NFL Draft 2026: 5 small-school defensive prospects who can become NFL starters

No matter what you think of NIL and the transfer portal — and your opinion is probably valid as long as it isn’t, say, Tommy Tuberville’s — there’s one thing for certain about college football’s changing landscape, and that’s the relative lack of smaller-school players in every draft class. Per ESPN’s Kalyn Kahler, the rate of prospects who transferred to bigger schools rose from 5.4% in 2018 to 38.2% in 2025. Better players are often moving to bigger schools for more money, yes, but also the opportunity to show their skills against a higher level of competition, in order to blot out that particular question mark in the eyes of NFL shot-callers.

In 2025, Las Vegas Raiders running back Ashton Jeanty (by way of Boise State) and Seattle left guard Grey Zabel (by way of North Dakota State) were the only first-round picks from non-major conferences, and that trend looks to continue in 2026. Toledo safety Emmanuel McNeil-Warren should be a lead-pipe lock as a first-round pick, but outside of that, it doesn’t look great for those guys outside of the bigger schools and conferences. Maybe San Diego State cornerback Chris Johnson sneaks into the back of the first round (which he should, based on performance; more on him later), and after that, we’re grasping at straws.

Still, there are smaller-school prospects whose tape reveals NFL starting potential in the right system, and here are my favorites in this particular draft class. Could these guys line up to be the next Joe Flacco (Delaware), Shannon Sharpe (Savannah State), Sam Mills (Montclair State), or Dave Krieg (Milton College — which no longer exists)? It’s entirely possible.

Here are five defensive prospects who I believe can start in the NFL sooner or later.

Malachi Lawrence, EDGE, UCF

The 2026 EDGE class is very deep, but also interesting in that there isn’t a consensus outside pass-rusher who has already shown it on the field. Ohio State’s Arvell Reese is EDGE1 in the minds of most, but only 58% of his snaps last season came on the edge (34% as an off-ball linebacker, and the rest as an inside blitzer/spinner), so there’s some projection there. Beyond David Bailey, Rueben Bain Jr., Keldric Faulk, Akheem Mesidor, and the rest of the top-tier disruptors, I could see NFL teams warming to UCF’s Malachi Lawrence sooner than later when the draft begins, and if he leapfrogs some of those guys when the picks are made, don’t be too surprised.

In 2025, the 6’4”, 253-pound Lawrence had seven sacks, 40 total pressures, 19 solo tackles, 18 stops, four tackles for loss, and two forced fumbles. He then amplified his profile with a scouting combine that gave him a spider chart for the ages, and the good thing is, all that athleticism shows up on tape. Lawrence is a relentless rusher who has the moves to deal with NFL tackles, he can kick inside in certain packages, and he can run and chase quarterbacks and running backs all the way to the boundary. You’re never really safe when Lawrence is out there, and I think that will transfer to the NFL.

Michael Heldman, EDGE, Central Michigan

The 6’4”, 268-pound Heldman, whose choice to wear No. 97 makes me think he wants people to see one of the Bosa brothers when they watch his tape, improved in each of his five seasons with the Chippewas, but 2025 was when he really put it all together. He had 12 sacks, 53 total pressures, 25 solo tackles, 29 stops, five tackles for loss, and two forced fumbles, and while he did all that mostly on the edge, he also kicked inside on 13% of his snaps, showing the requisite strength and leverage to blow up run fits.

I don’t see a Bosa brother when I watch Heldman’s tape, but from the size to the power/speed combination to the four-point stance, he brings to mind Ryan Kerrigan, who the then-Washington Redskins took with the 16th overall pick in the 2011 draft out of Purdue. Kerrigan developed into a great power-rocked pass rusher with more than credible run defense and the ability to line up over and inside the tackles. When you watch Heldman against Central Michigan’s toughest opponents in 2025, it’s not hard to see the NFL transition.

Kaleb Proctor, DI, Southeastern Louisiana

And now, the guy I just won’t shut up about. Of all the small-school prospects I’ve watched in this year’s process, Southeastern Louisiana’s Kaleb Proctor shot out of my laptop and got right in my face more than any other. In 2025, the 6’2”, 291-pound Proctor totaled nine sacks, 39 pressures, 18 solo tackles, 22 stops, and two tackles for loss. If you’re worried about strength of competition, hit the tape tweet below, and watch his two sacks against LSU.

Oh. And then, he completely killed it at the combine.

Case closed.

I’ve had a thing for smaller defensive tackles that goes all the way back to John Randle, and has served me well in evaluation from Grady Jarrett through to that Aaron Donald guy. Proctor could be the next in line. The gap quickness is off the charts, and that plays well in an NFL where stunts and line games are more important than ever, because defenses want more and better ways to mess with protections and create pressure without blitzing. Proctor has no real bad weight on his frame, and adding another 10 pounds of muscle might prevent him from getting washed out by the occasional double-team, but it’s not an epic problem — Proctor was double-teamed on 168 of his 564 snaps last season, and his ability to knife through doubles was evident.

If you get Proctor on the second day of the draft, and you turn him loose as a one-gap penetrator and move tackle with some spice on the edges as well, he’s going to be a force.

As always, tape don’t lie.

Domonique Orange, DI, Iowa State

Well… okay. There are times when tape does lie.

There are some college defenses that are tough to watch when you’re trying to figure out NFL transitions, because there’s so much stuff you’re seeing on tape that you simply won’t see at the next level. In the case of Iowa State, it’s the constant use of three-man fronts that make you pause and wonder how it all works out. This happened to me when I was watching Will McDonald IV back in 2023 — I loved his skill set, but it was incredibly frustrating to see the 6’3”, 241-pound McDonald lined up inside the tackles so often, and then see people bashing his pressure production. The New York Jets took McDonald 15th overall in the 2023 draft regardless, and McDonald has become a very good edge-rusher, which he was born to be.

Now, onto the 6’2”, 322-pound Domonique Orange. Last season for the Cyclones, “Big Citrus” had no sacks, 13 pressures, 20 solo tackles, 16 stops, and a pass breakup against BYU tight end Carsen Ryan that bordered on homicide.

Beyond that, and as was the case with Will McDonald, you can’t box-score scout Orange and expect to come away with a clear picture. In 2025, Orange played 84% of his snaps as a nose tackle, and he didn’t have the help most other NCAA nose tackles had, because of all those three-man fronts. What we do know is that Orange’s movement skills for his size are exceptional, and he was also able to pressure on the edge in those three-man fronts, which is pretty neat to see.

Put Big Citrus in NFL four- and five-man fronts, and let the big man eat. You will be rewarded beyond popular expectation.

Chris Johnson, CB, San Diego State

I mentioned Emmanuel McNeil-Warren in the intro to this piece, and I didn’t include him on the list because he’s going to be a first-round pick, and an early NFL starter. We don’t really need to goose that up to any degree. If you want more on McNeil-Warren, you can check this out. But Chris Johnson, who I also mentioned? Maybe he hits the back of the first round based on his tape, and maybe he doesn’t. But he should. There’s an easy argument to be made that after LSU’s Mansoor Delane and Tennessee’s Jermod McCoy, he’s the best cornerback in this class, and he does everything well.

Last season, the 6’0”, 193-pound Johnson allowed 18 catches on 43 targets for 185 yards, 79 yards after the catch, no touchdowns, four interceptions, five pass breakups, and an opponent passer rating of 16.1 — by far the lowest among FBS cornerbacks last season who played at least 50% of their teams’ snaps last season. Delane ranked second at 31.3.

Johnson’s targets were about equally distributed between press and off coverage in 2025, and there were no issues with either. He comes out of low stance to turn and run well with receivers, he will fight for the ball in creating contested-catch situations, and he’s got some juice as a blitzer.

To bring up another Toledo defensive back, I could see Johnson making a similar immediate impact for his NFL team that Quinyon Mitchell did for the Philadelphia Eagles when they took Mitchell with the 22nd overall pick in the 2022 draft. Mitchell had a few rookie struggles, but he put it together very well down the stretch in 2024, and now, he’s one of the NFL’s better cornerbacks. Johnson could well be on the same path.