Newly-Ranked DL Overview

Last week's <a href="https://prepredzone.com/2026/05/updated-2027-north-carolina-rankings/">2027 Rankings Update</a> was one of our biggest ever, with over 190 new players hitting the rankings since February. With a very limited amount of time before we move to the 2028 class, there just isn't enough time to properly cover every new addition. Instead, we're going to take a bird's-eye view and evaluate the newly ranked players in larger groups. Here's a 30,000-foot view of the 26 new interior defensive linemen and edge rushers in the 2027 rankings.   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">What to Know About the Newly-Ranked DL</h2>   Editor's Note: By this summer, we'll have full evaluations on every one of these players. We actually evaluated several in the lead-up to the rankings release (which is how some of them ended up ranked in the first place). Here, backlinks are our friends, so if we have a piece on the site with more info on a player, we'll link it below!   Other Newly-Ranked Overviews:   <a href="https://prepredzone.com/2026/05/newly-ranked-quarterbacks-overview/">QBs</a> <a href="https://prepredzone.com/2026/05/newly-ranked-wr-rb-overview/" id="https://prepredzone.com/2026/05/newly-ranked-wr-rb-overview/">RBs/WRs</a> <a href="https://prepredzone.com/2026/05/newly-ranked-ol-overview/" id="https://prepredzone.com/2026/05/newly-ranked-ol-overview/">OL</a>   <h3 class="wp-block-heading">Top-Ranked New Additions</h3>   We had several newly-added defensive linemen who jumped into the top 300. A few of them have full evaluations, and the guys who don't will get one in the coming months.   [player_tooltip player_id='2152337' first='Trint' last='Totten'] | Eastern Alamance   Totten earned an early East Carolina offer this offseason, putting him on our radar, and we jumped into his film for the <a href="https://prepredzone.com/2026/03/top-7-dl-in-alamance-chatham-lee-county/">Alamance County Deep Dive series</a>. As one of the top returning sack leaders, I <a href="https://prepredzone.com/2026/04/scouting-the-2027-sack-leaders/">scouted how he wins</a> for a piece a few weeks ago.   [player_tooltip player_id='2171872' first='Chosen' last='Hyman'] | East Forysth   Hyman is one of the strongest interior defensive linemen in the state. He took home the top spot in our <a href="https://prepredzone.com/2026/04/top-6-interior-defensive-linemen-in-forsyth-county/">Forsyth County Interior Defensive Linemen Deep Dive</a> and has the potential for a massive senior season.   [player_tooltip player_id='2152376' first='Carson' last='White'] | Western Alamance   White plays out of position for Western Alamance in that he looks and moves like an edge rusher and plays a bunch of 0-technique. He's strong enough to hold up on the interior, though, and both pushes the pocket and clogs holes in the middle.   [player_tooltip player_id='2109373' first='Kye' last='Johnson'] | Southern Durham   Johnson is on a tear on the recruiting trail after a strong junior season. Always a bit undersized, he's added some good weight this offseason, and it's led to a ton of interest from FCS and even FBS schools.   [player_tooltip player_id='2206477' first='Foster' last='Calloway'] | Mountain Heritage   Calloway was the last player we added to the 2027 rankings before pressing publish, and I'm glad we got him in. He's an excellent run defender with some pass-rushing upside.   [player_tooltip player_id='2162078' first='Malachi' last='Hopper'] | Shelby   A two-way lineman, Hopper has some momentum in the offseason as a defensive lineman after a 4.5-sack season. Hopper is an athletic interior guy with a quick first step and great strength.   [player_tooltip player_id='2169809' first='Michael-Joshua' last='Smith'] | Northern Guilford   Smith put on an unbelievable showing at the Carolinas Coaches Combine, putting him squarely on our radar. We evaluated him in our <a href="https://prepredzone.com/2026/04/top-6-interior-defensive-linemen-in-guilford-county/">Guilford County Deep Dives</a>. His on-field production should skyrocket as a senior after moving from third or fourth to first on the depth chart.   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">2027 DL/Edge Sleepers</h2>   I want to highlight a few sleepers. Again, we'll have plenty of full evaluations over the next month or so, but these are just some preliminary "guys to watch out for."   [player_tooltip player_id='2141098' first='Wyatt' last='Collins'] | North Stokes   It can be hard for small-school players to gain recruiting traction, especially when the team ends up with a losing record. But Collins has true college potential, and he's a mauler on the inside. I think North Stokes <a href="https://prepredzone.com/2026/03/1a-sleepers-in-2026/">should be better</a> this season, which should help Collins become a bit more well-known.   [player_tooltip player_id='2175701' first='Tylen' last='Gorham'] | SouthWest Edgecomb   Gorham is gaining some traction this offseason, and I've heard great things coming out of his training sessions. He's a high-I.Q. defensive lineman with some versatility up front.   [player_tooltip player_id='2151238' first='Javon' last='Hicks'] | Sanderson   Hicks' hand placement and functional strength are excellent, which means he wins in very different ways from most of his peers. He's a big guy up front who can take on blocks to free up linebackers or shoot gaps to cause havoc.   [player_tooltip player_id='2206359' first='Kamari' last='Falls'] | Hunter Huss   A bit of a late-bloomer on the field, Falls broke out last season, and he's slowly gaining traction on the recruiting trail. He's had a few impressive camp performances and looks like a guy who could improve as a pass-rusher this fall.   There's plenty to come from Matt Morrow, Joshua Graham, and me on the 2027 rankings over the next week. Stay locked in with Prep Redzone for more insights, evaluations, and rankings updates. Want to share Prep Redzone with a friend? Promo code Helms30 will get them 30% off their first billing cycle for any subscription.

Last week's 2027 Rankings Update was one of our biggest ever, with over 190 new players hitting the rankings since February. With a very limited amount of time before we move to the 2028 class, there just isn't enough time to properly cover every new addition. Instead, we're going to take a bird's-eye view and evaluate the newly ranked players in larger groups. Here's a 30,000-foot view of the 26 new interior defensive linemen and edge rushers in the 2027 rankings.