2026 NFL Draft Intel: The truth about Anthony Hill, some varying opinions on Caleb Downs, and more notes on defensive headliners
2026 NFL Draft intel focusing on the defensive class.
With the 2025 college football regular season getting close to its conclusion, and the NFL season more than halfway over, the next couple of months are sure to fly by. Before you know it, everyone is going to be diving fully into the 2026 NFL Draft class and all of the tremendous prospects that the group has to offer. On the NFL side, folks are going to work diligently to find players who they believe could help their favorite teams. The draft process will be here before you know it.
In an effort to gain a better understanding for the 2026 group, I have exhausted my efforts over the last couple of weeks to get as much intel on the class as possible. I have posted a couple of Intel pieces already recently, but with so much good information, I had to split them up a bit. Here is a deeper dive into the defensive class, including several of the assumed headliners of the group. You will see all of these players inside of most first round mock drafts right now.
2026 NFL Draft notes
As of today, the defensive class looks like the weaker side of the football compared to the offense. There are, as always, several standouts to be excited about, and some key sleepers to know. Let’s start the conversation with Texas All-American linebacker Anthony Hill Jr., a player whose hype is way too much for some.
On Anthony Hill:
As a prospect, I have admittedly been a little in between on Hill. There are some things I like (frame, explosiveness, hit power), and others I don’t (processing, slow trigger). When speaking with a current NFC South area scout, it appears my opinion might even be a bit on the higher end comparatively. They weren’t a fan, even a little bit.
“I just don’t see the instincts,” that scout said. “He’s not anticipating well at all. He can run when he opens up, but the problem is that he always has to open up because he’s late to react constantly. There’s reps where the play is already developing and he’s stuck flat footed, didn’t even trigger. There is also almost no feel in pass coverage, struggling to decipher routes in front of him. We have him graded as a rotational backup backer right now.
“Hill has a muscular upper body but he’s not as impressive as you would think in person,” they continued. “He has skinny ankles, skinny calves, skinny thighs. You expect this physical freak because of the five-star background. That’s not what you get.”
If you pull up a majority of first round mock drafts right now, you will most likely see Hill’s name, or at least in the early second round range. To gain a little more context for the variety of opinions on the Longhron star, I checked in with a couple of other sources around the league. While that feedback wasn’t quite as harsh, it does appear that the NFL is mostly lower on Hill than what the media is right now. That is just a note to keep in the back of your mind.
A player that the league is high on, when he’s healthy at least, is Tennessee star cornerback Jermod McCoy.
On Jermod McCoy:
McCoy suffered a torn ACL this past spring and has yet to make his 2025 debut for the Volunteers. The further we get toward the end of the season, the less and less likely it feels like we will see the 6-0, 194-pound cover man again. He feels like one of the rare players who may not need recent film. If his health is in a good spot, McCoy is going to go very high.
“The league hasn’t forgotten how good McCoy is,” an AFC East scout told me. “You don’t do what he did in the SEC at 19 years old by accident. His press technique is some of the best I’ve ever seen. He’s a great kid too. That’s a future Pro Bowler if healthy.”
Health will be a concern until it isn’t anymore, but there shouldn’t be many concerns about what McCoy does on the field when available. If you love physical press man cornerbacks who can run, then McCoy is the player for you. There just aren’t many things not to like about the Volunteer star.
One player who is universally loved for the most part is Ohio State All-American safety Caleb Downs. With outstanding film, NFL bloodlines, and clean character off the field, there is a lot to like. While most of the feedback is very positive, I did come across one source in the NFC East who wasn’t quite as high on Downs, at least not to the generational label that some have tried to put on him.
On Caleb Downs:
“Downs is a really good player but it feels like some are making him something he’s not,” that league source explained. “When’s the last time you saw him make an impact play in deep zone coverage? Ohio State makes him play a very simple role, short zone and some robber. There’s a reason for that.”
That opinion was, however, a bit of an outlier perspective. For the most part, there were some high remarks for Downs. There also seems to be a lot of trust that he will figure it out on the next level, possessing a great head on his shoulders.
“It’s all about the role you want Downs to play,” that original NFC South scout said. “I’m betting on the student of the game as much as the athlete. Based on everything I know, I’d trust him to find a way even if he isn’t the most dynamic athlete.”
There is an interesting debate that will continue centering around Downs, that generational label, and just how high he should get drafted. One thing is certain, whether you are excited about his ceiling or not, Downs has one of the highest floors in the class. He is going to be, at least, a good football player on the NFL level.
Over the last several weeks, the media has been buzzing about Ohio State linebacker Arvell Reese. Considered to be one of the biggest risers in the 2026 NFL Draft class, Reese is now being talked about in that elite tier, and he should be. The junior has been incredible for the Buckeyes, and folks around the league have been taking notice.
On Arvell Reese:
At 6-4, 240-plus pounds with long arms and legitimate pass rush upside, there has been a debate about whether Reese would be better served to be a full-time EDGE on the next level. While there are varying opinions on that for the folks I have spoken to around the league, most agree that it probably doesn’t matter, and so does a different AFC area scout.
“I’ve never seen anything like him. Some will compare him to (Micah) Parsons but they are very different players,” they said. “Parsons was a great athlete playing linebacker but he wasn’t a natural in that spot. Moving to EDGE transformed him from a good linebacker to an All-Pro. Reese can play MIKE and be an All-Pro. He can play defensive end and be an All-Pro. He’s an incredible talent.”
Let the debate about what position Reese plays continue. I am just not totally sure that it matters. Many people have him right at the top of their boards already, and the crazy part is that Reese is still a first-year starter and can still get so much better.
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