The Kansas City Chiefs took steps to reinforce their defensive line by selecting Clemson Tigers defensive tackle Peter Woods in the first round this past spring. As Chris Jones enters his age 32 season, the team needs to begin planning for life without the six-time All-Pro. Fortunately, the 2027 NFL Draft features plenty of promising defensive linemen.
Oklahoma Sooners defensive tackle David Stone enters the upcoming college football season as one of the prizes of the 2027 class. His technique needs work, but his raw physical tools and power rank among the best in the draft. Finding a way to acquire Stone poses problems for the Chiefs, but pairing him with Jones and Woods opens plenty of possibilities.
Stone plays all across the defensive line
for Sooners head coach Brent Venables. He lined up at 5-tech, 4i, 3-tech, 2i, 1-tech and 0-tech last season. Stone possesses excellent arm length, allowing him to stack and shed offensive linemen easily. As a pass rusher, he relies on his arm length, burst and raw power to generate pressure.
David Stone is a consensus 1st Round pick already. The preeminent DT in the 2027 NFL Draft, Stone leads Oklahoma into an SEC/Big Ten collision Saturday at Michigan.#Oklahoma #Sooners #BoomerSooner pic.twitter.com/mHFPUR2pSP
— All 22 Films (@All_22_NFL_Cuts) September 10, 2026
Despite his size, Stone bends in his hips to lower his pad level and finish his pass rush around some tighter angles. His pass rush plan includes club-swims, swipe-rips, two-handed swipes and bull rushes that push the pocket. Stone needs to add more pass rush moves and counters to his arsenal. His physical potential is immense, but his lack of technical development is disappointing.
In the run game, Stone is a two-gapping defensive tackle with the arm length and heavy hands to stack and shed blockers violently. He dominates centers and smaller guards and rarely faces an opponent capable of cleanly digging him out of a gap.
Stone’s lack of recognition in the run game leads to him abandoning his gap or failing to anchor at the right time. He needs to be a more disciplined run defender. His pad level contributes to some balance issues that primarily manifest in the run game.
The Sooners play Michigan at noon on Saturday, Sept. 12. The Wolverines have several NFL Draft prospects in the trenches and present a quality matchup for Stone, Jayden Jackson and Taylor Wein.
This article originally appeared on Chiefs Wire: Chiefs scouting report: Oklahoma Sooners DT David Stone
