Oregon’s Strongest Position Group Is Not Getting Enough Attention

The Oregon Ducks will go into the 2026 season with arguably the best defensive line in the country. Many of the defensive line starters from the 2025 season decided to forego the 2026 NFL Draft and run it back with a Ducks team that made it to the semifinals of the College Football Playoff.

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Across the board, the Ducks' defensive line is expected to arguably be the biggest strength of the team in 2027. Coach Dan Lanning and his staff received excellent news this offseason when defensive linemen A’Mauri Washington, Bear Alexander, Matayo Uiagalelei, and Teitum Tuioti all announced they would be returning to Eugene for another season.

Dan Lanning Looks to Defensive Line to set the Standard in 2026

Oregon Ducks Dan Lanning Dante Moore Matayo Uiagalelei A'Mauri Washington Big Ten College Football Playoff Autzen Stadium — Nov 8, 2025; Iowa City, Iowa, USA; Oregon Ducks head coach Dan Lanning enters Kinnick Stadium before the game against the Iowa Hawkeyes. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images | Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images

Lanning was full of praise for his defensive line in a recent press conference, claiming the four defensive line returners must be leaders in 2026, both on and off the field.

“Well, those guys have to be in charge of setting the standard, and any healthy defensive line is going to have a lot of guys that are able to play and rotate, so it's not going to be just those four up front. Those guys coming back speaks to the maturity of their decision on ‘hey, there's an opportunity for me to improve. There are some things I still want to accomplish here at Oregon.’ And we expect them to be a piece that can really help us get there.”

The Ducks' defensive line will be anchored by defensive tackle A’Mauri Washington. Washington had a decently high draft grade after the 2025 season, and a step forward for him in 2026 could very well catapult him into being a first-round draft pick in the 2027 NFL Draft.

Oregon Edge Rushers Should set Tone in 2026

The Ducks' edge rushers are among the best in the country. Edge rusher Matayo Uiagalelei’s stats went backwards a bit from his breakout 2024 season when he led the Big Ten in sacks, but the junior was still able to record six sacks in 2025. Uiagalelei, like his teammate A’Mauri Washington, just needs to replicate what he did in 2025 to most likely earn a first-round draft grade for the 2027 Draft.

Ducks Defensive Line Paved way for Oregon in CFP Quarterfinals

The Ducks' defensive line’s shining moment from 2025 came in one of the biggest games of Oregon’s season in the Orange Bowl against Texas Tech. The Ducks were able to sack Texas Tech quarterback Behren Morton four times and forced Morton into bad throws and tough situations all afternoon.

Ducks defensive lineman Matayo Uiagalelei was able to record a strip sack on Morton and took it all the way down to the six-yard line, where the Ducks were eventually able to punch it in for a touchdown. The Ducks were able to hold the Red Raiders to just 78 yards on the ground in their 23-0 win.

If the Ducks' defensive line plays up to their potential in 2026, it’s possible they could have one or two players on their defensive line end up as finalists or even win the Bronko Nagurski Award, handed out to the best defensive player in the country.