Domonique Orange

The Player

Orange is a massive 3-4 nose tackle prospect who excels at clogging up the middle versus the run. He lacks range as a run defender and will offer very minimal production as a pass rusher in the NFL. He was a four-year player and essentially a two-year starter at Iowa State, playing in all 38 games (with 24 starts) in his final three seasons. However, he totaled just 58 tackles, seven TFL and one sack on 1,356 snaps during that span. His best season as a pass rusher came in 2024 (13.6 percent pass rush win rate in 176 pass rush snaps). But in 2025, when he played 317 pass rush snaps, his win rate was only 6.6 percent. 

Orange has a naturally wide frame with the strength to control single blocks.  He keeps his pads low for a big guy and really does a nice job of getting into interior offensive linemen’s pads. While he has limited range, he does a nice job of locating while locked out. His hands and feet are quicker than his frame might indicate, which allows him to disengage and pursue in the short area. He’ll also command double-teams versus inside run packages. He anchors effectively versus the run by absorbing contact, holding his ground, and controlling two gaps. 

He struggles consistently in the run game when playing against outside zone, as he struggles to maintain pad level while working hard to get out in front of blocks. He lacks suddenness, change-of-direction quickness, and closing burst as a pass rusher. His greatest asset is his ability to drive interior offensive linemen back into the quarterback to impair the QB’s vision and make him uncomfortable on his spot. He had some impressive reps when rushing on the perimeter when he gets a runway to convert momentum to power.

He gives good effort and shows a lot of toughness. However, it’s obvious—and not uncommon—that a player his size will wear down with an increased workload. Whichever team drafts him will need to manage his snaps, but that should be easier to do in the NFL than in college with fewer overall snaps in an NFL game. 

The Draft

Working in Orange’s favor is the fact that Ohio State’s Kayden McDonald is the only other true 3-4 nose tackle (0-technique) projected to be drafted in the first three rounds. That role doesn’t exist in many NFL defensive schemes, but for those teams that are in the market, Orange is the only other prospect in this class who eventually projects as an NFL starter. He should be a top-100 pick.

The Projection

As NFL teams increasingly deploy two-high defensive shells to limit the vertical passing game, there’s a higher demand for massive space-eaters who can aid in the pursuit of defending the run with just three down linemen. That’s Orange’s specialty. D.J. Reader is a good high-end comparison. Orange grades out as a rotational player as a rookie but could work his way into a starting role early in his NFL career. He’s the type of player who could get 20 to 30 snaps per game.