Interior pressure is the name of the game in the NFL these days and the 2026 NFL Draft has a few names that you should know for the next generation.

A defensive tackle with the potential to be one of the biggest risers of the draft process kicks off his draft process this week in Mobile, AL. He’s joined by a fascinating collection of defensive tackle prospects who will be participating in the annual Panini Senior Bowl, which kicks off practices on Tuesday. The A to Z Sports crew will be there to help provide all the insights you need to stay up to date with the first major plot point on the path to the 2026 NFL Draft. Here are four names to watch this week at defensive tackle on the interior.

Defensive tackles to watch at the 2026 Senior Bowl

Florida DT Caleb Banks

96 snaps in 2025. That’s the book right now on Caleb Banks. But when he is at his best, woah buddy. He’s an absolute load with athleticism and length — which makes him feel like a strong first-round candidate in a draft class that lacks the kind of depth you’d ideally covet at the top of the order. Banks has a chance to establish himself as fully healthy and disruptive after logging 29 pressures on 233 pass rush opportunities in 2024. This could be one of the names of the week if he’s firing on all cylinders.

Texas Tech DT Lee Hunter

Hunter is an absolute delight to watch play on tape. He was awesome this year at Texas Tech, logging his third consecutive season with at least 20 pressures as a pass rusher. He’s a big-bodied defender with natural leverage but he’s got some quickness to his game, too. Playing as well as he did at Tech after three seasons of play at UCF boosts his profile too, but the Senior Bowl setting could be where he catapults his name into a new stratosphere. Hunter is a bit of a polarizing projection right now but he’s someone I think we’ll all be higher on after this week.

Penn State DT Zane Durant

Durant is undersized and I don’t thought he played as well this season as he did in 2024 for the Nittany Lions. It’s kind of like the story of that whole program this past year. When you think about a designated pass rusher, Durant’s quickness and low to the ground frame come to mind. He’s a disruptive B-gap rusher who could carve out a nifty role for himself on sub-package opportunities — think Karl Brooks coming out of Bowling Green. Brooks had a breakout year in his final season in college, which Durant didn’t have. Maybe the Senior Bowl is the place for things to click after a “Murphy’s Law” year for Penn State.

Oklahoma DT Gracen Halton

Halton has 58 pressures on 483 pass rush snaps the last two seasons combined for Oklahoma. He has some impressive alignment versatility on his tape, too. I don’t think he’s got a lot of versatility for first & 10 situations but on passing downs you can put him in a slew of alignments and bet he can provide some disruption. I’m hopeful we see him seize the opportunities that one-on-ones can give a disruptor on the inside this week.

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