Will Echoles DT Ole Miss |
NFL Draft Profile & Scouting Report
| Jersey: #52 SUB-POSITION: DT 3-TECH | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Last Updated: 08/03/2026 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Draft Year: 2027 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| FORTY time: 5.10 seconds (52%*) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Jersey: #52 | |
| SUB-POSITION: DT 3-TECH | |
| Last Updated: 08/03/2026 | |
| Draft Year: 2027 | |
| Forty time: 5.10 seconds (52%*) | |
| Overall Rating: |
87.6 / 100
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| Average rating of opposition Offense player has faced | ||
| Offense Rating: |
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72% |
| Click the links below to view how player ranks vs other prospects. | ||
| Tackling: |
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58% |
| Pass Rush: |
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69% |
| Run Defense: |
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89% |
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DRAFT PROJECTION:
1st - Mid
Overall Rank:
#17
Position rank:
#3 (DL)
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| College Games: 23 College Snaps: 886 | ||
ESPN RATING: 83/100
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247 RATING: 96/100
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RIVALS RATING: 5.8 (95%)
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| Player Comparison* (Similarity level) | ||
|---|---|---|
| Daviyon Nixon - Iowa |
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83% |
| Brandon Cleveland - NC State |
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80% |
| Omarr Norman-Lott - Tennessee |
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76% |
Draft Profile: Bio
Will Echoles came out of Houston High School in Germantown, Mississippi as a consensus four-star recruit and the state's 4A Mr. Football. He played both sides of the ball in high school, and his senior year defensive numbers were hard to ignore: 59 tackles, 18 for loss, and seven sacks. 247Sports ranked him the 14th-best defensive line prospect nationally, and he was selected for the 2024 All-American Bowl.Echoles enrolled early at Ole Miss and spent his true freshman season in 2024 behind a defensive line room that sent four players to the NFL, including first-round pick Walter Nolen. He appeared in eight games as a reserve, collecting nine tackles and 2.0 TFL across 121 snaps. The limited workload was by design, part of a roadmap laid out by DL coach Randall Joyner.
As a sophomore in 2025, Echoles stepped into the starting lineup and logged 765 snaps across 15 games, recording seven sacks, six batted passes, and 35 defensive stops as Ole Miss reached the College Football Playoff semifinal. He announced his return for 2026 before the Fiesta Bowl, and several teammates followed his lead.
Scouting Report: Strengths
- Stout against the run across a heavy snap load, rarely budged at the point
- Pressure volume was rare for an interior man, finishing near the national lead
- Played 765 snaps across fifteen games without wearing down late
- Knifes gaps with quickness and converts the penetration into stops behind the line
- Tallied five pressures against Florida and pushed the pocket twice on Georgia
- Bats passes at the line, getting his hands up for six deflections
- Generates power through his hips to walk guards back on the bull rush
Scouting Report: Weaknesses
- Tackling let him down, lunging in space for ten misses on the year
- Ordinary timed speed limits his range outside the tackle box
- Leverage slips as his pads rise late in long drives, opening gaps
Scouting Report: Summary
Echoles broke out as a sophomore and turned into one of the most productive interior players in the country, pairing stout, physical run defense with pressure totals that almost no defensive tackle matched. He logged 765 snaps across fifteen games and held up, knifing gaps for stops and pushing the pocket from the inside, with a five-pressure day against Florida and repeated wins against Georgia in two meetings. The disruption is real and it shows on early downs and obvious passing situations alike.The clean-up work is honest. He missed ten tackles, a number that drags an otherwise strong finishing profile, and the timed speed is ordinary, so he is not chasing plays down from the back side or making hay in pursuit. His pad level can climb late in long drives, and when it does, guards get into his frame and steer him out of gaps. None of that is fatal, but it keeps the projection grounded rather than soaring.
What he offers is a disruptive, high-snap interior starter who wins with quickness and power rather than length or recovery speed. Tighten the tackling and keep the pad level down, and the second-round grade looks conservative; leave them as they are and he is still a productive rotation-plus piece from day one. The volume of impact at this age is what pushes the conviction.
How other scouting services rate Will Echoles (Overall Rank)
All Scouts AverageOverall Rank
30.6
All Scouts AveragePosition Rank
4.0
*Percentile Ranking in Player's Position Group (NFL Combine Historical Data): This percentile reflects how a player's specific statistics rank
in comparison to historical performances at the NFL Combine, specifically within their position group. A higher percentile indicates a better performance.
For instance, being in the 90th percentile for a particular stat means the player outperformed 90% of their peers in that category.
*Similarity Percentage: This percentage is calculated based on a comprehensive analysis of various factors, including height, weight, 40-yard dash times, on-field performance statistics, and overall player rating. The analysis is conducted against our database of draft prospects from 2021 to 2023. This similarity score helps in evaluating how closely a current prospect aligns with past prospects. It is important to note, however, that this score reflects similarities based on college production and attributes, and does not account for eventual success or performance in the NFL.
*Similarity Percentage: This percentage is calculated based on a comprehensive analysis of various factors, including height, weight, 40-yard dash times, on-field performance statistics, and overall player rating. The analysis is conducted against our database of draft prospects from 2021 to 2023. This similarity score helps in evaluating how closely a current prospect aligns with past prospects. It is important to note, however, that this score reflects similarities based on college production and attributes, and does not account for eventual success or performance in the NFL.