The 2027 NFL Draft class is expected to be a very talented one at multiple positions, and defensive tackle is one of them.
Oregon’s A’Mauri Washington considered declaring for the 2026 NFL Draft, and could have been a high second-round, or even first-round, selection had he come out. Instead, he returned to school with the rest of Oregon’s veteran defensive front.
The New York Giants were widely expected to add a defensive tackle highly in the 2026 NFL Draft, particularly after trading star nose tackle Dexter
Lawrence. Instead, the Giants waited until the sixth round to add a defensive tackle and opted to sign a bevy of veterans to fill the void left by Lawrence.
There’s going to be a good competition over the course of the 2026 college season and the upcoming draft process as to who is the top defensive tackle. The first one off the board could depend entirely on the eye of the beholder and the individual needs of teams, but Washington has the potential to be the first tackle selected.
Washington is strikingly similar to Lawrence at this point in his development. Could he be a future Giant as well?
What he does well
Washington brings a prototypical 6-foot-3, 338-pound frame for a nose tackle. He also plays up to his size with truly impressive play strength and power. He’s able to command one-on-one block as well as hold up to guard-center double teams. Washington has the strength to hold blockers in the run game — and make plays off of those blocks — as well as the power to put guards on skates and drive them into the backfield.
What you can’t tell just by looking at Washington is that he’s a surprisingly explosive athlete. He plays with uncommon twitch for a player with his size and frame, which is immediately apparent in his get-off at the snap. Washington explodes out of his stance and is easily able to distort the line of scrimmage when he keeps his pads low through his first two steps.
In fact, Washington ranked fourth in the 2025 edition of Bruce Feldman’s annual Freaks List.
Feldman wrote:
His numbers made me do a triple-take when the staff sent them over. To be that massive and clock 20.89 mph and vertical jump 36 inches is mind-blowing. Washington squatted 755 pounds, bench pressed 475, and power cleaned 385.
That explosive power gives Washington pass rush upside.
He finished with 4.5 tackles for a loss as well as 1.5 sacks last year. While that isn’t an eye-popping number, it does show growth and improvement over previous seasons. Washington has heavy, violent hands and can dominate offensive linemen when he gets under their pads. He also shows an understanding of how to clog passing lanes as well as rushing lanes, and led the Big 10 with eight pass deflections last year.
What he needs to improve
In some ways, Washington is similar to Dexter Lawrence coming out of Clemson. He’s obviously a massive, powerful, and unusually athletic young man, and that allows him to be a force on the field. However, the fact that he can rely on his rare athletic traits to overpower and overwhelm lesser competition has led to his technique lagging.
Washington has heavy, violent hands, but his technique is still sloppy at this stage of his development. His hands are more flailing than anything else at this point, not consistently defeating blockers’ hands nor seeking inside leverage. That can lead to blockers being frustratingly “sticky” when they should be discarded at will. Washington’s size and power mean he can contribute to a pass rush by pushing the pocket or occupying blockers, but his traits suggest he should be winning rushes and applying pressure more frequently than he does.
Likewise, he can fail to cleanly disengage to make plays off better blockers, leading to leaky yardage on the ground. He has a reputation as a stout run defender, but there are a few too many instances where backs pick up yards after contact because Washington couldn’t get off the block promptly.
Finally, Washington needs to be more consistent in his pad level. He tends to pop up at the snap and rush with high pads. That, in turn, compromises his play strength, exposes his chest plate to blockers, and makes it difficult for him to get under their pads. It can also compromise his balance and get him knocked off his rush.
Game tape
(Washington is the Oregon nose tackle wearing number 52)
Final thoughts
Washington is, reportedly, already garnering first-round consideration in NFL circles. And frankly, it’s easy to see why. He has prototypical traits for a nose tackle, but also brings elite explosiveness that should allow him to be disruptive as a pass rusher.
As things stand now, Washington should certainly be a Top 50 pick. That said, the flashes on tape of his true upside are simply eye-popping (such as his sack of Fernando Mendoza at 0:50 in the tape above). Those plays are just that — flashes –, but they are incredibly tantalizing and make comparisons to Dexter Lawrence feel pretty natural. Lawrence was a big, powerful, and freakishly athletic kid coming out of Clemson. Lawrence tended to disappear from games, but there were just enough flashes of what he could be as a pass rusher and run defender to keep from calling him a bust his first three years. He didn’t truly come into his own until he was able to develop as a technician and fully unlock his athletic tools.
Washington seems as though he’ll follow a similar path, and he should be drafted highly based on his traits and the flashes of upside he shows in college. But he has the potential to emerge as a great player once his technique catches up.
