Parish’s 2026 NFL Draft Gems: Defensive line
COLUMBIA, MO - NOVEMBER 15: Missouri Tigers defensive lineman Chris McClellan (7) sacks Mississippi State Bulldogs quarterback Blake Shapen (2) in the first quarter of an SEC football game between the Mississippi State Bulldogs and Missouri Tigers on November 15, 2025 at Memorial Stadium in Columbia, MO. (Photo by Scott Winters/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty ImagesEach year since joining BTSC in 2024, Ryan Parishhas put togetheradraft gems list. This series is not meant to predict who the Steelers will pick, but rather highlight players Ryan thinks will be viable NFL players, and should be available in Rounds 2-7.Looking for more? Check out Ryan's picks this year at:
Close your eyes for a moment, and picture for me a Pittsburgh Steeler. Not necessarily a specific player, like one of the franchise's many Hall of Famers, but rather a metaphorical ideal for Pittsburgh. The type of player that when you see them, you think to yourself, Now that's a guy that lives up to the legacy of a team that prides itself on grit and toughness. That once had a Steel Curtain."
Are you still picturing them? Well, chances are you're thinking of a defensive lineman, right? Perhaps an outside linebacker, but, spoiler alert, I already made my edge rusher picks, and you can check that out in the link above. No, today we're talking about the big boys up front.
The Steelers invested their top pick a year ago in the defensive line when they selected Oregon's Derrick Harmon, and also added a developmental player in Yahya Black on Day 3. This offseason, they've reworked Cam Heyward's contract and signed a rotational piece in Sebastian Joseph-Day. Those moves have shored up the starting rotation and made it so that any potential early-draft investment would signal an eye towards seasons beyond 2026.
Still, there is plenty of reason for the Steelers to draft at least one, if not more, linemen in this draft class. For starters, Keeanu Benton is entering the final year of his contract, and his future in Pittsburgh is still a question mark. He's delivered as an interior pass rusher, but his struggle in the middle against the run can't guarantee he'll get a second contract. The aforementioned Heyward might play three more years, or he might retire; it's anyone's guess. Beyond that, the Steelers re-signed Esezi Otomewoto a one-year deal and have Black and the sparsely deployed Logan Lee to round out the depth chart. Those are hardly untouchable players, should the Steelers feel they can upgrade through the draft.
That's where this list comes in. Without further ado, let's dive into some quality players that could be available to the Steelers in the draft. As always:
- Any player selected for this list cannot be commonly mocked as a 1st round pick
- I also avoid players who will have a profile written on BTSC.Paired with the previous rule, this year that disqualifies: Peter Woods, Kayden McDonald, Lee Hunter, Caleb Banks, Christen Miller, and Domonique Orange.
*Important terminology*
Stop - A PFF metric that represents a tackle that results in a failed" outcome for the offense.
Age:22 (10-17-2003)
Height/weight:6'3, 313 pounds
Arm Length:34" arms, 831/4" wingspan
McClellan quickly became one of my favorite prospects this year. I started watching Missouri games for Zion Young - also very good! - but kept seeing the big number 7" popping and menacing the middle of the opposing offenses. My admiration for his game only grew during the week at the Senior Bowl, where McClellan was repeatedly plugging running lanes and pushing pockets into the laps of quarterbacks.
McClellan has the frame and skill to play at the nose if needed, but he's primarily been a 3-tech in both his two seasons at Florida and two seasons with Missouri. Of his 1,573 career snaps, 1,239 came in the B-Gap.
As I dove more into McClellan's tape, and his athletic testing became available for us to view, I came away increasingly reminded of Benton. For starters, watch some of his pass rush attempts in the reel below. You'll notice that, like Benton, a lot of McClellan's pass rush plan revolves around pushing the pocket with power, and then occasionally hitting blockers with a club/swim move.
#Missouri IDL Chris McClellan is one of my favorites in the 2026 IDL draft class.
- Andy (@AndyyNFL) March 11, 2026
Really good hand usage and explosiveness, great technique overall, and improved his sack production with 6 this past season. Top-100 on my Big Board. pic.twitter.com/ErgT8LR1jS
Then there is the athletic testing. Check out these measurements and scores via NFL.com:
A lot in common there! McClellan is slightly bigger than Benton, and he doesn't have quite as explosive a first step as the current Steeler. Maybe some of you view getting a second version of Benton as a bad thing, but I don't. While the two have a lot in common as prospects, McClellan is the better run defender of the two. If you've ever played EA's Madden or NCAA Football video games and created a player, picture the Missouri product as a copy of Benton, where the tuning sliders are bumped a little more in favor of qualities that support run defense, and slightly less in pass rush.
Consider this:
- In Benton's college career, he generated 68 total pressures as a pass rusher. As a run defender, he accumulated 57 stops and had a missed tackle rate of 12.6%.
- In McClellan's college career, he generated 54 total pressures as a pass rusher. As a run defender, he accumulated 72 stops and had a missed tackle rate of 6.7%.
McClellan can play a bit high at times - both he and Benton are lacking in knee bend, which can lead to playing more upright - but he doesn't get washed out nearly as often as Benton. To my eye, he's also better at reading gaps and shedding blocks to shut down the run. If the Steelers are unwilling to hand Benton a second contract, but want to replace him with a similar talent, McCllelan is a viable option. That he could be another Benton at a fraction of the cost - he's currently projected as a fourth-round pick - should be appealing for Pittsburgh.
Darrell Jackson Jr., Florida StateI've only watched one game but Chris McClellan flashed quite a bit for a guy outside of the consensus top 100pic.twitter.com/1IZhN3Fr8u
- mike (@bengals_sans) February 13, 2026
Age:22 (04-28-2003)
Height/weight:6'5, 315 pounds
Arm Length:342/3" arms, 86" wingspan
Last year, many of us draft hounds in the BTSC community were infatuated with Joshua Farmer, a large, powerful defensive tackle out of Florida State whose most intriguing trait was his 35" arms. The Steelers brought Farmer in for a pre-draft visit, but ultimately went in another direction as the draft rolled along.
Well, this year, we're back with another long-limbed tackle prospect from Florida State in Darrell Jackson Jr.
Jackson has had an interesting journey to the NFL. After playing in a rotational role as a freshman at Maryland in 2021, Jackson decided to move back to Florida and transferred to Miami, where he started in 2022. After his mother came down with a serious medical condition, Jackson once again transferred, this time to Florida State, which was closer to his hometown of Havana, Florida. However, the NCAA denied his hardship waiver request and prohibited him from playing in all of the Seminoles' 2023 games save for their bowl game at the Orange Bowl. He took over for Farmer in that game, as Farmer, a first-year starter at that point, was forced to miss the game with a thumb injury. Jackson would return as a starter for both 2024 and 2025.
Despite playing in the 2021 college season, Jackson will turn just 23 years old in roughly a month's time. He's still working on developing his technique - take a drink every time you hear about a trench prospect who needs to work on consistently keeping his pads lower - but his incredible length (7'2 wingspan!) and natural power make his appeal obvious. Jackson announced his arrival with authority at the Senior Bowl when he accepted a late invite and flew in mid-week after finishing up at the Shrine Bowl on Jan. 27 (the Senior Bowl game was on Jan. 31). Here's Jackson bowling over Beau Stephens, a member of the Joe Moore Award-winning Iowa Hawkeyes line.
Welcome to Mobile, Darrell Jackson Jr.
- Dane Brugler (@dpbrugler) January 29, 2026
6-5, 328 lbs, 35" arms, 11" hands - you feel those numbers here. pic.twitter.com/X22FpCOZPx
Jackson is still developing as a pass rusher. He finished with more career pressures (64) than Farmer (59), but finished with roughly half (9) as many sacks as his former teammate (17). But, much like our previous entry, where Jackson really shines is stopping the run. Jackson's lowest season total in stops (18) during his three years as a starter was the highest for total for Farmer. All told, Jackson had 79 career stops on a 10.7% missed tackle rate, including a 7.7% mark in 2025.
Florida State DT Darrell Jackson JR 6'5 337
- Yuri (@Yuri_Ravens) February 10, 2026
In his last two seasons at FSU he had 6 sacks, 44 pressures and 47 stops
Tall, long and powerful. Deploys a nasty long arm supported by his 35 inch arms. Violent in the run game and engaging at the point of attack pic.twitter.com/jxzhZRlvkX
Jackson is currently ranked 89th on the NFL Mock Draft Database's Consensus Big Board, which would translate to a third-round pick.
Tyler Onyedim, Texas A&M
Age:Couldn't find
Height/weight:6'3, 292 pounds
Arm Length:341/8" arms, 813/8"
Up next is a prospect I would consider one of the most underrated options, given his frame, production profile, and relative athletic twitch for his position. Currently ranked 196th on the Consensus Big Board, Tyler Onyedim is being projected as a sixth-round pick.
I have a hard time believing that he won't rise to a fourth or fifth-round pick in reality when looking at his film. Onyedim has one of the quicker first steps among defensive tackle prospects in this draft class. He's got violent hands to boot, above-average lateral movement that he flashes in pursuit and on twists, and while his pass rush plan and techniques could use refinement, his flashes hint at a player who could unlock more with proper coaching and development.
In the reel below, he can see some of that potential as he gave Arch Manning headaches all game.
Tyler Onyedim (6'3 290) Texas A&M
- Bengals & Brews (@BengalsBrews) January 25, 2026
+ Can move up and down the line
+ Arm length (34" arms)
+ 11.7% stop rate was among the highest in the country in 2025
+ Vicious spin move
+ Quick first step
+ Violent pop in his hands
+ Strength at the point of attack
+ Almost 1,700 career... pic.twitter.com/Sn6cMEbUeM
Onyedim is a natural at creating penetration and would serve best as a 3-tech and 5-tech in the Steelers scheme. At Iowa State, Onyedim lined up over or outside the tackle on 656 snaps, accounting for roughly 39% of his career snaps. However, after transferring to Texas A&M as a fifth-year senior in 2025, the Aggies showcased his versatility by giving a majority of his snaps, 369 (76.2%), in the B-gap. While that gave him less opportunites to get after the passer - 17 pressures, compared to a high of 25 in 2023 at Iowa State - he still matched a career high in sacks (2) while also setting a career high in stops (27).
Rayshaun Benny, MichiganPlay of the Day No. 234: Tyler Onyedim club-swim leading to a run stop against the Razorbacks (Texas A&M vs. Arkansas, 2025). #POTDpic.twitter.com/BoAsJrw4tI
- Sam Teets (@Sam_Teets33) October 29, 2025
Age:23 (05-08-2002)
Height/weight:6'3, 298 pounds
Arm Length:333/8" arms, 815/8" wingspan
As we get further down the draft board, the goal is to identify guys that either have freaky athleticism for the staff to mold, or players who have a clearly defined skill/role/specialty. That brings us to Michigan defensive tackle Rayshaun Benny.
Benny isn't twitched up like Onyedim or the last prospect coming up next on our list. He's got length in his arms and wingspan that's slightly above average, but doesn't have the unique length of a prospect like Jackson. He's got some pass rush in his repertoire (52 career pressures, 5 sacks), but he's inconsistent in his attack there.
However, what Benny does do is kick butt as a run defender.
Michigan DT Rayshaun Benny deserves more love. He's been an elite run defender for 2.5 years now, and while the pass rush production hasn't always been consistent, the flashes are there. He was nearly unblockable at the Senior Bowl
- Steve Letizia (@CFCBears) March 15, 2026
6'3
298 lbs
33 3/8" arms #BuildingTheBoardpic.twitter.com/h1tb7xn4ZR
Michigan DT Rayshaun Benny (6-4, 305) has some forgotten Day 3 rotational value
- Clint Goss (@NFLDraftDome) January 17, 2026
3rd Team All-Big Ten after '23 broken fibula
4.6% career missed tackle rate
Twitchy gap shooter gets off the ball & gets skinny; loops stunts
@BengalsBrewshttps://t.co/WhFGYnIPxwpic.twitter.com/YXluk3Eusm
Benny is one of the better two-gappers in the class. He's able to engage blockers and fill up space while he reads the play, then tosses blockers to the side to make the tackle. He has 57 career stops despite never eclipsing 189 run defense snaps in any given season. He rarely misses a tackle either, with a career rate of just 4.6%.
Benny projects as a fifth-round prospect. He might never be a mega-star in the NFL, but not unlike Joseph-Day, he might be able to make a long career out of being an early-down stopper.
Jordan van den Berg, Georgia Tech
Age:Couldn't find
Height/weight:6'3, 310 pounds
Arm Length:321/8" arms, 77" wingspan
We'll finish this list by going the opposite way and presenting another twitched-up prospect that is looking to seize all their athletic potential and turn it into consistent production.
Next month, Jordan van den Berg will aim to be the first player from South Africa drafted in the NFL draft. That's a name that might be familiar to some of our audience, as van den Berg spent the first three years of his college career at Penn State. During that time, he struggled to break into a meaningful role, with fewer than 75 snaps as a run defender and fewer than 100 snaps as a pass rusher in all three years. A transfer to Georgia Tech finally granted him an opportunity at playing time. He paid that off with two straight All-ACC team selections, first as a Second-Team member in 2024, then as a First-Team selection in 2025. That honor made him part of a defensive line selection that included prospective first-round picks in Peter Woods, Rueben Bain Jr., and Akheem Mesidor.
Despite this, van den Berg was not invited to participate in the NFL Combine. A recent pro day finally gave us a chance to contextualize the athleticism that was clear on tape. While the timed drills at pro days are always a little suspect, if they are even close to accurate, van den Berg would have turned in one of the all-time performances for a defensive tackle at the Combine.
Jordan van den Berg with one of the greatest athletic profiles we've ever seen for a DT pic.twitter.com/V2UP2JDiZx
- NFL Draft Files (@NFL_DF) March 19, 2026
So what gives? I have to imagine part of what is suppressing his draft stock is that it took him so long to make an impact. Van den Berg's numbers in 2024 were enough to earn him conference honors, but they weren't anywhere in the ballpark of his 2025 output. There are likely some questions about whether his fifth-year breakout is due in part to him being an older player beating up on younger players. That follows any prospect with his type of profile. And while his 2025 season was good - 29 pressures, three sacks, 19 stops - they aren't as eye-popping as the numbers of other prospects expected to go sooner.
Van den Berg also wasn't the most consistent. He'd have games where he jumped off the screen (Syracuse, Colorado, Duke), but then would get blanked against stiffer competition (Georgia, Clemson).
Jordan van den Berg pic.twitter.com/VHsbdUmur8
- James Foster (@NoFlagsFilm) March 22, 2026
Van den Berg's raw intangibles make him an intriguing prospect, and I doubt he goes as low as his Consensus Board ranking (286, which would make him an UDFA), but he'll need to continue developing to stick to an NFL roster. Athleticism only gets you so far. Could the Steelers be the team that bets on him?
What do you think of these defensive line prospects? Would you like the Steelers to draft any of them? Who was your favorite? Did I leave one of your favorites out? Let us know in the comments!