You bring this to me on the day my daughter is to be married? A true nose tackle who can stop the run? Take the prospect and leave the cannolis. (Okay, we’ll drop the Godfather gimmick.) Regardless, Dontay Corleone has an amazing nickname (“The Godfather”), but there’s a lot more to his tape than just a catchy name.
The Kansas City Chiefs’ woes at defensive tackle have largely been masked by strong linebacker play against the run from Nick Bolton and Leo Chenal and a secondary that is very willing to tackle. The secret of NFL defenses right now is their ability to defend the run well out of nickel, so they are equipped to cover play action. All season long, teams wanted to get the Chiefs in base defense to throw against the Chiefs’ linebackers in coverage. Part of that problem stems from the Chiefs not feeling comfortable in lighter boxes against the run.
Having a force multiplier on defense against the run will not only make the Chiefs’ defensive line better at stopping the run, but it can also improve their pass defense, too. Allowing Omarr Norman-Lott to get back to the pass-rushing style he had in college and Chris Jones to be who he is as a pass rusher really frees up the whole interior. The better news is that Corleone could come at a significant discount to the Chiefs because of a medical red flag they are familiar with.
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Dontay Corleone 🤌 | IDL | 6-0 340LBS
— Price Carter (@priceacarter) March 4, 2026
Powerful, squatty run defender w/strong hands & leverage who resets the line & handles double-teams. 14th on freaks list, Limited burst, length & pass-rush upside, medical flag as well.
Shades of: Jay Toia pic.twitter.com/qmzoUQibwE
NFL Draft Profile: Dontay Corleone, Nose Tackle, Cincinnati
Age: 23 (on draft day)
Height: 6-00
Weight: 340 LBS.
Hand: 9 1/2 inches
Arms: 31 7/8 inches
Tape Exposure: Colorado (2024), Oklahoma State (2025), Baylor (2025)
Shades of: 2019-2021 Derrick Nnadi
Scouting Dontay Corleone's background
Corleone attended Colerain High School in Cincinnati, Ohio. Rated as a three-star prospect by 247Sports, he committed to the hometown Cincinnati Bearcats in 2021. He received a medical redshirt his freshman year but burst onto the scene in 2022 with 5.5 tackles for loss and three sacks in his first year as a starter. Corleone completed his college career with 123 tackles, 17 tackles for loss, and 9.5 sacks. He was voted a team captain by his peers for the 2025 season.
Breaking down Dontay Corleone's strengths
Power
The number of snaps where Corleone walks the center or guard backward is impressive. He’s shaped like a bowling ball, giving him natural leverage with a powerful lower half. At his size and weight, he is like a stone in the middle of the defense, eating up double teams and impacting rush lanes.
Athleticism
Nobody is going to mistake him for a running back, but a man of this size moving the way he does is still special. He ranked 14th on Bruce Feldman's Freaks List thanks to a 485-pound bench press and a 615-pound squat. Despite his massive body, he clocked a 1.71-second 10-yard split and also posted a 7.44-second three-cone drill.
Vision
It’s a strange comment for a nose tackle, but Corleone’s ability to keep his head up and impact rush lanes is important. The number of plays he impacts without appearing in the box score is deceiving. He is very good at getting a strong arm up and bringing down a runner despite being blocked.
Understanding Dontay Corleone's weaknesses
Medical concerns
Corleone suffered a significant knee injury in 2021 that resulted in a medical redshirt. Corleone was later diagnosed with a pulmonary embolism (PE), a condition in which one or more arteries in the lungs become blocked by a blood clot—similar to the blood clots that lowered Trey Smith’s draft stock.
Pass Rush Profile
Early on, Corleone flashed some pass-rush ability with 9.5 sacks in his first three years as a starter, but that production really disappeared in his senior year. He was part of a pretty good Bearcats defense but barely showed up on the stat sheet in 2025. The tape from 2024 appeared much better than 2025, and medicals could be a factor (he was seen in a walking boot at the Shrine Bowl, which ended his week early).
Measurments
There’s just not a big track record of players this heavy, this short, with arms this short being productive in the NFL. He’s going to need to be stronger or more refined than his opponents to win often enough to be an NFL starter.
Why Dontay Corleone is still worth a shot
The medicals are obviously a flag for teams, and the 2025 tape does not look like that of a Day 2 player. However, if the Chiefs can add a player with the upside and profile of Corleone on Day 3, sign us up for that type of potential. The Chiefs need a true nose-type run stuffer, and finding that value could be a major win in the draft's final rounds. Kansas City’s familiarity with lung blood clots (via Trey Smith) could come in handy in how they evaluate his medicals.
Dontay Corleone is a squatty, powerful run defender with a broad frame, strong hands, and good short-area quickness, allowing him to hold his ground and constrict the pocket with a bull rush. However, he lacks ideal length, first-step explosiveness, and edge-threatening pass-rush ability, limiting his overall disruption. Concerns around his medicals will be a major factor in his evaluation.
Round Grade: Grey Chip (Day 3 prospect)