The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have selected defensive tackle DeMonte Capehart out of Clemson with the 155th pick in the 2026 NFL Draft.
DeMonte Capehart, DT, Clemson
HT: 6’5
WT: 314 lbs
Video:
Pros:
- Heavy, violent hands at initial contact that consistently jolt blockers backward.
- Good anchor strength against double teams; rarely gets pushed off his spot.
- Lateral quickness is unusual for a 313-pound interior lineman.
- Active hands at the line of scrimmage; five career pass breakups from the interior.
- Tested as one of the most athletic defensive tackles in combine history.
- Plays with solid leverage and pad level in the run game on most snaps.
- Functional power to walk guards into the pocket when singled up.
Cons:
- Started only 12 games across six college seasons; limited starter experience.
- Pass rush plan lacks variety; too reliant on a straight bull rush.
- Rarely develops a counter move when his primary rush stalls out.
- Tackling technique is inconsistent; comes in high and slides off ballcarriers.
- Gets upright after his initial strike and loses the leverage advantage.
- Needs to improve recognition of angle and reach blocks on the backside.
Summary:
Capehart’s combine workout changed the conversation around him. He posted one of the fastest 40 times among defensive tackles in the field, paired with a vertical jump near the top of the position group, and his overall Relative Athletic Score placed him among the most gifted interior linemen to test at the combine in nearly four decades. For a 313-pound man with 6-5 length, that kind of movement ability is rare, and it reframes his ceiling well beyond what his college production alone would suggest.
The tape backs up the athleticism in the run game. Capehart uses his hands to stack blockers, holds ground against combo blocks, and keeps his feet active enough to shed and make plays near the line of scrimmage. He fits naturally as a two-gapping nose or a 4-3 one-technique who can eat space and free up linebackers. Where the tape falls short is as a pass rusher. He generates push on raw power, but there is not much else in the bag. No reliable counter move, limited hand technique when his bull rush stalls, and that gap between his run-defense ability and his pass-rush craft is real. At 23, a coaching staff will need to teach him how to win with more than just force.
The floor here is a dependable early-down rotation piece who anchors his gap and does not get moved. The ceiling, if the pass rush develops even moderately, is a three-down contributor whose athletic tools let him disrupt in ways his college film only hinted at. That spread between floor and ceiling is exactly why combine testing matters for a player like this.
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