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With the NFL Scouting Combine underway, the Kansas City Chiefs have been busy meeting with top candidates in the 2026 NFL Draft class.
On Wednesday, the defensive linemen of this year’s class met with reporters. Texas Tech defensive tackle Lee Hunter was among the players to mention that he had met with the Chiefs.
Hunter also discussed what it would mean to play alongside fellow Texas Tech alum, quarterback Patrick Mahomes, and how he would feel to be drafted by Kansas City.
Projected as one of the top interior defensive linemen in the draft class, Hunter currently projects to be in play for the Chiefs at the 40th-overall selection; The Athletic’s consensus big board shows Hunter as the 36th-ranked player by the draft media.
Kansas City will have options at either that pick or the ninth selection along the defensive line — and Hunter may have to be considered with the team’s Day 1 pick.
Background
On Thursday, Hunter measured at 6 feet 3 1/2 inches and 318 pounds with an arm-length mark of 33 1/4 inches.
He posted a 5.18-second 40-yard dash time— with an official 1.79-second 10-yard-split— and registered 21.5 inches on the vertical leap and 8 feet 4 inches on the broad jump.
Hunter won’t blow any teams away with his athletic prowess, but his college career was accomplished enough to warrant the attention he has been getting in the pre-draft process.
After redshirting and not playing at Auburn in 2021, Hunter transferred to the University of Central Florida, where he tallied 21.5 career tackles for loss in three seasons.
For the final season of his college career, Hunter transferred to Texas Tech, where he became a unanimous first-team All-American and first-team All-Big 12 performer.
The big man has a ton of upside, and this shows up in his film.
Film Evaluation
Hunter is a very strong player and should be able to play any position from the 3-technique all the way down to the zero nose tackle. With a powerful base and low center of gravity, he can root out interior offensive linemen and move them into the backfield.
As a larger player, Hunter has good quickness off the snap and in short bursts. With leverage and drive, he can crush pockets and help set up plays for his teammates.
Hunter gets a small amount of push initially, but once he drops his hips and fully extends his arms, his full power is on display. He walks the guard into the pocket and flushes the quarterback, setting up his teammates to make the stop.
One of Hunter’s best traits is his ability to play with low pads and good leverage. This is where he looks his best in pass rushing, and where he will make his largest impact in the NFL.
On the snap, Hunter quickly reads run or pass, and when the quarterback pulls the ball, he fires both hands into the center’s chest and crushes him into the pocket. The quarterback manages to escape, but linebackers are there, ready to swarm.
Hunter might not be a high-volume sack player during his career, but his ability to blow up plays quickly and move men in the backfield will make him a quality pass rusher. Being a solid pass rusher will find him a home quickly in the NFL Draft, but his ability to stuff the run and dominate the line of scrimmage will keep him around for a while.
Hunter has the size and strength to be an immediate two-gap run defender in the NFL. On the snap, Hunter engages with the center, but quickly overtakes the right A-gap, forcing the back to look to run elsewhere. As the rest of the Red Raider defense swarms, Hunter “drives the bus” with the center before disengaging to get in on the tackle.
The base strength and core strength were on full display, as well as his ability to read and react to what the running back does.
The ability to read and react to what ball carriers are doing is a major plus in the NFL, but Huter also knows how to throw his weight around when he needs to.
On fourth-and-one, Hunter blasts off the line of scrimmage and moves the right guard against his will into the backfield. This creates a domino effect, and as the guard tumbles into the running back, the rest of the defense attacks the ball to make the stop.
Hunter doesn’t get credit for the tackle, but he is the one who creates the play. Not every draft prospect has the ability to take over a play fully, and very few also have the “grown man strength” that Hunter plays with.
The bottom line
The ninth-overall selection might not be the most lucrative spot to select him, but if the Chiefs were to trade back in the first round, or if Hunter is around at pick 40, that’s where the sweet spot would be.
The team is in desperate need of new, fresh bodies along the defensive line, and Hunter could come in and make an immediate impact as the nose tackle (1-technique) on run downs, and eventually work his way into being a three-down player if his stamina improves.
Kansas City has long needed to pair a high-level interior player alongside Chris Jones, and as Jones ages, it will be even more important to find players who can help take the load off of his shoulders and keep him fresh for the biggest games.
Hunter needs refinement— like all prospects— but his run defense can get him on the field early in his career while he looks to add to his pass rush arsenal.
He checks the boxes for what defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo wants in an interior defensive lineman, and for what the Chiefs need to make sure the defense can return to elite form.