Defense is where I usually start rolling my eyes during draft season.
Every year it turns into the same conversation—length, speed, wingspan, testing numbers—and somehow the actual games start mattering less and less.
By the time January hits and draft reports come out, some defenders are treated like future stars even though their impact felt pretty hit-or-miss all season.
When I went back and studied this defensive class, a pretty clear divide showed up. A couple of guys are getting a ton of credit for what they might turn into.
Others made quarterbacks uncomfortable all year and barely get mentioned.
That gap is where this whole thing gets interesting.
The Guys I Think Are Getting Too Much Draft Love
Peter Woods, DT—Clemson
I’ll start here because I know how this sounds.
Peter Woods is talented, and I’m not questioning that. What I keep coming back to is how often the conversation skips past the parts that matter.
I saw flashes, and moments where he looked like a problem. I didn’t see week-after-week dominance.
Too many games came and went where his presence felt quiet. The sack numbers never really matched the reputation, and the disruption came in short spurts instead of sustained stretches.
Right now, this still feels more like projection than reality.
Sonny Styles, LB—Ohio State
Styles looks the part immediately. Big frame, smooth mover, and easy to picture on an NFL field.
What I had issues with was finding the games where he truly took over.
When I watched Ohio State, I didn’t walk away thinking offenses had to change what they were doing because of him.
His best games were against weaker opponents.
Too much praise around Styles leans on versatility and traits instead of moments that swung momentum.
The flashes are there, but I didn’t see consistent control, and at linebacker that difference matters.
He’s a tweener with no true position.
The Guys Who Don’t Get Enough Credit From Draft Experts
Jermod McCoy, CB—Tennessee
This ones simple for me.
As the season went on, quarterbacks stopped messing with Jermod McCoy. That tells me everything I need to know.
What stood out wasn’t flash, it was discipline. He’s stayed square, patient, and didn’t give up easy yards. He didn’t give up 100 yards to any receiver in 2024.
He didn’t freelance, or gamble, he just played solid coverage each game.
That’s what shutdown corners look like most of the time, even if it doesn’t show up in highlights.
Mansoor Delane, CB—LSU
I really like this guy, he is a solid football player and really picked up his play in 2025.
Every time I watched LSU, Mansoor Delane looked comfortable. Not much sped him up or caught him out of position. When routes developed, he was right there.
The thing about corners like this is coaches trust them, and it helps when you don’t give up more than 41 yards receiving to any wide receiver. He only had two interceptions, but that’s because quarterbacks stopped throwing his way.
His game isn’t loud, it’s reliable.
That’s an NFL trait whether draft Twitter wants to admit it or not.
Where I Land on This Defensive Draft Class
I’m not saying the hyped guys can’t be good players. I’m also not pretending the under-the-radar players are perfect draft prospects.
What I am saying is this: when I trust what I watched instead of what sounds good on a draft show, the picture gets a lot clearer.
Some defenders flash and then fade away. While others quietly tilt games without drawing attention to themselves.
I’ll take the second group every time.
Defense isn’t about looking the part, it’s about affecting games.
Those are the guys I would bet on.
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