With the Dallas Cowboys season now fully in draft mode, this is a good time to continue looking at who the key prospects are in the first round that the Cowboys could take with either of their Day 1 picks. In this edition we look at the inside defensive linemen.
Peter Woods, Clemson
Strengths
Woods is a powerful, quick-twitch interior defender who can win with strength and burst. At his best, he shocks guards with heavy hands, compresses the pocket with a bull long-arm rush, and has enough first-step to slip into gaps for tackles-for-loss.
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Weaknesses
Woods’ down year is the main talking point here. His production dipped in 2025 compared with 2024, and it’s extremely polarizing because his traits look more explosive than his 2025 stat line. From a pure skill standpoint, he needs to add a dependable counter when the first power move gets stalled so pressures turn into finishes more consistently, not just pocket squeeze.
Summary
Woods is an NFL-body defensive tackle with real upside because he can play the run with anchor strength and still affect the quarterback with pocket push. In 2025 he was First-Team All-ACC and also earned AP All-America recognition, which matches how most evaluators keep him in the top tier of 2026 defensive tackle class despite the statistical dip.
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(Top-15 prospect)
Caleb Banks, Florida
Strengths
Banks is a massive interior defender at 6’6”, and 330 pound who can be a real problem when he wins first contact. He flashes a strong anchor against double teams and has enough quickness for a big man to push the pocket.
Weaknesses
The big issue is availability in 2025. He dealt with a foot injury that caused him to miss the first two games, then suffered a longer-term foot injury against LSU that required surgery and kept him out most of the year. He only featured in three games in 2025.
Summary
Banks’ profile is high-upside big man who’s a rare-sized defensive tackle who showed real pass-rush production in 2024. If the foot checks out, he looks like an NFL interior starter who can hold the run and collapse pockets. If it doesn’t, teams will view him as a boom-or-bust bet and we have to wait for the news during the NFL scouting combine on what news comes out.
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(Top-25 prospect)
Kayden McDonald, Ohio State
Strengths
McDonald is a true 1-tech defender who plays with heavy hands and real anchor strength, so he’s hard to move off his spot and he clogs the middle when teams try to run inside. In 2025 he wasn’t just space-eating and stopping the run at a high level, he was productive with 65 tackles, nine tackles for loss, three sacks, and two forced fumbles.
Weaknesses
His pass-rush profile is more pocket pusher than true one-on-one closer. He’ll collapse space with power, but he’s not the guy who’s going to win with bend and speed around the edge. There’s also a smaller sample of big production before 2025, so teams will want to confirm the breakout wasn’t just one-year wonder.
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Summary
McDonald’s 2025 leap turned him into a real NFL prospect as a powerful interior defender who can stop runs on his own and still add some backfield impact when offenses get predictable. If you’re drafting him, you’re buying a strong, reliable middle-of-the-defense piece who makes life easier for everyone else.
(Top-30 prospect)
Lee Hunter, Texas Tech
Strengths
Hunter is a big, powerful interior lineman who can hold the middle of a defense without getting moved around. He plays with heavy hands and a strong base, so he’s tough to run through, and he’ll still give you some backfield disruption. His production has been steady across both UCF and after transferring to Texas Tech, which proves he’s a quality starter-level interior defender.
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Weaknesses
He’s more power and push than a twitchy rush winner, so his best rushes come when he can get momentum or work on stunts rather than living on quick counters every snap. That means some weeks he’ll be felt more by the pocket getting squeezed than by huge sack totals.
Summary
Hunter projects cleanly as an NFL early-down defensive tackle who can eat snaps, stiffen the run defense, and give you enough pocket push to matter on passing downs. If a team uses him in a front that moves the line and creates lanes for him to work, his impact shows up even more. Think dependable interior muscle with just enough disruption to keep offenses honest.
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(Top-30 prospect)
Christen Miller, Georgia
Strengths
Miller is a sturdy, NFL-shaped interior lineman who’s at his best winning the first contact and holding the point. He plays with good leverage for his size, and enough pop to knock guards backward when he gets into their chest. In 2025 he started every game and gave Georgia steady interior play, and has enough evidence on tape to show he’s a strong overall interior defender.
Weaknesses
He’s not a constant backfield finisher, so his sack totals don’t match the hype you usually see around early-round def waive tackles of his type. The pass-rush wins can be a little straightforward and if his first push stalls, he needs a quicker second move to turn pressures into clean finishes.
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Summary
Miller projects as a dependable NFL interior starter as he can play inside on early downs, hold up versus doubles, and still give you pocket push when the quarterback tries to step up. His college production is solid but not flashy, so the selling point is the traits like size, strength, leverage, and a consistent base rather than big stat totals. If he adds a more reliable counter as a rusher, his ceiling rises from solid starter to difference-maker. That means a team drafting him needs a clear plan for their defensive line coach.
(Top-40 prospect)