David Stone’s name is showing up in first-round territory in the latest USA TODAY Sports 2027 NFL Mock Draft, and the Oklahoma defensive tackle landed in a familiar kind of spotlight: big tools, big upside, and a little more room to prove it.
USA TODAY Sports projects Stone to the New York Giants with the 17th pick. The mock draft, which updates first-round projections using ESPN’s current average draft position for each team, takes a close look at prospects across the country and sees Stone as a fit for a team searching for a disruptive presence up front.
Their explanation leans into the same theme that has followed Stone since he arrived as a five-star recruit in 2024. At 6-3, 312 pounds, the production has not yet fully caught up to the talent, but the ceiling is obvious enough that teams are expected to keep coming back to him. USA TODAY Sports wrote:
John Harbaugh casting a net for Jeffery Simmons shows just how interested the Giants are in recapturing a highly disruptive defensive lineman. That effort in the draft could continue with Stone.
Production still lags well behind potential when assessing the 6-3, 312-pounder, whose stock could slide if he doesn't display more consistency down the stretch. Nevertheless, there likely will be no shortage of coaching staffs eager to coax out the best of him.
Stone’s strongest work since committing has come this season, and his two best games both arrived in 2027. Against New Mexico, he put together a career night with eight tackles and two tackles for loss in Oklahoma’s 14-6 win. Two weeks ago against Mississippi State, he followed that up with seven tackles and 1.5 sacks.
Through eight games this season, Stone has 33 tackles, including 14 solo stops, along with 3.5 tackles for loss and two sacks.
Oklahoma, meanwhile, sits at 4-4 and is trying to recover from last week’s loss to South Carolina. The Sooners now turn their attention to their first game at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, where they’ll face the No. 24 Florida Gators.
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