One of the top defensive tackles in the 2026 NFL draft says he’s met with the Lions and only the Lions, why he could be the steal of the draft for Detroit
The Lions have met with Cincinnati nose tackle Dontay Corleone, and he gives them a real chance at a big steal in the 2026 NFL Draft
Well, here is an interesting one that you don’t always see. As everyone should know by now, the Detroit Lions are on the lookout for more interior defensive line help. Pretty much every top-30 we know about is an interior guy.
That doesn’t mean that’s all the Lions are looking for on their line, but it’s clear they want to get better all over the line. They also seem to be looking for a value deal there. That’s likely why they talked to Florida’s Caleb Banks. Because he could fall out of the first round. Then there’s this guy:
Cincinnati’s Dontay Corleone has met with the Lions, and apparently, only the Lions
Sports Illustrated’s Justin Melo spoke with Corleone on Thursday, and the giant nose tackle said that he’s met with just the Lions.
“I met with the Detroit Lions. I had a formal interview with the Lions at the NFL Combine. I’ve pretty much shut it down [physically]. I haven’t done any private workouts or anything like that. I’m getting healthy. I think teams know and understand that. They’ve also been scouting me for a long time. They know who I am.”
Now that is where the potential value comes into play. In 2024, Corlone was diagnosed with blood clots. Now, it’s important to note that Corleone made a full recovery from this and cleared medical checks at the NFL Combine and then cleared them again at Medical rechecks. But this could give some teams pause.
This has pushed Corleone’s draft stock down from a low second-round grade to a sixth or seventh-round grade. As I said, teams are concerned. But that doesn’t mean that there isn’t a big situation for the Lions to take advantage of here.
If they take him in the seventh round and he proves to be totally ok, then what a steal, right? If not, then it costs you a seventh-round pick you weren’t super likely to hit on anyway.
Now let’s talk about the player. When I see Corleone, I’m reminded of this scene from The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.
Dontay Corleone is a refrigerator-shaped gentleman. He’s a 340-pound guy that looks like a 500-pound guy with nothing but muscles. He’s a Mack truck.
He absolutely brings what the Lions want from the nose tackle spot. He had an 80.9 run defense grade from Pro Football Focus in 2025. In terms of pass rush, Cincinnati used him more as a space eater, which is what the Lions had with DJ Reader. But in the past, he’s shown that he can get after the quarterback. In 2024, he had 27 pressures and three sacks.
Part of that could be that Cincinnati changed its defensive coordinator ahead of the 2025 season, and that changed how the team used him.
He could really help the Lions in multiple areas, and a rotation of Alim McNeill, Tyleik Williams, and Corleone could be tough for opposing offensive lines.
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