2027 Watchlist Check-In: Interior Defensive Linemen

Our rankings are filled with talented college prospects. But there's plenty of talent on our watchlist, too. In our last <a href="https://prepredzone.com/2026/01/behind-the-scenes-of-the-2027-rankings-january-update/">rankings update</a>, we had five players enter the top half of our rankings directly from the watchlist, and a host of others who rose after initially being watchlist players. In this series, we're evaluating every player on our 2027 watchlist, and we've reached the defensive linemen. Who knows? Maybe some of these guys make their mark in the next rankings update.   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">2027 Watchlist Interior Defensive Linemen</h2>   Editor's Note: If you want more information about how a player ends up on our watchlist, check out my <a href="https://prepredzone.com/2026/02/2027-watchlist-edge-rushers/">2027 Edge Rushers Check-In</a>, where I went in-depth on the mechanics behind our watchlist feature.   We're dropping two positions a day this week, one on each side of the ball. Here are our 2027 interior defensive linemen on the watchlist.    Deberry is a two-way player who is an ascending offensive line prospect. We may ultimately rank him there, but he also has great potential as a defensive tackle. He moves well, even after adding a bunch of weight, and he's an intriguing rising senior prospect.     Shankle hasn't had a ton of in-game experience, but he's a big defender with movement skills. He's difficult to push off his spot, and when he got into games last season, he usually made plays on the interior of West Charlotte's stout defensive line.     Originally pegged as an edge rusher, Smith gained some weight and lined up inside more in 2025, though he retains some positional versatility. He's excellent in pursuit, and several of his tackles last season were from behind. Still low on reps, he flashed early in the season, especially against 3A power Kinston.     Melton missed a few games, so his raw numbers didn't flag on our initial postseason sweep, but he thrived against quality competition in one of the deepest conferences in the lower classifications. Melton has great size and a relentless motor. That helped him rack up 5.5 sacks in seven games. He took over against Goldsboro and held his own against teams like Kinston and Tarboro.     Though undersized, Ragland played well for Northern Durham, especially in conference play. He's adding weight, but he holds his own in the trenches. He's a candidate to explode as a senior, given his developing athletic profile and potential increase in snaps.     Hunt's lateral movement and array of pass-rushing moves are excellent, and he has a few clean wins on tape against talented offensive linemen. He's a guy who, given the quality of his tape and the quality of competition, probably deserves a spot in the rankings sooner rather than later, especially as he's bulked up to become more physically dominant.    This is the time of year when we have the most time to dive into film, re-evaluate prospects, and change our minds about players. Send your film on Twitter/X (<a href="https://x.com/whelms21">@whelms21</a>), so I can evaluate you. Want to share Prep Redzone with a friend? Promo Code Helms30 is good for 30% off your first billing cycle.

Our rankings are filled with talented college prospects. But there's plenty of talent on our watchlist, too. In our last rankings update, we had five players enter the top half of our rankings directly from the watchlist, and a host of others who rose after initially being watchlist players. In this series, we're evaluating every player on our 2027 watchlist, and we've reached the defensive linemen. Who knows? Maybe some of these guys make their mark in the next rankings update.