2026 NFL Draft: Finding defensive sleepers using PFF+

Estimated Reading Time: 6minutes

Prepare for the 2026 NFL Draft with PFF+

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PFF+ subscribers instantly have the work of the largest scouting department in history (in the form of the PFF data collection team) at their fingertips — much of the same information used by all 32 NFL front offices. And we'll use that data here to scout sleeper defensive players for the 2026 NFL Draft.

The data reveals trends and important nuggets for evaluating a player's ability to succeed in the NFL. You can use PFF Premium Stats in a variety of ways, from scouting players for the NFL draft to finding rookies for your fantasy team. 

We'll be looking at 2026 NFL Draft sleepers (players who graded well in college but aren’t among the top 150 players on the PFF Big Board).

Let's start by trying to find a productive pass-rushing interior defensive lineman who isn’t in every first-round mock draft but has shown he can produce and help an NFL defense.

If you’re a PFF+ subscriber, log in and follow along.

Search Parameters:

• Open PFF Premium Stats
• Click on the “By Position” tab in the upper right-hand corner
• Click on the “league” box in the upper left-hand corner and select “NCAA”
• Click on “DI” in the “Pass Rush Grades” box, under “Defense Reports”
• Click on “division” in the upper left-hand corner and include both “FBS” and “FCS”
• Click on “min. pass rush snaps” and select “20%” (to remove small sample sizes)
• Click on “draft year” and set it to “2026” (to find players in this draft class only)

The second name down on the list is Kaleb Proctor from Southeastern Louisiana, who earned an elite 90.8 PFF pass-rushing grade. At 6-foot-1 and 275 pounds, Proctor lacks size, but he still produced at a high level as a pass rusher.

In 2025, Proctor notched nine sacks to lead the draft class among interior defensive linemen. He added four quarterback hits and 27 hurries across 301 pass-rush snaps. As you can imagine, at an undersized 275 pounds, Proctor largely wins with his lateral quickness on the interior. He finished the season with a very good 87.4 PFF overall grade. While he might not develop into a three-down player in the NFL, he could find a role as an interior pass rusher. 

Next, let’s turn our attention to the second level of the defense and look for a well-rounded linebacker who tackles well:

Search Parameters:

• Open PFF Premium Stats
• Click on the “By Position” tab in the upper right-hand corner
• Click on the “league” box in the upper left-hand corner and select “NCAA”
• Click on “LB” in the “Defense Grades” box, under “Defense Reports”
• Click on “division” in the upper left-hand corner and include both “FBS” and “FCS”
• Click on “min. snaps” and select “20%” (to remove small sample sizes)
• Click on “draft year” and set it to “2026” (to find players in this draft class only)

The first name on the list is Texas Tech‘s Jacob Rodriguez, who is a household name at this point after his dominant 2025 season. The next player is Buffalo‘s Red Murdock with an elite 91.2 PFF overall grade in 2025. Looking at Murdock’s PFF grades across the board shows a linebacker who performed well in every area.

Murdock earned a 91.3 PFF run-defense grade and forced six fumbles on the year. His 82.2 PFF tackling grade is noticeably better than Rodriguez’s 65.5 mark. Murdock earned an 86.5 PFF coverage grade, and his pass-rush resume includes a 72.3 PFF pass-rush grade to go along with six sacks, two quarterback hits and 12 hurries. On film, Murdock isn’t on the fast end of linebackers, but he can help a team with his violent, physical play style.

Next, let’s look for edge defenders with high-level pass-rush production. It's the deepest position in this year's draft class, so lesser-known but successful players who could be worth a Day 3 draft pick or a priority UDFA contract are plentiful.

Search Parameters:

• Open PFF Premium Stats
• Click on the “By Position” tab in the upper right-hand corner
• Click on the “league” box in the upper left-hand corner and select “NCAA”
• Click on “ED” in the “Pass Rush grades” box, under “Defense Reports”
• Click on “division” in the upper left-hand corner and include both “FBS” and “FCS”
• Click on “min. pass rush snaps” and select “20%” (to remove small sample sizes)
• Click on “draft year” and set it to “2026” (to find players in this draft class only)

The top name on the list is Texas Tech's David Bailey, a constant in the top 20 of draft boards, but the next three names on the list — Nadame Tucker, Keyshawn James-Newby and Michael Heldman — aren’t consensus top-150 prospects. Still, all of them racked up double-digit sack numbers to go along with their strong PFF pass-rushing grades, so let's dive in.

Western Michigan‘s Tucker generated a 93.3 PFF pass-rush grade to go along with 14 sacks, six quarterback hits and 41 hurries on 316 pass-rushing snaps in 2025. He also posted a 40.8% win rate when rushing against true pass sets, which ranks first in the class among edge defenders with at least 200 pass-rushing snaps. Tucker had an extremely productive season, although 2025 was the only campaign in which he played 120-plus snaps.

New Mexico‘s James-Newby logged a 93.0 PFF pass-rush grade, powered by 10 sacks, nine quarterback hits and 55 hurries on 381 pass-rushing snaps. His 37.5% win rate when rushing against true pass sets ranks fourth in the draft class among edge defenders with at least 200 pass-rushing snaps. James-Newby also put together back-to-back seasons with 10 sacks. 

Rounding out our group is Central Michigan‘s Heldman and his 92.9 PFF pass-rush grade, 12 sacks, five quarterback hits and 36 hurries on 321 pass-rushing snaps. Heldman secured a 40.2% win rate when rushing against true pass sets, ranking second in the draft class among edge defenders with at least 200 pass-rushing snaps. He has been making a strong case for himself on the All-Star game circuit, as he posted an 80.5 PFF overall grade in the Hula Bowl and then participated in the East-West Shrine Bowl, where he picked up a sack off an inside spin move. 

These are just a few examples of how you can use PFF Premium Stats to find talented and productive draft prospects. Next, we will use PFF+ to find draft sleepers on the offensive side of the ball. 

If you haven’t yet, become a PFF+ subscriber and dive into the data for yourself.