2026 Rankings: Underappreciated Defensive Linemen

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>In this article, I will be diving into some of the defensive linemen in our rankings. We've got a ton of ballers in this 2026 class, and there's a lot to look at. I've selected 5 from our rankings that deserve to get talked about more.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1619017"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-67be0ec125225"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Pulte measures in at 6'5 220-pounds and plays OL/DL for Fairview. Last season, he had 49 total tackles (17 solo, 32 assisted), 6 TFL, 3 sacks, and 1 blocked field goal. Great size for a defensive lineman. Pulte is a big body who stuffs up runs in the middle. He has good initial quickness out of his stance. Maintains a low pad level throughout his battle with the offensive line. He has good hand placement to move them out of the way. Pulte has a good bull rush using it to knock the OL off their feet. He isn't afraid of using his hands to swat the OL's arms away. Fairview is producing some great products.  </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["815139"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-67be0ec1252bf"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Holles is a massive defensive lineman measuring in at 6'6 235-pounds. Throughout the season, he had 40 total tackles (17 solo, 23 assisted), 8 TFL, 4 sacks, 4 PD, 2 FF, and 1 FR. Holles has very good athletic ability due to very good acceleration, lateral agility, good speed and jumping. His very good strength is evident throughout his film. He consistently bulldozes through the offensive line, and even tackles a running back while still engaged in a block. Very good competitive toughness, he is relentless and plays through the whistle or helps his teammates. Very good initial quickness out of his stance. He has the ability to get low which is tougher for 6'5 + . Very good bull rush to knock OL off their anchor. He has a good spin move but relies more on power. Very good mental processing. He'll go to strip the ball or punch it out. Holles will put his arms up high to create pass deflections. He's an elite prospect who I believe will be one of the top defensive ends by end of next season</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1313694"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-67be0ec125324"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Batjargal measures in at 6'2 225-pounds. He had 42 total tackles (22 solo, 20 assisted), 6 TFL, 2 sacks, 22 QB pressures, 1 FF, 1 FR. He has good athletic ability due to good acceleration and good speed. Good strength. Very good competitive toughness. He doesn't give up on blocks, and if he gets beat, he keeps trying till the play is over. Fights through double blocks to make the play. Batjargal has good initial quickness out of his stance. Good hand strength to move OL around. Uses his hands to swat OL's arms away. Batjargal's reactionary speed impressed me with him able to disengage blocking and attack the run. Keep an eye out for Batjargal.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1621260"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-67be0ec125386"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Bivins was a phenomenal run stopper for Eagle Valley this past season. The 6'3 210-pound junior had 47 total tackles (21 solo, 26 assisted), 7 TFL, 1 sack, 1 INT, 1 FF, and 1 pass deflection. Bivins has good athletic ability due to his good speed and acceleration. Good initial quickness out of his stance. Gets underneath the offensive lineman's pads and uses his good hand strength to move them out of the way. Good hand placement. Bivins switches between a good bull rush and a solid spin move. Keeps the offensive line guessing on what will come next. Bivins is a great run stopper and a good tackler. He has good tackling form and uses his good strength to pull them down with ease. I'm interested to see how he does next season as Bivins will be a name to watch out for in the future.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["777633"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-67be0ec1253e6"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Geist is a monster at the defensive tackle position. Measuring in at 6'2 250-pounds, Geist had 46 total tackles (29 solo, 17 assisted), 9 TFL, 2 FF. He has solid athletic ability due to solid acceleration and speed. However, that's not where the juice is. Geist has very good initial quickness out of his stance, engaging with the OL before they get a chance to react. He uses his very good strength/push off to eat up blocks for breakfast. Very good hand placement and hand strength. He'll run through double blocks, and make tackles while being blocked. Geist is a very good block shedder due to his very good bull rush. Very good run stopper, he pushes off 1 block and stuffs the run within seconds. He is a very strong player, and I see him shooting up boards with another great season under his belt.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block -->