Toledo Rockets interior defensive lineman Darius Alexander is an underrated and versatile prospect to know for Day 2 of the 2025 NFL Draft.
Our Darius Alexander scouting report dives into everything you need to know about one of the Group of Five’s most dangerous and explosive defensive linemen.
Darius Alexander Scouting Report
Size: 6’3 5/8″, 304 pounds (Senior Bowl Verified)
Key Stat: Recorded 83 combined pressures in 2023-2024, most among interior defensive linemen
Projected Role: Balanced 3-technique defensive tackle with 5-technique versatility
Top 300 Prospects in the 2025 NFL Draft
Strengths:
- Fights through double teams.
- Possesses elite length and athleticism, allowing for bull rushes.
- Disruptive in pass rush and against the run.
- Overpowers offensive linemen with elite strength (strong at point of attack).
- Stands firm in positioning.
- Extremely explosive and agile.
- Has the experience and versatility to play all over the defensive line.
Areas to Improve:
- Inconsistent in hand placement at times.
- Average get-off at the line.
- Inconsistent finisher (3.5 sacks as a sixth-year senior in the MAC).
- Late getting into stance at times.
- Can be displaced with inconsistent pad level.
- Below-average bend as a pass-rusher.
Ceiling: Elite pass-rushing IDL
Floor: Rotational/depth defensive lineman
Darius Alexander NFL Draft Outlook
Darius Alexander’s 40 total tackles and 3.5 sacks in the Mid-American Conference won’t exactly knock your socks off, but his power at the point of attack is intriguing to NFL scouts.
At the Senior Bowl, Alexander was turning heads. For his dominant efforts during practice, Alexander was voted top defensive lineman at the Senior Bowl by the offensive linemen he was facing. In the Senior Bowl game, Alexander stood out again, recording multiple QB hurries and pressures, as well as a tackle for loss.
Alexander’s versatility makes him a super intriguing prospect to examine. The combination of size and elite strength allows him to play defensive tackle at the next. Some have even suggested he can play 0-technique on passing downs or even 5-technique defensive end with some development.
What Alexander is missing in get-off, he makes up for with pure strength.
While he’s known as a pass-rusher, leading all interior defensive linemen in pressures over the past two seasons, he’s an average to above average run-blocker, willing to take on double teams and eat up space.
That combination of ability and athletic profile (82-inch wingspan and 34-inch arms) gives him a relatively high floor, as he doesn’t have to immediately thrive as a pass-rusher to make an impact. Of course, if the pass-rushing translates and he can convert more pressures to sacks, he can be a top interior defensive lineman in the NFL.
Bottom Line: Darius Alexander’s strength, length, and versatility make him a valuable prospect who can make an immediate impact for most teams. He’s proven he can be an elite run-stuffer, but his pass-rushing potential has yet to be tapped.
With the right coaching staff, Alexander can blossom into a three-down defensive lineman you can’t take off the field.
At worst, he’ll be a rotational defensive lineman who can plug and play at multiple positions and times of the game. At best, we’re looking at a can’t-miss run-stuffing, pass-rushing defensive tackle who can wreck opposing offenses.
Draft Projection: Late Day 2
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