Domonique Orange has been one of the most steady and dependable interior defenders in the Big 12 over the past four seasons. A Kansas City native who committed to Iowa State<\/a> and never wavered, Orange\u2019s loyalty and long-term development in Ames speak volumes about his character and trust within the program.<\/p>\n At 6-foot-3 and 325 pounds, \u201cBig Citrus<\/strong>\u201d is built to control the middle of the defensive front. He isn\u2019t flashy, and his sack totals won\u2019t jump off the stat sheet, but his ability to anchor, absorb double teams, and muddy the interior run game makes him a valuable piece for NFL teams seeking toughness and stability inside.<\/p>\n Through 50 career games and 24 starts, Orange developed from rotational freshman to full-time contributor and team leader \u2014 earning All-Big 12<\/a> honors and national recognition along the way.<\/p>\n Height:<\/strong> 6\u20193\u201d Career Totals and Accolades:<\/strong><\/p>\n Orange carries his weight well with a dense lower half and broad frame. His 34-inch vertical and elite weight-room numbers (450 bench, 650 squat, 365 clean) highlight explosive lower-body power despite average straight-line speed.<\/p>\n Elite Anchor vs. Run<\/strong> First-Step Reaction Quickness<\/strong> Upper-Body Power<\/strong> Gap Integrity<\/strong> Motor & Consistency<\/strong> Football IQ<\/strong> Limited Pass Rush Production<\/strong> Inconsistent Hand Usage vs. Double Teams<\/strong> Lateral Agility<\/strong> Ceiling Concerns<\/strong> Orange projects best as:<\/p>\n He thrives in systems that prioritize:<\/p>\n His value comes on early downs, short yardage, and against run-heavy offenses. While he may never be a high-volume pass rusher, he offers dependable rotational snaps (15\u201330 per game) and interior toughness that defensive coordinators trust.<\/p>\n Domonique Orange isn\u2019t built to be a flashy, stat-sheet interior rusher. He\u2019s built to control the middle of the defense. His game mirrors players like McKinnley Jackson<\/a>, Siaki Ika<\/a>, and Jayden Peevy<\/a>, sturdy, powerful interior defenders whose value comes from anchoring, absorbing double teams, and forcing offenses to adjust their run plans.<\/p>\n A four-year contributor who stayed loyal to Iowa State throughout the transfer portal era, Orange\u2019s maturity and consistency stand out. Academic All-Big 12 honors and multiple Commissioner\u2019s Honor Roll selections reflect the discipline and work ethic coaches value at the next level.<\/p>\n As a Kansas City native who has followed Orange since his high school career, his development has been steady and intentional. He has improved his snap load, conditioning, and technical discipline each season.<\/p>\n Orange may never be a high-volume sack producer, but his floor is reliable. In a scheme that uses the\u00a0 0- or 1-technique, he can become a dependable rotational anchor who wins early downs and gives defensive coordinators interior stability.<\/p>\n He won\u2019t dominate headlines on draft night. But he\u2019ll make a roster and stick.<\/p>\n Main Photo: [] – Imagn Images<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Domonique Orange NFL Draft profile: Iowa State DT scouting report, strengths, weaknesses, measurables, and 2026 draft projection.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5698,"featured_media":267303,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33760,1647],"tags":[33533,34066,34236],"class_list":["post-267286","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-profiles","category-nfl-draft","tag-2026-nfl-draft","tag-2026-nfl-draft-defensive-tackle","tag-domonique-orange"],"modified_by":"Michael Zimmelman","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/267286","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5698"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=267286"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/267286\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":267304,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/267286\/revisions\/267304"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/267303"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=267286"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=267286"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=267286"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Overview<\/h2>\n
\nWeight:<\/strong> 322 lbs
\nClass:<\/strong> Senior
\nHometown:<\/strong> Kansas City, Missouri
\nHigh School:<\/strong> North Kansas City<\/strong><\/a>
\nProjection:<\/strong> Late Day 2 \u2013 Early Day 3<\/strong><\/p>\nCollege Career<\/h2>\n
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<\/ul>\n
Scouting Report<\/h2>\n
Strengths<\/h3>\n
\nOrange is extremely difficult to move one-on-one. He plays with natural leverage and has the core strength to sit down against double teams.<\/p>\n
\nHis snap anticipation allows him to disrupt zone schemes and avoid being reached by lateral blockers.<\/p>\n
\nOrange shocks blockers with heavy hands and can jolt centers backward on contact.<\/p>\n
\nWhen disciplined, he controls A-gaps effectively and forces runners to redirect.<\/p>\n
\nFour-year contributor. Durable. Improved snap count significantly as a senior.<\/p>\n
\nRecognizes blocking schemes quickly and adjusts mid-rep. His awareness against Iowa \u2014 dominating a Rimington Trophy-winning center \u2014 showcased his processing speed.<\/p>\nWeaknesses<\/h3>\n
\nOnly one career sack. Primarily wins with power; lacks refined counters.<\/p>\n
\nCan allow his pads to rise and get displaced if his technique slips.<\/p>\n
\nAverage change-of-direction ability. Not built for extended pursuit.<\/p>\n
\nProjects more as a run-down specialist than a three-down interior disruptor.<\/p>\nScheme Fit & NFL Projection<\/h2>\n
\n
\n
The Last Word on Domonique Orange<\/h2>\n