Saturday Scouting is back, focusing on Oklahoma defensive tackle David Stone. Stone is a 2027 draft-eligible prospect, and could be on the Bucs’ radar as the team might want to continue to draft young, impact players along the defensive line.

I previously profiled an interior defensive lineman in A’Mauri Washington out of Oregon, and had started my eval on this week’s subject, David Stone, before the Bucs handed Vita Vea an extension. The thought process was the team might be targeting a defensive tackle in next year’s draft. That plan might change slightly now that the team has Vea locked in for 2027, but they will still need some long-term help there as both A’Shawn Robinson and Rakeem Nunez-Roches are over the age of 30 and are only on one-year deals.

David Stone Scouting Report

Background

Oklahoma defensive tackle David Stone was a five-star prospect out of the IMG Academy in Florida in 2024. He was the fifth overall defensive lineman and 17th overall prospect in his recruiting class according to 247 Sports. He is a former track and field athlete from his early days in high school in Oklahoma before he transferred to IMG.

David Stone’s 2025 Production

Stone played in 13 games last year as a true sophomore, starting two of them. He averaged 35 snaps per game for a deep Sooners defensive line. He tallied 42 tackles, 8 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks and one pass defense. Pro Football Focus also credited him with 26 pressures over 280 pass rush snaps – a 9.3% pressure rate.

Measurables

Stone is listed on the team roster as 6-foot-3 and 315 pounds. Trevor Sikkema of the NFL Stock Exchange podcast noted his arm length was in the 90th percentile at 34.625 inches. His size is ideal for a versatile 3-technique defensive tackle who can kick outside or move to the shade or nose inside.

Athleticism

Stone delivers that length with rare quickness and light feet when rushing up field. His get-off surprises many opponents giving him access to gaps and lanes before offensive linemen can shut the door on those access points. And he is at home jumping gaps as a stunter or looping around to the edge due to his loose and smooth hips.

Oklahoma DT David Stone – Photo by: IMAGN Images

But when he needs to, Stone can transition from light-footed dancing bear into Colossus from the X-Men, suddenly adding mass and strength as he anchors and absorbs blockers and double teams. As long as he keeps his pad level low, which isn’t always the case, he creates a choke point in the run game. This is partly why Oklahoma used him at the nose tackle spot quite a bit in 2024.

Size, speed, flexibility and strength. Stone’s entire profile plays off of his rare athletic traits that give him a high ceiling.

Fitting The Run

The potential outcomes for Stone are as wide as they come right now, and they are all dependent on how whether he sees the play developing correctly and if he is managing his get-off well.

Stone’s effectiveness hinges almost completely on if the blocking scheme in front of him plays out the way he expects. When he anticipates correctly, Stone can wreck run games as a gap-penetrator, winning with speed and effective hand usage, getting into the backfield and creating negative plays. But too often he does not anticipate a second blocker or an angle or reach block. When that happens, his own momentum is weaponized against him, often washing him out of his gap and leaving large openings for backs to pick up big gains.

The other part of his game he is going to have to improve is just how he gets into position to handle blocks. Because he is a taller player, he will have to concern himself with his pad level more than most. He lacks the natural leverage of a Calijah Kancey. If his pads rise too much, he hits a nasty trifecta, pairing those with his light feet and lean frame to make him easy prey for displacement.

But when he has his pad level under control and sees the blocks developing in front of him, he can twist his hips to anchor. Alternatively, he can stay low, get his hands inside and drive through his opponent into the backfield.

Rushing The Passer

Stone’s best reps come from him timing the snap correctly. When that happens, his burst out of his stance is his single greatest weapon. That attack is powerful, converting speed into strength so he can drive through opponents. He times his hands well, punching them into blockers’ chests to create voids that he will attack as a secondary twitch.

His hands improved throughout the season, with his best tape for that trait coming in Oklahoma’s playoff game against Alabama.

And the same issues from the run game about him not anticipating blocks leading to him getting knocked out of the play show up when he’s rushing the passer.

https://x.com/JoshQueipo_NFL/status/2093144879169683622?s=20

Stone works well in a stunt-heavy, pressure-focused scheme. He has the physical traits and speed to work as a stunter, quickly driving into blockers to open up paths for teammates to clear through. He can also operate as the focal point for the games, leveraging his smooth movements to loop around stunts and arrive to the quarterback on time.

David Stone Current And Bucs’ Scheme Fit

David Stone is a game-wrecker with a singular goal of wrecking the backfield. That makes him dangerous for both the opposing offense as well as his own defense. With 42 tackles last year, eight tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks, Stone skews big play in both directions, highlighting his biggest opportunities: block recognition and proper leverage. When he has both of those down, he’s difficult to stop as Stone’s physical gifts are elite. But when his recognition is wrong or his leverage is off, he can be a major hindrance for the defense.

None of this is a big problem at this stage in his career. Entering his true junior year, there is plenty of room for him to improve in these areas. If he does he will be one of the top picks in the 2027 NFL Draft. If he doesn’t, he will still be a sought-after player – likely a Day 2 pick coveted for his physical traits by teams who hope to improve the processing and technique gaps.

I currently have him graded higher than A’Mauri Washington and the third-highest graded player (of seven) graded of players eligible for the 2027 NFL Draft.