2 hours ago
1
Sep 6, 2025; Ames, Iowa, USA; Iowa State Cyclones defensive lineman Domonique Orange (95) celebrates after a play against the Iowa Hawkeyes during the second half at Jack Trice Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Reese Strickland-Imagn Images | Reese Strickland-Imagn Images Silver and Black Pride has been working through the nose tackle prospects in the 2026 NFL draft class, since that remains one of the biggest needs on the Las Vegas Raiders’ roster. Iowa State’s Domonique Orange is up next, as he could go from gap filler to a need filler in Las Vegas.
“Big Citrus” had quite a bit of draft buzz over the summer after finishing the 2024 campaign with a solid 74.4 run defense grade from Pro Football Focus and 13 “defensive stops” against the run at a 6.9 percent rate. However, he lost some steam during the season, with his grade dropping to 67.4 in 2025.
The good news is that the former Cyclone’s production stayed consistent, recording 15 stops at 6.9 percent last year. The difference between the two marks can be chalked up to missed tackles, going from two misses and a 7.1 percent miss rate in 2024 to seven and 25 percent this past fall. Also, one bad game is weighing those numbers down, whiffing three times against Cincinnati in Week 6.
Obviously, that needs to get cleaned up before Orange makes the jump to the NFL. But it’s not as if he was getting blown off the ball or dramatically declined last season, as the grades above might suggest. With that in mind, let’s dive into what he could bring to the Raiders.
A big part of what makes Orange an intriguing nose tackle is that he has impressive strength to reset the line of scrimmage when left one-on-one against centers.
On this play, BYU is trying to run inside zone with the fullback going through the A-gap to serve as the lead blocker on the SAM linebacker (No. 47), and the latter creates an extra rushing lane that the defense has to account for in the run fit. That becomes an even bigger problem when the fullback seals the linebacker outside on the second level.
However, the 6-foot-2, 322-pound nose tackle gets a base block from the center and does a good job of keeping his pads down and legs moving through contact to drive the center into the backfield. With control of the block, he shows color in the strong-side A-gap, which forces the running back to cut backside and effectively cuts the field in half. That, combined with the WILL linebacker beating the left guard, creates a tackle for loss.
Now, while this is still a good rep for Orange, there is some room for improvement. He’s two-gapping and is also responsible for the weakside A-gap, but doesn’t get extension on the block to cross the center’s face and either make the tackle himself or force the back to cut backside even further.
Another aspect of Big Citrus’ game that makes him appealing is that he’s good at absorbing contact.
Iowa runs outside zone with its quarterback toting the rock, the running back serving as the lead blocker, and the entire offensive line reach or scoop blocking. Meanwhile, Iowa State slants the defensive line to the strong side of the formation, which helps put Orange in a position to stay in his gap because he’s already moving laterally and flowing with the offensive line.
However, Orange does false step out of his stance where his left foot doesn’t gain any ground horizontally or vertically. That leads to a narrow base while taking on the block, but his size and strength nullify the issue as he’s able to maintain gap control in the playside A-gap. Also, the guard tries to help the center, but that doesn’t faze the defensive lineman as he continues on his path to make a tackle for a short gain.
So, despite not being in a great position to take on the block, Orange still executes his assignment and manages to make the play. Even better, this comes against good competition. The Hawkeyes won the Joe Moore Award for the best offensive line in College Football last season, and the center is Logan Jones, who is expected to be a fourth-round pick later this month, according to NFL Mock Draft Database’s consensus big board.
On top of the strength seen above, the Iowa State product is pretty nimble for his size to pull off a few finesse moves as an occasional change-up to defeat blocks.
Here, he’s lined up as a shade nose tackle on the playside of Kansas State’s quarterback counter run. The Cyclones slant their defensive line strong again, setting up Orange to beat the guard with a swim move. Simultaneously, that allows him to split the double team between the guard and right tackle. Then the ability to absorb contact comes in to help stay in his gap against the tackle and get penetration.
But the defense has a big problem. The backside defensive lineman crosses the center’s face, so there’s no one to protect the edge against a cutback by the quarterback. Luckily, Orange doesn’t get too far in the backfield, manages to escape from the right tackle, works flat down the line of scrimmage, and has 33⅜-inch arms to bring down the ball carrier for a short gain.
Building on the previous section, we’ll see a similar play call here from BYU. Technically, this is a quarterback power lead, where the backside tight end pulls and the running back lead blocks, but it functions pretty much the same as a counter with two blockers paving the rushing lane for the quarterback. The biggest difference is that the backside of the play is more protected since the offensive linemen stay put, but that becomes irrelevant in this instance.
With Orange lined up as a 3-technique in Iowa State’s even front, he takes on a down block from the left tackle. While he doesn’t get much extension on the block or lock out the tackle with his arms, he shows off that impressive strength again by using a hump move to defeat the block across the tackle’s face.
What’s even more remarkable is that the offensive lineman wasn’t even leaning or off balance. Big Citrus just tosses him aside to close the rushing lane and make a tackle for a short gain.
To be clear, Orange has a lot of work to do to be a more consistent pass-rusher after recording just one sack (the clip above) in college, and only logging 13 pressures on 317 opportunities (4.1 percent) last season, per PFF. However, he was much more productive in 2024 with 17 pressures on 176 pass-rush snaps (9.7 percent) to give him some untapped potential on third downs.
This rep comes from the 2024 Big 12 Championship and is a quality bull rush from the former Cyclone. He’s in a wider alignment and works up the field with his first two steps, which gets the guard to move toward the sideline. Then, Orange engages with good pad level at the point of attack and keeps his feet moving through contact to push the pocket.
Because he forced the guard to widen, there’s a rushing lane in the A-gap. Also, since the guard is on skates and can’t anchor, the defensive lineman starts working the inside edge to exploit the rushing lane he created and successfully beats the guard across the guard’s face. All of that allows Orange to escape the block and go get a sack.
NMDD’s big board has Orange listed as the 74th overall prospect in the class and projects him as a third-rounder. So, if the Raiders can’t land a nose tackle at No. 36, expect Big Citrus to be on the table at pick 67 with his ability to stop the run.
