UCF defensive tackle Horace Lockett has put himself on the NFL radar, landing as a “potential Day 3 pick” in Chad Reuters’ 2027 NFL Draft Rankings.
For a player who spent most of last season sidelined by a torn pectoral muscle, that’s a notable spot. Lockett was the lone Knight to show up in that part of Reuters’ rankings, a sign that NFL evaluators are paying attention to what he can do when he’s healthy.
Before the injury cut his season short, Lockett was tracking toward a career year. He got into four games and finished with 13 tackles, including eight solo stops, along with a career-best three tackles for loss. He also logged his first career sack, added two pass breakups and recorded a quarterback hurry.
The production matched the kind of problems he creates on the interior. At 6-foot-6 and 355 pounds, Lockett brings a massive frame and the kind of strength that lets him bull-rush blockers in both the run game and as a pass rusher.
UCF felt his absence, even with John Walker, Rodney Lora and Derrick LeBlanc in the rotation. The Knights nearly lost that entire group in January’s transfer portal, and in the end they did lose the others. Walker went to Ohio State, Lora to Purdue and LeBlanc to Maryland.
Lockett also entered the portal on Jan. 2, but three days later he backed out and returned to UCF. His decision came while he was dealing with family health complications, and his teammates welcomed him back.
“My decision was family-based,” Lockett said in episode one of RISE. “My mom was going through a lot of complications with her health, and I just panicked.
[I] Didn't know if I needed to be closer to her. But I'm glad to be back.
I'm glad that the staff welcomed me back with open arms - and the players and everybody.”
He added that he found happiness at UCF and felt something was missing after entering the portal. General manager Trent Mossbrucker believes the Knights are the right place for him to finish his college career.
Lockett was also named to the 2026 Panini Senior Bowl Top 300 on Friday, another sign that scouts are tracking him closely. If he hears his name called in the draft, he would become the fourth defensive tackle selected from UCF and the second in the decade, joining Kalia Davis (sixth round, 220th overall, 2022), Trysten Hill (second round, 58th overall, 2019) and Torrell Troup (second round, 41st overall, 2010).
Now back healthy, Lockett is expected to line up as the starter at nose tackle. If he can stay on the field, he has a chance to pick up where last season left off and turn that interrupted breakout into a full one.
In Other News...
UCFs Linebacker Picture Just Got Much Murkier Before The Opener
The linebacker group at UCF was already a position to watch, and it got a lot more complicated with the season opener nearing. Cole Kozlowski, who had been granted a fifth year of eligibility by a U.S. District Court judge, is now ruled ineligible to return after the NCAA obtained a stay from the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals. The uncertainty leaves the Knights trying to sort out a key piece of their defense with little time left before games start counting.
Coach Scott Frost has made it clear the situation is still fluid, which fits a roster that has already seen some help arrive through the transfer portal to soften the impact if Kozlowski is ultimately unavailable. For now, UCF is left waiting on what comes next while preparing as if the answer could still shift, and that kind of uncertainty is never ideal when a team is trying to settle its linebacker rotation before Week 1. [Read more 🡒]
Lewis Carter Is Becoming The Standard For UCF's Defense
Lewis Carter has spent the offseason collecting the kind of recognition that usually follows a breakthrough year, not just another preseason. The UCF linebacker, who paced the Knights in tackles last season, has been placed on the Chuck Bednarik Award Watch List after posting a career-high 92 stops and earning a spot on the leagues radar with All-Big 12 Honorable Mention and preseason second-team nods from Phil Steele and Athlon Sports.
For UCF, the broader significance goes beyond the individual honors. Carter is starting to look like the standard by which the Knights measure their defense, the player opposing offenses have to account for first and the one his own team can point to when talking about consistency and production. The next step is where the real pressure comes in, because the watch lists are in place and the accolades are stacking up, but the season will determine whether Carter can turn that status into something even bigger. [Read more 🡒]