Kayden McDonald NFL Draft Profile: Conference Championship Scouting Report for the Ohio State Defensive Tackle
Kayden McDonald is a defensive tackle from Ohio State who is ranked No. 27 on my NFL Draft Top 100 Big Board. This comprehensive scouting report analyzes McDonald’s draft potential, current mock draft trends, and where he ranks among the top prospects.
Dive into PFSN’s FREE Mock Draft Simulator and run a mock by yourself or with your friends!
Kayden McDonald’s NFL Draft Potential
Kayden McDonald follows in the footsteps of 2024 first-round pick Tyleik Williams, who distinguished himself on the Ohio State interior playing everywhere from 0-tech and 1-tech to 5-tech. McDonald isn’t as alignment versatile as Williams, as he’s relegated mostly to 0-tech and 1-tech, but as a nose tackle with some 3-tech flexibility and modest dynamism as a pass-rusher, he brings plenty of intrigue.
A former four-star recruit, the 6’3″, 326-pound McDonald has morphed into an impact player for the Buckeyes, with three sacks and seven TFLs through this point in the 2025 season. McDonald is built with a degree of natural leverage, exceptional compact mass, and great proportional length – all of which he combines with near-elite linear explosiveness to deliver menacing point-of-attack power and stacking strength.
McDonald can violently stack and control blocks in the run game, and that same driving power enables him to puncture the interior of pockets as a pass-rusher. He doesn’t have high-end lateral agility or flexibility, which slightly limits his ultimate pass-rush ceiling – but McDonald has a disruptive profile as a two-down nose tackle, to go along with visible rush upside and attacking utility on passing downs. As of now, he grades as a late first-round prospect on my board, and would be a phenomenal add for odd and hybrid-front schemes.
Against UCLA and Michigan, McDonald was at his best. Versus the Bruins, the hybrid nose tackle stood strong at the point of attack, limiting displacement and running space at the fulcrum and at alignments farther outside, and he was able to use his motor and finishing strength to secure a tackle for loss. Meanwhile, against the Wolverines, he routinely reset the line and controlled interior gaps with his blistering explosiveness and imposing point-of-attack power, and he proved incredibly difficult to displace.
McDonald’s production confirms his standing as a first-round prospect. Through the regular season, he accrued 52 tackles, eight TFLs, three sacks, and two forced fumbles. He also has a strong PFSN DT Impact grade of 78. The advanced numbers shed light on where he can improve. Notably, per PFF, he has a lower pressure percentage of just 5.7%, corroborating the fact that his pass-rush consistency can improve. However, TruMedia also brings to light an excellent average yards gained per run stop of just 1.45, and he also has a strong TFL% of 3.1%.
As a hybrid nose tackle with stifling early-down utility, explosive tone-setting athleticism and hand power, and clear pass-rush upside as a linear attacker, block shedder, and pocket space eraser, McDonald is worthy of Round 1 capital and has the potential to be a game-changer.
Where Is McDonald Being Selected Most Often in the PFSN Mock Draft Simulator?
McDonald currently holds the No. 30 overall rank among prospects, placing him among the first-round caliber prospects. His most recent Average Draft Position (ADP) of 35.4 as of December 6 reflects that he is typically being selected in the second or third round.
The gap between his rank and ADP indicates that while he’s highly regarded on our board, draft simulators are seeing him slide slightly, possibly due to team needs or positional value considerations.
Users controlling the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have been the team that selected McDonald the most frequently over the past week, accounting for 7.0% of their picks across all seven rounds. Notably, 18.1% of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ first-round selections over that same period were used on McDonald, underscoring users’ strong preference for him as a potential immediate-impact defensive tackle.
Ready to run your own draft? Head over to the free PFSN Mock Draft Simulator and be the GM of your favorite team!
Where Does Kayden McDonald Rank Amongst Other NFL Draft Prospects?
McDonald is currently ranked No. 27 overall in my December 2026 NFL Draft Big Board. Among DT prospects, McDonald ranks 3rd at the position, trailing prospects like Peter Woods, Caleb Banks. As a first-round caliber prospect, McDonald is among the top-tier players in this draft class.
Want to see how we rank all the draft prospects in the PFSN Mock Draft Simulator? Check out our NFL Draft Prospect Rankings page, which includes more than 750 prospects.
