Curt Popejoy, Steelers WireTue, February 24, 2026 at 2:25 AM UTC·1 min readThe NFL Scouting Combine is upon us and all 32 teams will get their best look at the top prospects in the 2026 NFL draft. This draft class is unique in recent history as it lacks a large number of blue-chip prospects but is very deep, especially on defense. We've updated our defensive positional rankings and here are our update Top Four at every position.
'Edge defenders
1 - David Bailey - Texas
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement2 - Rueben Bain Jr. - Miami
3 - Keldric Faulk - Auburn
4 - Akheem Mesidor - Miami
Defensive tackle
1 - Caleb Banks - Florida
2 - Kayden McDaniel - Ohio State
3 - Peter Woods - Clemson
4 - Christen Miller - Georgia
Linebackers
1 - Arvell Reese - Ohio State
2 - Sonny Styles - Ohio State
3 - CJ Allen - Georgia
4 - Jake Golday - Cincinnati
Cornerbacks
1 - Mansoor Delane - LSU
2 - Jermod McCoy - Tennessee
3 - Avieon Terrell - Clemson
4 - Colton Hood - Tennessee
Safeties
1 - Caleb Downs - Ohio State
2 - Emmanuel McNeil-Warren - Toledo
3 - Dillon Thieneman - Oregon
4 - A.J. Haulcy - LSU
This article originally appeared on Steelers Wire: 2026 NFL draft: Updated defensive positional rankings
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