With the NFL Draft just weeks away now and the NFL Combine behind us, there are just a handful of pro days standing between us and draft night. Everyone has a good idea of where each player stands, and there likely won’t be a whole lot of change before the start of the draft.

Pro Football Focus is one of the best ways for fans to become familiar with the draft prospects. They put out grades and advanced stats for every single player, so you know what kind of player your team could be getting on draft night.

Here are the 15 highest-graded defensive draft prospects according to PFF.

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1. LB Jacob Rodriguez, Texas Tech

Defensive Grade: 93.3

Jacob Rodriguez is an undersized linebacker, but he more than makes up for it with his motor and nose for the football. This kid flies all over the field. In 2025, he racked up 128 tackles, seven forced fumbles, four interceptions and three pass breakups. His 93.3 defensive grade ranked No. 1 in the country, regardless of draft class, and his 92.7 coverage grade was first among linebackers. He’s an incredible player who will fall to day two because of his size.

2. DL Michael Heldman, Central Michigan

Defensive Grade: 92.9

A lot of you probably don’t know who Michael Heldman is, but he put up numbers at Central Michigan, recording 10.5 sacks and 53 pressures with a 92.9 pass rush grade, which ranked third in the country. Also, Heldman’s 26.4 percent pass rush win rate ranked fourth in the country among pass rushers with 100+ snaps. He didn’t do it against the greatest competition, but production is production. It’s hard to argue with stats.

3. DE Romello Height, Texas Tech

Defensive Grade: 92.9

Romello Height is one of the most underrated defensive ends in the NFL Draft this year. He was overshadowed by David Bailey this season, but he actually finished with a higher defensive grade than his counterpart. In 2025, Height logged 56 pressures and 10 sacks and had a 22.5 percent pass rush win rate, which was higher than Bailey’s. At 6-foot-3, 239 pounds, he’s a bit undersized, but again, it’s hard to argue against stats, and it’s not like he did it against a bunch of nobodies. The Big 12 has some good offensive linemen.

4. DE Rueben Bain Jr., Miami

Defensive Grade: 92.5

All the talked about Rueben Bain is about how short his arms are, but there’s no denying he wasn’t one of the most productive edge rushers in college football last season. He finished second in the nation in pressures with 67 in the regular season and had the most hurries with 54. He only had 4.5 sacks heading into the College Football Playoff, but he went off in the postseason, recording five sacks in four games. He’s also an underrated run defender, earning an 87.5 run defense grade with 31 run stops. There’s a reason he’s going to be a top-10 pick in April.

5. DE Akheem Mesidor, Miami

Defensive Grade: 92.5

Akheem Mesidor played alongside Bain all season at Miami, and he actually ended up with the same exact defensive grade with a 92.5. Mesidor finished with 12 fewer pressures and hurries than his teammate, but had three more sacks, finishing with 12.5. His 91.7 pass rush grade was just 0.1 behind Bain’s. He’s quite a bit older than Bain, but he should still be a first round pick in April. It’s crazy to see how even these two were throughout the course of the season in terms of production and grades.

6. DE David Bailey, Texas Tech

Defensive Grade: 92.4

Keeping on the pass rusher train, David Bailey is the fifth-highest rated pass rusher on this list with a 92.4 defensive grade. He did have the second-highest pass rush grade in the country and the highest of anyone on this list with a 93.3. He was easily the most efficient pass rusher in the country this season, finishing with a nation-leading 73 pressures and 14.5 sacks. There are some concerns about his agility, but when you’re the best pass rusher on one of the best defenses in the country, it’s hard to deny he shouldn’t be a top-five pick.

7. S Emmanuel McNeil-Warren, Toldeo

Defensive Grade: 92.1

Emmanuel McNeil-Warren had a phenomenal season with Toledo in 2025. He allowed a 42.9 percent completion rate (which is almost unheard of for a safety) while giving up just 116 yards and one touchdown with two picks and four pass breakups. His 91.8 coverage grade ranked fifth in the nation and first among safeties while his 42.9 completion rate was fifth among safeties. There’s no questioning his skills, but there have been some concerns about his speed, and a 4.52-second time at the NFL Combine didn’t help those worries. He should still go in the first round, though, because his potential is through the roof.

8. CB Chris Johnson, San Diego State

Defensive Grade: 91.6

There aren’t many people that can say they allowed a lower completion rate than McNeil-Warren last season, but Chris Johnson is one of them. He allowed just 41.9 percent of his targets to be caught for 185 yards while picking off four passes and breaking up five more. His completion rate allowed ranked 12th in the nation among corners with 200+ snaps, and his 92.4 coverage grade ranked second. He’s another player that didn’t play the toughest competition, but he’s still projected to be a top-50 pick. That’s how impressive his tape is.

9. LB Red Murdock, Buffalo

Defensive Grade: 91.2

Red Murdock has done it all for Buffalo over the past two seasons. He’s totaled 140+ tackles in each of the last two years and has 13 forced fumbles, seven sacks and 114 run stops during that span. His 91.3 run defense grade and 71 run defense tackles ranked fourth in the nation. He is one of the best run defending linebackers in this draft cycle, and he’s coming off his best coverage season where he allowed just 18 receptions. High upside player, but he is a bit undersized at 6-foot-1.

10. S Bishop Fitzgerald, USC

Defensive Grade: 90.7

Bishop Fitzgerald’s grade confuses me a little bit. On one hand, he picked off five passes and broke up three more, but on the other, he gave up four touchdowns on 25 targets. That’s almost one touchdown every five targets, and he still earned a 90.8 coverage grade. He wasn’t bad in the run game, but he also wasn’t great, earning a 71.2 run defense grade. I’m not exactly sure how he ended up with a 90.7 defensive grade, so this is one I think PFF missed on.

11. DE Nadame Tucker, Western Michigan

Defensive Grade: 90.6

This is one PFF did not get wrong. Nadame Tucker was one of the most efficient pass rushers in college football last season, racking up 51 pressures and 14.5 sacks for Western Michigan. Tucker’s 92.7 pass rush grade ranked fourth in the nation and was tied with Romello Height’s, while his 51 pressures ranked 13th and his 14.5 sacks was tied with David Bailey for the most. He’s yet another player who didn’t do it against the toughest competition, but there are tools there that NFL teams can work with.

12. CB Keionte Scott, Miami

Defensive Grade: 90.5

Another Miami defender cracks this list with Keionte Scott coming in at No. 12. Scott had easily the best season of his career, giving up 32 catches for 243 yards and zero touchdowns with one interception and four pass breakups. His 86.4 coverage grade ranked 12th and his 7.6 yards per receptions allowed ranked 11th among cornerbacks with 200+ snaps. The most impressive part of his game might’ve come against the run, though. He posted a 91.4 run defense grade, which ranked first among all cornerbacks, with 17 tackles and 14 stops, which ranked 29th and 6th among his position respectively. He’s a do-it-all corner with blazing speed, so I’m excited to see where he ends up.

13. CB Mansoor Delane, LSU

Defensive Grade: 90.5

I was shocked Mansoor Delane’s defensive grade was this low to be honest. He allowed a 40 percent completion rate, 165 yards, zero touchdowns and had seven pass breakups and an interception on just 35 targets. He didn’t allow a single receiver to catch multiple passes against him in the same game this season, and he did all of that in the SEC. And all he gets for that is a 90.5 defensive grade and a 90.7 coverage grade? I mean, you can’t really complain when you’re in the 90s, but it feels like he deserved more. He was the best corner in the country last season and will be the first one off the board in April.

14. DT Payton Zdroik, Air Force

Defensive Grade: 90.4

Not many people know Payton Zdroik’s name, but he’s finished the past two seasons with a 90+ defensive and pass rush grade as a defensive tackle. His 92.2 pass rush grade ranked first among all defensive tackles with 100+ snaps this season. He also ranked third in pressures (38) and first in hurries (29) and win rate (29 percent) among his position. Despite that, he’s not projected to get drafted, so he could sign as a priority free agent after the draft.

15. DE Caden Curry, Ohio State

Defensive Grade: 90.4

Rounding out our list is Ohio State edge rusher Caden Curry, who posted 38 pressures and 11 sacks last season. He earned an 85.7 pass rush grade, which ranked 33rd in the country, but unlike some of the other edge rushers in this class, he was also a very good run defender. His 86.5 run defense grade ranked seventh among defensive ends. He also finished the year with 25 run defense tackles and 21 run stops. He’s not an elite pass rusher, but he can do a little bit of everything for you off the edge.