Height: 6-7

Weight: 260 pounds

Year: Senior

Pro Comparison: Brady Smith

Pros for Will Heldt

• He boasts a long and lean frame with even more developmental potential 
• Heldt plays extremely hard in the run game, which allows him to make plays in pursuit and at the point of attack 
• His size and length profile give some pass rush potential when condensing to the interior 
• With a good first step, Heldt can threaten the outside track initially and allow for his length/closing speed to finish plays

Cons for Will Heldt

• There is a limited amount of bend in Heldt’s game, which hurts his ability to consistently win the corner 
• Held can hurt his overall power profile by playing too high at times 
• There are some clear limitations as a pass rusher on the next level; profiling more as a good run defender with low volume upside in passing situations

Background

Heldt was an underrated recruit coming out of Carmel (Ind.) High School in the 2023 recruiting class. On the 247 Sports Composite ranking, he finished ranked as a three-star, the No. 718 overall player, the No. 69 EDGE, and the No. 10 player from the state of Indiana for the 2023 class. He was considered to be a three-star by each of the major recruiting platforms. Heldt opted for Purdue over offers from Iowa, Indiana, Iowa State, Vanderbilt, Illinois, Minnesota, Duke, Wake Forest, and Northwestern, among others. 

After serving as a backup for the Boilermakers in 2023, Heldt proceeded to have a breakout season the following year. He parlayed that success into a ton of opportunities in the transfer portal. Heldt eventually opted for Clemson despite a ton of demand from other programs. In 37 games played between the two programs, Heldt has managed to collect 114 total tackles, 26.5 tackles for loss, 12.5 sacks, a forced fumble, one fumble recovery, and two pass breakups.

Player Evaluation

After breaking out with the Purdue program, Heldt put together a strong season with Clemson in 2025. Blessed with a long and lean frame, there is a lot of developmental potential to be able to put good weight on in the future. As a run defender, Heldt plays extremely hard. His pure effort allows him to make a variety of plays in pursuit. His long and strong frame also allows him to make a bevy of plays at the point of attack. Heldt’s size and length profile give him some pass rush potential both inside and out, which could be a huge bonus when he condenses down to the interior. With a good first step, as well as length and notable closing speed, Heldt has enough juice to occasionally threaten the outside track and condense the pocket and finish plays. 

As a high-cut pass rusher, Heldt is limited when it comes to bend. That will hurt his ability to consistently flatten the corner and win on the outside track. While there is a ton of natural strength to Heldt’s game, he plays a bit too upright at times, which hurts his ability to maintain a good base when setting the edge. The floor is very appealing for Heldt, but there are also some clear limitations to his upside as a pass rusher on the next level. That will profile him more as a good run defender, but also probably maxes him out as a low-volume sack artist, relegating him to more of a secondary pass rusher. 

Even if Heldt never becomes a dynamic pass rusher, there is certainly an important role for him on the next level. His baseline of size, power, and run game impact gives him a sound floor as an average starter. Heldt does, however, have enough tools to eventually become a plus starter down the road.