn’t have the elite speed Simmons and Stewart have, but one could argue he’s a great fit for Chicago’s current defensive scheme.
Matayo Uiagalalei, Oregon
There’s a good chance Matayo Uiagalelei would’ve been a top-50 pick in 2026 if he declared for the draft. Instead, he heads back for another year, loading up as the Ducks make a push for a national championship. Listed at 6’5” and 270 pounds, he’s another defensive end who won’t wow you with elite speed or bend, but he’s as physical as they come off the edge. He stands his ground well in run support, he can push-pull to free up his hands and make tackles, he can push the pocket well with speed-to-power, and his combination of a high motor and refined hand usage should make him a good starter in the NFL.
Damon Wilson II, Miami (FL)
Removing my Mizzou bias side, Damon Wilson II made a smart choice transferring from there to Miami, especially with the talent around him on that Hurricanes defensive line. Wilson isn’t the biggest or strongest edge rusher, which can make it tougher for him to set the edge as a run defender. However, his first step is really tough to stop, his flexibility makes him a dominant speed-rushing threat at the top of his arc, and his hand quickness and activity made him a nightmare for SEC offensive tackles last year. Wilson could end up as a top-20 pick with another strong year.
Will Heldt, Clemson
Between Peter Woods, T.J. Parker, and Avieon Terrell, a lot of Clemson’s top defenders took a step back in 2025. That wasn’t the case for Will Heldt, who built on a solid 2024 at Purdue and excelled to the tune of 7.5 sacks and 15.5 tackles for a loss at Clemson in 2025. He’s 6’6” and 260 pounds with a frame that carries his weight insanely well; he could likely afford to pack on 10-15 more pounds and still be in good shape. Though his pad level, anchor strength, and bend are weaknesses of his game, Heldt brings an intriguing combination of size, length, and dynamic athleticism that few players his size are capable of matching. He has first-round upside if he adds more of a power element to his game.
Quincy Rhodes Jr., Arkansas
With 8 sacks and 15.5 tackles for a loss last year, Quincy Rhodes Jr. was a bright spot on an otherwise disappointing Arkansas team. He returned to school for another year, where he has the chance to improve his stock coming off a season that likely would’ve seen him selected on Day 2 in 2026. Rhodes is listed at 6’6” and 275 pounds, showing off the play strength and length to stand his ground as a run defender and keep offensive tackles away from his chest. He isn’t the flashiest athlete to come off the edge in this class, but he has good size-adjusted quickness off the ball and could be a reliable early second-round pick prospect with a little more finesse in 2026.
Kenyatta Jackson Jr., Ohio State
Another breakout prospect in 2025, Kenyatta Jackson Jr. had 6.5 sacks and 11 tackles for a loss for Ohio State as a redshirt junior but chose to come back for another year. I see a lot of similarities between him and Rhodes, as Jackson is also a big-bodied edge rusher at 6’6” and 265 pounds who lacks in flexibility and elite athleticism in space but makes up for it with his size, length, physicality, and the force he generates in his jabs at the initial point of contact. I think Rhodes has the slight edge in terms of instincts against the run, but Jackson could also end up a second-round pick with some more reps at the Big Ten level.
