One of the fun aspects of any draft process is watching players go from unheralded to being considered potential starters in the NFL.
It’s unsurprising that an Iowa State nose tackle wasn’t getting much buzz during the 2025 college season. However Domonique Orange (aka “Big Citrus”) quickly became a “nudge guy” over the course of the process leading up to the 2026 NFL Draft. Orange doesn’t have behemoth size, nor does he have rare athleticism to separate himself.
What he does have, however, is some really good tape. Orange is certainly a nose tackle, but he does all the things a nose tackle needs to do in order to help his defense, and he does many of them well.
The New York Giants have a need on the defensive interior, which could range anywhere from a high-volume rotational player to back up Dexter Lawrence and Darius Alexander, to a starter should Dexter Lawrence be traded.
Big Citrus is likely on the Giants’ radar, the question is whether they’d get a chance to draft him.
Prospect: Domonique Orange (95)
Games Watched: vs. Kansas State (2025), vs. BYU (2025), vs. TCU (2025)
Measurables
Strengths
Best traits
- First step explosiveness
- Power
- Play strength
- Run defense
- Competitive toughness
Domonique Orange is a big, powerful, and surprisingly explosive nose tackle prospect.
Orange possess natural leverage at 6-foot, 2 ⅜ inches, and his 322-pound frame holds obvious power. He has relatively long arms for his height at 33 ⅜ inches, and he does a good job of using them to keep himself clean.
He possesses a very good first step for a squat, wide-bodied nose tackle, exploding off the line of scrimmage. Orange typically plays with good pad level thanks to his height, which typically maximizes his impressive play strength. He’s able to routinely drive individual linemen into the backfield as well as occupy double teams.
Orange isn’t a great pass rusher himself, however he has enough short-area quickness to be a useful player in stunts and twists, as well as create opportunities for one-on-one match-ups for his teammates. Likewise, his power and strength can also be useful for creating free runs to the quarterback for blitzing linebackers and defensive backs.
He stands out, however, as a run defender. Orange excels at creating piles in the offensive interior, forcing inside runners to cut back – ideally into the arms of his teammates. Orange’s arms and raw strength also allow him to make plays off of blockers, and he has enough strength to bring down ball carriers one-handed.
Orange plays with the requisite level of “nasty” for the interior, and seems to relish opportunities to hit offensive players. He also shows good toughness in pursuit of the ball carrier, even if he’s unlikely to run them down.
Weaknesses
Worst traits
- Long speed
- Pass rush
- Technique
- Leverage consistency
Orange is capable of disruptive play, however he’s limited in several ways.
First and foremost, he is a limited athlete when forced to play beyond his range. Orange lacks great long speed to pursue ball carriers that escape containment, as well as chase down quarterbacks. He can struggle to gain ground past his second step and his play speed slows dramatically if he isn’t able to beat blockers immediately. His athletic limitations are particularly apparent as a pass rusher, as he lacks the agility and speed to consistently finish his rushes.
Because of that, Orange will need to polish his technique and hand usage to maximize his ability to quickly pressure passers.
As things stand now, his rushes have a tendency to stagnate if he doesn’t win quickly, which is due in part to his hands being blunt instruments. Orange doesn’t have the ability to quickly neutralize blocks when linemen are ready for his initial power. He can also be overly reliant on an arm-over (swim) move that can expose his chest and neutralize his leverage. Likewise, he can have a tendency to lunge forward without bringing his feet with him, compromising his balance as well as his considerable strength.
And despite his power and play strength, Orange can be stymied or even put on skates when blockers are able to get under his pads.
Game Tape
(Orange is the Iowa State defensive tackle wearing number 95 with white bands on his forearms.)
Projection
Domonique Orange projects as a starting A-gap defender at the NFL level, with the scheme diversity to play in just about any front commonly called at the NFL level.
Orange would be best served to be a rotational player early in his career, as he’ll need to polish his technique to be consistently successful against NFL linemen. He has the ability to be a disruptive defender at the NFL level, however he can disappear if his rushes aren’t immediately successful. That doesn’t mean he isn’t able to fight through blockers – he’s certainly willing to do so – but that he needs to be a more sophisticated technician to reach his ceiling.
Orange’s limitations as a pass rusher could move him down draft boards slightly. However, he should still be drafted by the end of the second night.
Does he fit the Giants? Yes
Final Word: A Day 2 value
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