CHTV 2026 NFL Draft Scouting Report: DT Aaron Graves
CHTV NFL Draft Analyst Newt Westen gives his scouting report on Iowa defensive tackle Aaron Graves, in advance of the 2026 NFL Draft.
By Newt Westen
PLEASE SUBSCRIBE TO OUR CHEESEHEAD NATION WEEKLY NEWSLETTER HERE.
__________________________
Newt Westen is the Founder of 0-Tech Draft, contributor for The Draft Professor and Lead NFL Draft Analyst for CheeseheadTV.com. He's a lifetime Packers fan and you can follow Newt at @NFLDraft_Westen on X.
__________________________
NFL Categories:
Comments (4)
SicSemperTyrannis
December 31, 2025 at 04:21 pm
Newt, thank you for doing these!
I'd be ok with Gutey picking 3 each of DT and CB this time.
I'd think body fat % would be a key metric; for example,ca 300# lineman at 26% body fat vs 10 = a 48# lean muscle difference. That's have to impact effectiveness, right? Instead the league is stuck with subjectivity like "weight room warrior" and only how many reps of a 225# bench they can do, one time, before failure. And most don't even do it anymore. This has gotta make drafting well harder than need be ...
Newt Westen
January 03, 2026 at 09:23 am
Thank you!
And I agree, there are a ton of ways to look at a player and the way they wear their weight, their functional play strength, and the way they move are all factors. There are a ton of ways to break it down, I like how you did in that example.
golfpacker61
January 18, 2026 at 11:20 am
Aaron Graves came to Iowa as a highly rated D-lineman and made the switch from Edge to DT. He had a pretty quiet career at Iowa though. UDFA.
Newt Westen
January 18, 2026 at 05:26 pm
I know I am higher on him with a late Day 2 grade, but I would be shocked, SHOCKED, if he went undrafted. Two solid years starting at Iowa and a pass-rush skill set that is less common in the interior gets him drafted somewhere on Day 3.