It’s the third edition of Chiefs draft targets, and today we enter the trenches, taking a look at seven defensive tackle targets for Kansas City round-by-round. While it’s crucial to generate pressure from the edge, the NFL game has shifted over the past few years, and being able to have big, versatile DTs is all the rage.
Over the past couple of years, the Chiefs have done a nice job adding a couple of expected contributors, drafting Omarr Norman-Lott 63rd overall in last year's draft, and signing 30-year-old Khyiris Tonga to a three-year contract early on in free agency. Norman-Lott, before going down with a torn ACL after five games, played well in his very limited snaps, generating a sack, one tackle for loss, and three quarterback pressures.
Tonga is a mass of a human at over 320 lbs. and is a prototypical one-tech, run stuffer, with some pass-rush juice from time to time. Paired next to Chris Jones, they make a sturdy trio. But as general manager Brett Veach said in yesterday’s pre-draft press conference, defensive tackle is still a position of need that he expects to be filled in the draft.
Chiefs Could Look to the Draft to Add Beef Up Front
Round 1 - Peter Woods - 21 years old - Clemson
The junior out of Clemson, Peter Woods, is my second-rated d-tackle in this year’s draft, and comfortably in tier one. Woods had an odd college career, regularly fluctuating in weight, switching back and forth from more of an edge-rusher frame to a bigger interior presence. He most certainly flashed more when playing inside the tackles with a targeted play weight of just over 300 lbs.
The production does not leap off the page, but it shouldn't scare any teams off. Woods accumulated five sacks and nearly 60 total tackles, 12 of them ending in a loss for the offense. He is ultra-powerful, with great lateral quickness, and moves his hands and feet in unison better than any other d-tackle in the draft. He was ranked as a top-10 prospect nationally out of high school and showed immense potential after his sophomore year of college.
At pick nine, the Chiefs would be reaching for Woods, who, above all else, needs experience at the position, but all the talent is there. At 29 or even a slight trade up, Woods would transform the Chiefs' defensive line.
Round 2 - Christen Miller - 21 years old - Georgia
As a prospect, Miller is about as solid as they come. After a redshirt freshman year at Georgia, Miller grew to become a three-year starter and put up consistent production in the SEC, totaling over 60 tackles and 3.5 sacks. At 6’4”, 320 lbs., Miller is a mass of man, with immense power, and excels best at nose tackle. He stays sturdy at the point of attack and has the balance to match it, which is most impressive at his size.
Miller could certainly improve his anticipation and feel for the game, needing to understand where the ball carrier wants to go with the ball, rather than reacting too early or too late. He hasn't proven in college that he can successfully occupy double teams, which may not be too big of a problem when you have a guy of Jones’ talent to do that for you. Not much of Miller’s game will blow you away, but at pick 40, he’s a safe pick and close to a guaranteed contributor for the length of his rookie contract.
Round 3 - Gracen Halton - 22 years old - Oklahoma
Halton is a smaller-sized interior lineman and a bit off the path of what kind of players the Chiefs normally like to target. But the more I’ve gone through his profile, the more infatuated I become, despite his 6’2”, 290 lbs. frame. Athletically, Halton thrives, scoring a 9.70 out of 10 RAS (Relative Athletic Score), with 90-plus percentile scores in vertical and broad jump, 10-yard split, and 40-yard dash. Not to mention large, 10-inch hands.
Pair that with two-year starter production at a powerhouse university like Oklahoma, and you’ve got yourself quite the round three steal. Halton, in his final two years at OU, had 8.5 sacks, 63 total tackles, and three forced fumbles. He’s an undersized three-tech whose quickness, agility, and relentless attack translate to the field. Halton has a fair amount of work to do, technically speaking, in his hand usage, to make up for his weight, which will especially be tested at the NFL level. A potential backup to Chris Jones would be an awesome fit for Halton.
Round 4 - Chris McClellan - 22 years old - Missouri
After two years at Florida, McClellan transferred to Missouri, where his play flourished under better coaching and complementary pieces alongside him. Predicting where he goes in this year's draft is tough, as some people see his game-to-game inconsistency, and a reliance too much on his raw god-given measurables with 34-inch arms and 11-inch hands, and predict McClellan to go mid-to-late day three, which would be an absolute robbery of a pick.
But then, analysts and scouts who draft for potential see his measurables at 6’4”, 315 lbs., with six sacks, and a nearly 50 tackle 2025 campaign, and think he could go as early as day two. For me, round four feels like a fair target round for McClellan. He controls the line of scrimmage well and has flashes of dominant reps. But he lacks knee bend, which harms his base anchor, making every snap very inconsistent. In round four, for what the Chiefs need, I like McClellan. Anything before that, and I would have my questions.
Round 5 - Zane Durant - 21 years old - Penn State
Durant is the second Penn State defensive lineman I’ve mentioned during this draft series, with Dani Dennis-Sutton being an intriguing player I mentioned in the edge rusher column. I may be higher on Zane Durant than a lot of people, and at barely reaching 6’1”, 290 lbs., his scheme fit with the Chiefs is questionable to say the least. But with three years of starting experience in college, Durant knows how to play to his size and crashes the pocket better than most in this year's draft.
He collected nine sacks and a staggering 20 TFL from 2023-25. Durant is compact and hard for guards and centers to really grapple with because he is so unique. He’s twitchy off the snap and very disruptive with his intelligence. He’s got short-area quickness that allows him to recover fast and get back in the play. Much like Gracen Halton, the size and past fit within what the Chiefs like to draft are not there. But Durant has years of production, good tape, and a smart mind, something Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo values above all else.
Round 6 - Cameron Ball - 23 years old - Arkansas
With an 8.26 RAS score and 33-inch arms, the 310 lb Cameron Ball clocks in as a good athlete with no major weaknesses in his game. Qualities that are really valuable in round six. Ball played all five years of college at Arkansas, where he steadily improved from a redshirt freshman season to a 47-tackle, 1.5 sack effort in 2024. Ball has good quickness and keeps his pads level. Ball is more of a two-gapper at DT, holding the point of attack well, but in the NFL may grow into a guy who gives you two to three sacks a year.
Why Ball is a sixth-round projection is due to the drop in production last season. After an excellent 2024 season, in which he played through an elbow injury he later had surgery on, Ball had just 27 tackles and zero sacks. There’s really no reasoning that I could come up with for his down season, other than perhaps he peaked in 2024, and Ball’s 2025 self may be more of what NFL teams can expect. In the sixth round, for a team looking to add depth along the d-tackle position, it’s a shot the Chiefs should take.
Round 7 - Deven Eastern - 23 years old - Minnesota
Three-year starter at Minnesota, Deven Eastern is one of my favorite late-day three prospects in this draft. The athletic profile won’t blow anybody away, but rather the measurables that Eastern was simply born with that will intrigue Brett Veach and the Chiefs. He’s a true 6’5”, 315 lbs. with long 34-inch arms and 10-inch hands.
Eastern’s game could use some work, as he needs to learn how to use that massive body of his, rather than getting pushed around more often than not, simply due to a lack of technique. When he does have good snaps, though, Eastern pops off the screen, which is all any team is looking for in the seventh round. He’s got a good first step, especially against centers, when lined up at nose tackle, and would be a nice fit behind Khyiris Tonga.
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