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1:36Geico Feel Good Moment: Texans Drafting DL Kayden McDonald In 2nd Round
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0:452026 NFL Draft Grades: Texans Select Kayden McDonald No. 36
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11:24Breaking Down Josh Edwards' Day 2 NFL Mock Draft
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1:41Ohio State: Will Smith Jr. or John Walker to Replace McDonald?
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1:14Chance for No DTs Selected in the 1st Round
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0:452026 NFL Draft Prospect Profile: DT Kayden McDonald
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1:01Expectations For DT Kayden McDonald At Pro Day
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6:45Kayden McDonald NFL Combine Interview
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1:21Needs Mock Draft: NFC North
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0:50JUST STOP IT: Ohio State leaves Washington's Demond Williams nowhere to run, nowhere to hide
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0:532026 NFL Draft Grades: Cowboys Select Jaishawn Barham No. 92
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0:422026 NFL Draft Grades: Dolphins Select Will Kacmarek No. 87
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0:492026 NFL Draft Grades: Bills Select Davison Igbinosun No. 62
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0:432026 NFL Draft Grades: Rams Select Max Klare No. 61
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0:382026 NFL Draft Grades: Cowboys Select Caleb Downs No. 11
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0:502026 NFL Draft Grades: Commanders Select Sonny Styles No. 7
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0:562026 NFL Draft Grades: Giants Select Arvell Reese No. 5
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0:432026 NFL Draft Grades: Titans Select Carnell Tate No. 4
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17:10The Making of an NFL-Ready Prospect in the 2026 Draft
Draft Scouting Report
Pro Comparison: Derrick Nnadi
Summary
With McDonald, what you see is what you get. He is a two-down nose tackle through and through, but an elite one for someone who only just turned 21 years old. To dominate at such a strength-based position at that age is notable. His ability to play with consistent leverage is exceptional on tape and will be no fun to try to block in the NFL.
About
- 2025: Unanimous All-American; Big Ten DL of the Year
- 2025: 65 tackles (third-most by FBS DT); 9.0 TFL (led Big Ten DT)
Strengths
- Super-stout anchor in the run game; great vs. double teams for a young DT.
- Active hands to get off blocks; can win late.
- Gets low into contact; can reset the line of scrimmage immediately.
Weaknesses
- Not the kind of athlete to offer much more than a little pocket push as a pass rusher.
- Can get cut off on wide runs if he doesn’t read it at the snap.
- Smaller upper half for a defensive tackle; limits his ability to control defenders.
Top Kayden McDonald News
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Texans' Kayden McDonald: Selected by Texans
The Texans selected McDonald in the second round of the 2026 NFL Draft, 36th overall.
The Texans traded up with the Raiders to take McDonald, a classic nose tackle in stature (6-foot-2, 326 pounds) but one who finds the ball carrier much more often than most two-gap defensive tackles. McDonald set the interior anchor for Ohio State's smothering defense in 2025, yet even while working through the thickest part of the trenches McDonald managed to accumulate 65 tackles (nine for a loss) in 14 games. The Texans run defense and pass rush were both already strong, yet with McDonald in the rotation it gets even tougher to block the Texans.
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Player Bio
| HT/WT: 6-2, 326 lbs |
| Birthplace: Suwanee, GA |
| Class: Junior |