Domonique Orange, Iowa State: 2025 NFL Draft Profile & Scouting Report
Orange was a three-star recruit from North Kansas City High School in North Kansas City, Mo. in the class of 2022
Iowa State has several 2025 NFL Draft prospects on defense, including nose tackle Domonique Orange. He pairs all of the traditional power of a nose tackle with a quick first step. Orange projects as a Day 3 selection next spring.
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Domonique Orange, IDL Iowa State: 2025 NFL Draft Profile
Classification: Junior nose tackle from Kansas City, Mo.
Background: Orange was a three-star recruit from North Kansas City High School in North Kansas City, Mo. in the class of 2022. He was the No. 483 recruit according to 247Sports and No. 518 for On3.com. Orange was an unranked four-star recruit for Rivals and an unranked three-star recruit for ESPN with a 78 grade out of 100. He earned two All-State and three All-District selections in high school. As a senior, he was one of four finalists for the Buck Buchanan Award, which goes to the best lineman or linebacker in the Kansas City metro area.
Injuries & Off-Field: N/A
Awards: N/A
Pros: Thick throughout frame, frame appears devoid of bad weight, nice quickness off the line, upper body power to rock offensive linemen, club move, hump move, swim move, rip move, pulls offensive lineman forward and off balance, builds momentum on stunts, good closing speed for a defender his size, grown man strength to toss centers, drives power through his hips when discarding blockers, generates vertical displacement vs. centers, flows horizontally with the ball carrier
Cons: Questionable arm length, pad level gets too high when executing moves, limited bend in lower half, limited upside as a pass rusher, not going to shake double teams as a pass rusher, focus on penetrating disrupts anchor ability, runs himself out of gaps while attacking upfield, still building a feel for when to stop feet and anchor, horizontally displaced on down blocks, sealed too easily by one-on-one blocks, moved off the line by double teams, doesn’t separate in a timely manner consistently
Overview: Orange primarily aligns as a 0-tech for Iowa State but also gets snaps at 2-tech and 2i. He sports a thick frame that appears devoid of bad or unnecessary weight for his role as a nose tackle. Orange is quick off the line and has the power in his upper body to make an immediate impact. His pass rush plan includes club and hump moves that rely on him driving power through his hips and core into his strong arms. He also uses swim and rip moves and pulls offensive linemen forward and off balance before slipping past. Despite his size, Orange builds nice momentum on stunts and has good closing speed. Unfortunately, the Missouri native has questionable arm length that impacts his ability to play within the pads of offensive linemen. His pad level pops up whenever he attempts to execute a pass rush move, exposing his ribs and chest to counter punches. Orange doesn’t have bend in his lower half to dip around blocks and has a low ceiling as a pass rusher. He’s powerful but not dominant enough to combat double teams as a pass rusher. His focus on attacking upfield prevents him from setting his feet and dropping his anchor. Orange also runs himself out of gaps while pushing upfield, creating free running lanes. He needs to anchor in gaps more often and diagnose if it’s a run or pass play earlier in the rep. The junior is horizontally displaced by down blocks and is sealed too often by one-man blocks. He has flashes of anchoring at the line against double teams but doesn’t perform this task consistently. Orange struggles to separate from blocks and close gaps in a timely manner. He has flashes of dominating centers with his power, tossing them out of gaps or easily discarding their blocks. He also generates some vertical displacement against centers in the run game.
Overall, Orange is a thick, powerful nose tackle with flashes of high-impact plays in run defense, but he’s too inconsistent as a run defender and not impactful enough as a pass rusher to warrant a Day 2 selection. Orange projects as a rotational interior defensive lineman who will see playing time in short-yardage situations and running downs.
Role & Scheme Fit: Two-down nose tackle in an odd front
Round Grade: Mid Fifth to Early Sixth Round
Size: 6'4", 335 lbs. (Unofficial)
Submitted: 05-18-24