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2025 NFL Draft Profile: Boston College Defensive Tackle Cam Horsley

Originally posted on Boston College Eagles on SI
By Graham Dietz | Last updated Apr 23, 2025 2:47 PM ET

While Boston College football defensive tackle Cam Horsley isn’t considered a day-one NFL Draft prospect, he has caught the attention of numerous analysts with a breakout 2024 campaign.

Simply put, Horsley boasts potential. He’s only gotten better each year at the collegiate level, which shows promise and his affinity for learning.

The Cinnaminson, N.J. native played 11 games as a true freshman — Horsley never redshirted but opted to take a graduate year in 2024 instead of entering last year's NFL Draft — and has improved and impressed as a starter the rest of the way.

As a senior in 2023, Horsley earned All-ACC honorable mention honors after posting 41 tackles, including three tackles for loss (TFLs) and three PBUs. As a graduate last season, Horsley’s 42 tackles led all defensive tackles on the Eagles’ roster, and he also manufactured seven TFLs, three quarterback hurries, and three pass break-ups. He took home All-ACC Third Team honors this past season.

Preventing the rush is where Horsley shines the brightest. Of all 2025 NFL Draft defensive lineman, Horsley’s run-stop percentage ranks first at 14.4 percent — 2.4 percentage points higher than projected top-10 pick Mason Graham from Michigan.

Horsley has “steal” written all over him if he does, in fact, end up dropping to the final two rounds.

“He does what he has to do in the middle. He stops and clogs up the middle for me,” Donovan Ezeiruaku said at the NFL Combine. “He lets me be free on the outside. So I definitely appreciate Cam, and he's been consistent his five years at Boston College."

Within an extremely deep DT class, one of the more impressive run stuffers I’ve seen is BC’s Cam Horsley. He’s got some true brute strength at the point of attack ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/XwwtWlvLla
— Field Yates (@FieldYates) February 22, 2025

Player Info

Hometown: Cinnaminson, N.J.
High School: Cinnaminson High School
Recruiting Class: 2020
Recruiting Rating: 3-star
Competed in East-West Shrine Bowl

NFL Combine/Workout Details

Height: 6’3”
Weight: 312 lbs.
Hand: 9½”
Arm: 33”
40-Yard Dash: 5.04 sec.
Vertical: 31½”
Broad Jump: 9’0”
3-Cone Drill: 7.63 sec.
20-Yard Shuttle: 4.74 sec.
Bench Press: 18 reps

Career Accolades

2024 All-ACC Third Team
2023 All-ACC honorable mention

Evaluation

The surefire weapon in Horsley’s arsenal is how he gets into blocks with a quick first step, which enables his lower body to stay anchored to the ground for a wider, sturdier base, and shed those blocks in order to stop the run.

Horsley’s expertise comes with a keen sense of reading the play and following where it goes, even after an initial press or rush move.

His combination of size, athleticism, and strong base give him all the tools that a defensive tackle requires in the NFL, and he plays violently.

Horsley explodes in short areas for his size, which shows his quick acceleration, enabling him to be a productive tackler in the interior and anywhere in the backfield or inside the pocket.

What The Experts Say

In The Athletic’s Pro Day roundup, Nick Baumgardner listed Horsley as BC's standout.

“DT Cam Horsley (6-3, 312 with 33-inch arms) ran a 5.04 40 with 18 reps on the bench, a 4.74 short shuttle and 7.67 three-cone. Horsley also had a 31 1/2-inch vertical and a 9-foot broad jump at the combine. Both were solid performances for one of the many high-floor DT prospects in this class.”

NFL analyst Lance Zierlein had this to say about Horsley:

“He plays with better control and consistency as a press-and-read defender than he does as a one-gapping penetrator. He needs to improve his technique against move-blocking schemes to maintain gap integrity. He’s active and productive as a tackler but is below average as a rush option. Horsley could become a solid backup as a Day 3 selection.”

Projection/Mock Draft

NFL.com: Rounds 6-7
ESPN’s Jordan Reid: Round 7, Pick 222

The Last Word

“I’m not nervous, I’m confident. I’m confident in my abilities to perform [tomorrow] at a high level. I’ve been training for the last two months for this.”
- Cam Horsley at the 2025 NFL Combine

This is the fourth article of a series of profiles on former Boston College football players who could be selected in the 2025 NFL Draft.

This article first appeared on Boston College Eagles on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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