Rene Konga 2026 NFL Draft Profile

Prospect: Rene Konga
Position: Defensive Tackle
School: Louisville
Year: Sixth-Year Senior

Background

Born November 14, 2002 (age 23). A native of Cameroon, Konga's family immigrated to Ottawa, Canada when he was 13. He lettered in football at Colonel By Secondary School, where he played running back and defensive end.

Despite being ranked 929th in the Class of 2020, Konga was the No. 1 Canadian prospect, and was primarily recruited by schools in the northeast - such as Syracuse, UConn and UMass. Initially a remember of the 2021 recruiting class, Konga reclassified and committed to Rutgers in the summer of 2020.

Konga didn't see much playing time early in his collegiate career. He redshirted his true freshman campaign in 2020, then played only two games in 2021 - logging his first tackle in garbage time of a blowout at the hands of Ohio State.

Over the next two years, Konga was a rotational depth piece on Rutgers' defensive line, making the switch from the edge to the interior. He collected five tackles, two pass break ups and a sack in nine games during the 2022 season; then eight tackles, two for loss, a sack and a forced fumble in 2023. He then entered the portal's spring window, and transferred to Louisville.

Konga parlayed a great summer and fall into a starting role for Louisville, although an injury midway through the 2024 season had an impact in his efficiency in the second half of the year. Starting the first five games while playing in 11, Konga collected 20 tackles (12 solo), three for loss and 2.5 sacks.

Konga then saved the best for last, earning Second-Team All-ACC honors during the 2025 season. Starting all 12 regular season games before later opting out of the Boca Raton Bowl, he posted 29 tackles (13 solo), five for loss, 1.5 sacks and a team-best six pass breakups. Of the 89 FBS defensive tackles with at least 500 snaps played, his 86.4 defensive grade on Pro Football Focus was first among power conference players and first overall.

Measurements

At the Louisville's Pro Day, Konga measured in at 6 feet and 3 6/8 inches (6036) and 298 pounds, along with 9 1/2" hands and 33 5/8″ arms. Additionally, he ran the 40-yard dash in 4.79 seconds (with 1.60 and 2.80 10- and 20-yard splits, respectively), leapt 10 feet and 2 inches (122″) in the broad jump and 37.0″ in the vertical. He also ran the short shuttle in 4.59 seconds and three-cone drill in 7.03 seconds.

Based on these measurements and numbers, Konga earned a Relative Athletic Score of 9.78 out of 10, ranking 50th out of 2,270 defensive tackles from 1987 through 2026 (97th percentile).

Scouting Report

Strengths

Is an absolutely fantastic overall athlete. Pair that with unwavering effort, and it's rare for him to be completely erased from a play.
Possesses explosiveness and twitch that you normally wouldn't expect from a tackle. Stems from his football upbringing as an edge.
Has heavy and violent hands. Pairs that with good footwork to plow open rush lanes.
Exceptional at making plays on the football in passing lanes when he can't get to the quarterback.

Weaknesses

Struggles to consistently stay low during his rush, and finds himself getting forced upright way too often.
Has great short area burst, but just an okay top gear. Closing speed leaves some to be desired.
Doesn't handle double teams well, mainly because his pass rush tool box isn't deep enough to break them.

NFL Comparison

Nnamdi Madubuike (Texas A&M: 2016-19, Baltimore Ravens: 2020-present)

Highlights

Sign up to our free newsletter and follow us on Facebook, Twitter/X and Instagram for the latest news.

Background

Measurements

Scouting Report

Highlights

More Cardinals Stories