NFL Draft Decisions Provide Oregon Ducks With A Massive Boost

The Oregon Ducks received another huge morale boost with the announcement that defensive linemen A’Mauri Washington will return to Eugene for one more season.

Washington joined linebacker Teitum Tuioti and defensive end Matayo Uiagalelei in announcing their decisions to forgo the NFL Draft on Sunday. The Ducks officially return four of their key defensive linemen with Bear Alexander also decided to return for another season.

How Defensive Lineman A’Mauri Washington’s Return Impacts Oregon

oregon ducks transfer portal nfl recruiting a'mauri washington dan lanning bear alexander matayo uiagalelei teitum tuioti — Nov 18, 2023; Tempe, Arizona, USA; Oregon Ducks defensive lineman A'Mauri Washington (58) against the Arizona State Sun Devils at Mountain America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Washington had a breakout season in 2025 in his first year as a full-time starter. He finished the season with 33 total tackles, 1.5 sacks and seven passes deflected.

The defensive lineman joined the Ducks as a consensus four-star recruit out of high school. He played in eight games as a true freshman in 2023 and finished with two total tackles. He appeared in all 14 games his sophomore season at Oregon and improved his totals to 10 total tackles, including 1.5 tackles for a loss.

Washington was projected to be selected at some point in the first two days of the 2026 NFL Draft if he ended up declaring. Instead, Oregon maintains continuity with its starting defensive line returning for another season.

It’s been rare to see the Ducks return the core of any position group in the Dan Lanning coaching era, with so many players seeing enough success to go to the NFL Draft. Oregon lost a lot of production entering the 2025 season with defensive linemen Derrick Harmon and Jamaree Caldwell, as well as defensive end Jordan Burch, all heading to the next level.

The end of the Ducks’ College Football Playoff run appeared to leave unfinished business for the team, which was enough motivation for much of the squad to return. In addition to the four returning defensive starters, center offensive lineman Iapani “Poncho” Laloulu also revealed his plan to stick around in Eugene another year.

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Ducks Lose Depth to Transfer Portal

Oregon may have much of its core set to return in 2026, but Lanning has a lot of work to do in the portal with the team losing depth to the transfer portal.

Defensive linemen Ashton Porter, Tionne Gray, Xadavien Sims, and Jericho Johnson also entered the transfer portal with the starters returning. The Ducks also lost edge rushers Blake Purchase and Tobi Haastrup.

Gray and Porter are big losses for Oregon’s defensive line depth. Gray totaled 18 tackles in 2025 in 10 games. Porter totaled 20 tackles and a sack in nine games in 2025. Lanning will need to add some youth to the defensive line, as well as depth, with all the transfers being freshmen who could’ve potentially taken over starting roles after the current unit exits the program.

Outside of filling depth at the defensive line position, the team also has needs at running back and within the secondary. Both positions have talented starters returning like the defensive line, but the position is fairly thin outside of the starters.

Jayden Limar, Makhi Hughes and Jay Harris make up the trio of running backs to transfer out, and starting running back Noah Whittington is out of eligibility. Meanwhile, six players have currently transferred out of the secondary unit.