How Duke Developed Its 2026 NFL Draft Class

Head coach Manny Diaz and the rest of the Duke football program are gearing up to see several former Blue Devils hear their names called in the 2026 NFL Draft. This spring's draft will take place in Pittsburgh, PA, from April 23-25.

In 2025, no former Blue Devils were selected in the draft, but that is almost a guarantee to change this time around. Diaz and his staff have developed several talents across multiple positions, many of whom have a great chance to realize their NFL dreams in just a few weeks.

Dec 6, 2025; Charlotte, NC, USA; Duke Blue Devils head coach Manny Diaz lifts the ACC trophy with offensive lineman Justin Pickett (77), quarterback Darian Mensah (10) and defensive tackle Aaron Hall (99) after defeating the Virginia Cavaliers at the 2025 ACC Championship game at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images | Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

Meanwhile, the current Duke football program is looking to build on a vastly successful 2025 campaign that concluded with the Blue Devils taking home their first ACC Championship since 1989.

After the myriad roster losses that Duke dealt with throughout the offseason, is the success in 2026 likely to be the same? No, probably not. However, Diaz has had nothing but success through his two seasons at the helm in Durham, so there's plenty of reason to believe that will continue.

Dec 6, 2025; Charlotte, NC, USA; Duke Blue Devils head coach Manny Diaz celebrates defeating the Virginia Cavaliers at the 2025 ACC Championship game at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images | Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

Before these former Blue Devils get ready to potentially get drafted into the NFL, let's break down two major reasons Diaz and Co. have been able to build this program.

Feb 27, 2026; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Duke defensive back Chandler Rivers (DB28) during the NFL Scouting Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Continuity

One thing in common across almost the entire 2026 Duke NFL Draft class is continuity, as most of those guys spent their entire collegiate careers with the Blue Devils.

Cornerback Chandler Rivers and offensive lineman Brian Parker II spent all four of their collegiate seasons with Duke. Edge Wesley Williams spent all three of his years with Duke. This Duke trio is likely to be drafted into the NFL in just a few weeks, and Diaz was able to keep them in town once he arrived.

Feb 26, 2026; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Duke defensive lineman Wesley Williams (DL62) during the NFL Scouting Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

In today's college athletics, roster continuity is both extremely important and extremely difficult to achieve. Diaz has done a fantastic job of that over the past few seasons.

Mar 1, 2026; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Duke offensive lineman Brian Parker (OL38) during the NFL Scouting Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Resilience

The Blue Devils came off a nine-win season in 2024 under Diaz and, after bringing in quarterback Darian Mensah via the portal, entered the 2025 campaign as a sleeper candidate on a national scale.

However, things got off to a rocky start. After beginning the season 1-0, the Blue Devils lost five of their next 10 to enter the final few weeks of the campaign at 6-5 overall. For most clubs, this would've been the end of the season.

Oct 18, 2025; Durham, North Carolina, USA; Duke Blue Devils tight end Chandler Rivers (0) runs out before the first half of the game against Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets at Wallace Wade Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jaylynn Nash-Imagn Images | Jaylynn Nash-Imagn Images

However, Duke showed a different type of fight. It took down Wake Forest in its final regular season game, then, after a whirlwind of ridiculous tiebreakers, found a spot in the ACC Championship with a 7-5 overall record.

The Blue Devils faced the conference's No. 1 seed, Virginia, and were obviously doubted. Nonetheless, Duke secured a victory to win its first conference crown since 1989.