The Cincinnati Bengals may have Dexter Lawrence, but they could easily still take another defensive tackle to groom as an eventual replacement for 31-year-olds B.J. Hill and Jonathan Allen, while Kris Jenkins has yet to prove he’s deserving of significant playing time on a contender.
Let’s take a look at the top defensive tackles in this year’s NFL Draft class.
The Clemson defensive tackle just turned 21 years old on March 5th. While he didn’t have the production many were expecting, he still generated pressure at a fairly high rate. He had a 16% win rate on true pass sets in 2025. That number was even better in 2024, when he had a 22% win rate. Woods has quick feet, paired with active hands, to be a disruptive force on the interior defensive line. It was disappointing that he didn’t test at the combine this year. After not testing as well as expected at the Clemson Pro Day, Woods could end up going later than originally expected.
Peter Woods vs. Duke https://t.co/lrQrlzRbLo pic.twitter.com/81mSK4igyD
— Bengals & Brews (@BengalsBrews) February 11, 2026
McDonald is a dominant run defender on the interior. His 13.8% stop rate was the highest in this draft class for the position. McDonald can absorb double teams, is powerful at the point of attack, and had just a 3.3% missed tackle rate this past season. While he doesn’t offer much explosiveness as a pass rusher, he can still push the pocket with pure power.
Kayden McDonald vs. Washington https://t.co/DMr5ljZNaE pic.twitter.com/5yc5Fyx2cA
— Bengals & Brews (@BengalsBrews) February 18, 2026
Banks is an incredible athlete for his size. He posted a 9.84 relative athletic score at the combine. However, his day ended early with what appeared to be foot issues. That is concerning based on the issues he had during the 2025 season. He was limited to just 3 games due to recurring foot issues. When healthy, Banks is a difference maker with his 35” arm length. He posted 4.5 sacks and had a 20% win rate on true pass sets in 2024. The 2024 tape, size, and freakish athleticism are enticing. However, after confirmation of him breaking his foot at the combine, Banks is now likely to fall completely out of the first round.
Caleb Banks vs Tennessee https://t.co/o0UJv01fhE pic.twitter.com/YK0ayOeMeB
— Bengals & Brews (@BengalsBrews) February 13, 2026
Lee Hunter attended Auburn during his first season in college, ultimately redshirting that year, and decided to transfer after the season. Hunter spent his next three seasons playing at UCF. He transferred to Texas Tech ahead of the 2025 season, and proceeded to help lead them to the college football playoffs this year. Hunter is a stout presence in the middle, posting an 11.9% stop rate as a run defender. He had a highly impressive 17.5% win rate on true pass sets. The Tech nose tackle has shown good hand usage, quickness off the snap for his size, and iron-man durability, with over 500 snaps played in each of the last three seasons.
Lee Hunter vs. BYU https://t.co/uWeSMkHswO pic.twitter.com/2phLFJcmJc
— Bengals & Brews (@BengalsBrews) February 23, 2026
Halton had 30 pressures and 3.5 sacks in 2025. In 2024, he had 29 pressures and 5 sacks. He isn’t just a pass rusher either. Halton had an impressive 10.2% stop rate as a run defender this past season. He is alignment versatile, quick off the snap, a high effort player, and scored a 9.70 relative athletic score at the combine.
Gracen Halton is one of my personal favorite defensive tackles in this class. Top 50 is possible. Curious to see how he tests next week. pic.twitter.com/TlbyxAG3pU
— Bengals & Brews (@BengalsBrews) February 20, 2026
Miller is still just 21 years old until August. He was mainly known as a run defender during his time at Georgia, but flashed at times as a pass rusher. He has quick feet, stack and shed ability, and his 90.2 run defense grade was among the highest in the class. While Miller is still developing as a pass rusher, he should come in and immediately help a team in stopping the run.
Christen Miller vs. Texas https://t.co/8HGJDRjrnT pic.twitter.com/d1o545Lr9w
— Bengals & Brews (@BengalsBrews) February 28, 2026