2025 NFL Draft Profile: Aeneas Peebles, Virginia Tech

Aeneas Peebles 2025 NFL Draft Profile

School: Virginia Tech

Position: Defensive Tackle

Class: Senior

Hometown: Raleigh, North Carolina

Measures

Height: 6’ 0 1/2”

Weight: 282 pounds

Arm Length: 31 3/8 inches

Hand Size: 9 5/8 inches

Combine Results

40-yard Dash: 4.94 seconds

10-yard split: 1.74 seconds

Vertical Jump: 32 1/2 inches

Broad Jump: 9’ 1”

20-yard shuffle: 4.7 seconds

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2025 NFL Draft: Aeneas Pebbles Scouting Report

Aeneas Pebbles is a 2025 NFL Draft prospect from Virginia Tech who lacks the ideal measurables to be a top prospect but makes up for it with hustle and elusiveness at the point of attack. Peebles plays like a boxer who moves forward and keeps the pressure off his opponent. He doesn’t have the length to secure the gaps, but Peebles plays in the gaps and gets up the field. He is a try-hard player who doesn’t have the size to take on double teams at the NFL level but can fight through single blocks and find the football with his dynamite rush package.

Peebles was a three-star recruit out of Knightdale High School in North Carolina and committed to play for Duke in 2020. During his time at Duke, Peebles worked his way up the depth chart as a reserve until 2023, when he recorded 43 tackles, 9.5 tackles, five sacks, two pass breakups, and one forced fumble, earning Third Team All-ACC honors. Peebles transferred to Virginia Tech before the 2024 season and recorded 31 tackles, 6.5 tackles for loss, three sacks, and three pass breakups. He was named Associated Press Third-team All-American and first-team All-ACC.

Peebles’ grandfather, Doug Wilkerson, played at North Carolina Central and was selected by the Houston Oilers in the 1970 NFL Draft and made three Pro Bowls from 1980 to 1982 for the San Diego Chargers.

Strengths

• Good first-step quickness with good pad level.
• Excellent strength is pound-for-pound with good body control.
• Plays with excellent technique to make plays between the tackles and in the backfield.
• Above-average pressure rate for an interior rusher.
• Plays with a relentless motor and has a smooth counter rush, especially his spin rush.
• Plays with great leverage and hand usage and uses his quickness to get to the backfield.

Weaknesses

• Lacks the mass of an interior lineman process.
• Short arms affect the ability to deal with the punch at the point of attack.
• Lacks the ability to hold his ground against committed down blocks and double-teams.
• He may have problems with interior offensive linemen with enough length to disable his spin and swim moves.

NFL Comparison:

Jer’Zhan Newton, Washington Commanders

Potential Team Fits:

Atlanta Falcons, Baltimore Ravens, Buffalo Bills, Houston Texans, Jacksonville Jaguars, Miami Dolphins, New England Patriots, Pittsburgh Steelers, San Francisco 49ers.

Draft Projection:

Day Three Selection (fifth-sixth round)

Last Word on Aeneas Peebles: 

Aeneas Peebles is a prospect in the 2025 Draft class with a clear role as an interior pass rusher who should be playing on a rotational basis or as an interior pass rush specialist. Peebles projects best as a three-technique tackle on an even front or a shaded nose tackle in passing situations. He is by no means a two-gap player, and he will have to refine his gap discipline against the run if he is going to be anything more than a rotational player at the NFL level.