From now until the 2026 NFL Draft, we will scout and create profiles for as many prospects as possible, examining their strengths, weaknesses, and what they can bring to an NFL franchise. These players could be potential top-10 picks, all the way to Day 3 selections and priority undrafted free agents. Today, a scouting report on Minnesota DL Deven Eastern.
N0. 91 Deven Eastern/DL Minnesota – 6052, 315 pounds (Redshirt Senior)
MEASUREMENTS
Player Ht/Wt Hand Size Arm Length Wingspan
Deven Eastern 6052/315 10 34 N/A
40-Yard Dash 10-Yard Dash Short Shuttle 3-Cone
N/A N/A N/A 8.07
Broad Jump Vertical Bench Press
9’4″ 27.5 N/A
THE GOOD
– Ideal build with big hands and long arms, thick middle and looks the part
– Tough customer against the run, hard to move and displace
– Plays to frame and locks out against the run
– Able to two-gap and shed blocks to finish plays on his own
– Capable of splitting double-teams and occasionally getting upfield
– Routinely spills runs wide
– Effort player who works hard to finish plays as a rusher
– Good overall play strength against the run
The Bad
– Very limited pass rusher lacking go-to move
– Bull rush creates only moderate power and has no finesse moves
– Easily stuck on blocks as rusher and leans on offensive linemen
– Pad level is too high in passing game
– Lacks foot speed to flow down the line against perimeter runs
– Prone to tiring and his play degrading
– Limited positional and situational flexibility
Stats
– Career: 97 tackles (12 TFL), 5 PDs, 4.5 sacks, 2 FFs across 45 games
– 2025: 38 tackles (5 TFL), 2.5 sacks, 1 FF, 1 PD
– Career: 1,456 defensive snaps (808 in B Gap, 627 in A Gap)
– 499 defensive snaps in 2025 (269 in A Gap, 225 in B Gap)
– 42 career pressures and 53 career pressures (per PFF)
– Had 17.3 percent missed tackle rate in 2025 (12.3 percent for career) with 13 career missed tackles (7 in 2025)
– PFF’s No. 98 overall 2025 defensive lineman among 176 qualifiers (No. 58 pass rusher, No. 94 run defense, No. 152 tackler)
– 64 tackles (16 TFL), 7 sacks as HS senior
Injury History
– Limited to just two games HS sophomore season after suffering ankle injury in a pickup basketball game
– 2025: undisclosed fall camp injury that caused him to miss time
Bio
– Age unknown
– Four-star recruit from Shakopee, Minnesota
– Chose Minnesota over Missouri, Nebraska, and Iowa State; selected school because of HC P.J. Fleck
– 2026 Senior Bowl participant
– Had difficulty in school growing up, diagnosed with ADHD and oppositional defiant disorder, and was placed in special education classes until mid-way through high school, admitting he was “kicked out of a lot of schools” with Mom moving him to find the right school; became four-time Academic All-Big Ten in college
– Credits former Vikings LS Mike Morris as key mentor
– Raised by his mother, Tammy, but reconnected with his father later in life
– Fleck credits Eastern as one of “best turn-arounds” he’s ever seen from a player/person
– Is engaged, fiancé credited as aide in helping Eastern find positive mindset
– Interested in becoming real estate agent post-football
Tape Breakdown
In middle school, Deven Eastern was close to giving up football. Less than a decade later, he could get drafted. Eastern looks the part with uncommon but prototypical size for the position.
A nose tackle in Minnesota’s odd/base front, he eats blocks and is hard to move at the point of attack. But he also shows the ability to discard blocks and make plays rather than just keep linebackers clean.
That’s his calling card, and at his best, it’s a good one. Negatively, he’s a one-note player who offers little against the run. Even with acceptable sack numbers and a PFF grade much better against the pass than run, the tape doesn’t show it.
Eastern works hard to finish plays, but his rush repertoire is nonexistent. He often leans on blockers and can’t get himself unstuck, only getting pressure on extended plays or if the line gives him an angle. His sacks and pressures were of the effort variety.
Minnesota removed him from obvious passing situations.
Eastern tends to play upright, especially as a rusher. He can also tire in games and wear down. Against Ohio State, he was puking on the field in the middle of a drive (click to watch only if you can stomach it). His role is narrow.
While it seems like Eastern has turned his life around, he’ll need to stay in a system like the one that cultivated him in college. Disciplined and accountable to be the best version of himself.
Conclusion
Overall, Deven Eastern is a run-plugging nose tackle with some high-level reps. But he must keep his pad level down, and his lack of pass rush makes him a base-only player. He’ll remind some of former Minnesota and Pittsburgh DL Daniel Ekuale, but my NFL comp is John Ridgeway III.
NFL Projection: Late Day Three-Undrafted
Steelers Depot Draft Grade: 6.8 (Pure Backup)
Grade Range: 6.4-7.1
Games Watched: at Oregon (2025), at Ohio State (2025), vs Rutgers (2025)
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