Patriots draft profile: Darius Alexander is aggression personified along the defensive line

Scouting report for the Toledo product, who projects as an early-round selection in this year’s draft.

Within the last 12 months, the New England Patriots spent some premium capital on their defensive tackle position. Milton Williams and Christian Barmore were both signed to massive multi-year contracts, reflective of their statuses as organizational cornerstones.

Even with those two as well as high-upside interior lineman Keion White on the roster, the Patriots could have their sights set on more help in this year’s draft. If so, Toledo product Darius Alexander seemingly is screaming “Patriots draft pick.”

Hard facts

Name: Darius Alexander

Position: Defensive tackle/Interior defensive line

School: Toledo

Opening day age: 25 (8/26/2000)

Measurements: 6’3 7/8”, 305 lbs, 82 7/8” wingspan, 34” arm length, 10” hand size, 4.95s 40-yard dash, 7.60s 3-cone drill, 4.79s short shuttle, 31 1/2” vertical jump, 9’3” broad jump, 28 bench press reps, 9.17 Relative Athletic Score

Experience

Colleges: Toledo (2019-24)

Career statistics: 58 games (27 starts) | 2,068 defensive snaps, 191 special teams snaps, 1 offensive snap | 127 tackles, 18 missed tackles (12.4%), 22.0 TFLs, 1 fumble recovery | 101 quarterback pressures (9 sacks, 23 hits, 69 hurries) | 1 INT (1 TD)

Accolades: Second-team All-MAC (2024), Third-team All-MAC (2023)

A multi-sport athlete and all-state selection as a two-way lineman, Alexander was rated as a three-star recruit coming out of Fort Wayne High School in his Indiana hometown. He ended up receiving only two scholarship offers — from Toledo and Bowling Green — and decided to join the Rockets in 2019. Originally playing on offense, he was moved to defensive tackle following his redshirt season in college.

He ended up spending six years at Toledo, taking advantage of the extra year of eligibility granted due to Covid-19. In total, he appeared in 58 games with 23 of his 27 starts coming over his final two seasons in school. In those, he established himself as a draft-worthy player and was named to the all-conference team in both 2023 and 2024.

Draft profile

Expected round: 1-2 | Consensus big board: No. 52 | Patriots meeting: 30 visit

Strengths: Alexander is a top-tier athlete who owns the size and length of an NFL defensive lineman. An inherently aggressive player who is trying to wreak havoc every time he steps on the field, he is positionally and schematically flexible. He has the lateral mobility to play contain in a two-gap scheme, and the burst to penetrate upfield; he also has played almost every technique up front and was just as productive as 0-tech as he was from a 5-tech alignment out. He can play the pass and run at the point of attack, or pursue from the backside.

All in all, though, he is at his most natural when putting the blinders on and attacking downhill versus guards and centers. He is exploding out of his stance and manages to stay balanced while using his natural length and leverage to his advantage. He possesses some natural power that gets amplified by a confident set of hands and a solid variety of pass rush moves and counters. A handful to deal with in 1-on-1 situations, he also took on double teams in college.

Weaknesses: Alexander has all the tools in his toolbox to not just make the jump to the NFL but become an instant impact player. However, in order for him to actually do that he needs to get more consistent. This process starts with him improving his pad level, attack angles, and snap anticipation. As a result of inconsistencies in those areas, he registered only 9 sacks in over 2,000 defensive snaps at Toledo — all despite going against opposition significantly worse than what he will face at the next level.

He also is one of the oldest prospects in this year’s class. Alexander will turn 25 before the end of training camp.

Patriots preview

What would be his role? Alexander wore numerous hats during his time at Toledo, lining up everywhere from the nose to outside the offensive tackle. While all of that is part of the package he offers, he projects to primarily play between the 1 and 4i techniques at the next level — filling a Keion White-like role along New England’s multiple defensive front.

What is his growth potential? Alexander is a toolsy player who has what it takes to become a difference maker in the NFL. It will take some fine-tuning for him to live up to his potential, but once he does he should become a mismatch nightmare capable of disrupting opposing offenses regardless of situation or alignment.

Does he have positional versatility? Versatility is one of the big selling points when it comes to Alexander as an NFL prospect. While it remains to be seen just how diverse his actual Day 1 role as a rookie will be, his skillset suggests that he should be able to become a do-it-all player on defense who also offers special teams experience and even played one offensive snap as a blocking tight end in 2024.

Why the Patriots? The Patriots want to build a violent football team on the defensive side of the ball, and Alexander fits that description to a T. Not only that, but he also combines the “get after it” mentality with the size and versatile skillset needed to find a role along New England’s defensive line.

Why not the Patriots? Alexander was widely ranked as a mid-round selection coming out of Toledo, but the narrative around him has changed dramatically over the last few months. In fact, he appears to be a dark-horse candidate to come off the board as early as the late first round — a spot the Patriots might not be willing to move up to to grab him.

One-sentence verdict: Given what he brings to the table in terms of his aggression and versatility, Alexander looks like one of the best Patriots fits in this year’s draft.

What do you think about Darius Alexander as a potential Patriots target? Please head down to the comment section to share your thoughts.