Khyiris
Tonga.
Khyiris
Tonga.
BYU· 6'4"· 321 lb
"A 6-foot-4, 321-pound BYU nose tackle with elite functional strength and a 35-rep bench, but limited pass-rush ceiling — a late Day-3 two-gap run-plugger projection for even-front defenses."Pre-draft read
Massive, two-gap nose tackle (0/1-tech) anchors in the run game. He fires low, punches, and extends long to lock out and read before disengaging. Play strength is key: he holds double teams, drives centers into the mesh, and is rarely displaced. His heavy, independent hands and functional bull rush collapse interior pocket depth when he wins get-off.
His profile flattens as a pass rusher. Get-off is average, and his plan is limited to bull-and-club or long-arm. Lateral quickness through gaps or on stunts is heavy-footed. Chase range beyond the tackle box is limited, and second-effort finishes are rare. Value is most apparent on early downs and in short-yardage, occupying blockers for linebackers, typically exiting on obvious passing downs.
Khyiris Tonga is an ideal fit as a two-gap 4-3 nose tackle in a multiple front, gap-sound defensive scheme where he can penetrate and anchor without being asked to make freelance plays on the perimeter.
Rotational 1-technique on run-downs and short-yardage packages, with a ceiling of two-down starter in a deep interior rotation.
The value of Tonga collapses in an attacking one-gap 3-4 front that asks its linemen to stunt and rush the passer with varied moves rather than two-gap and hold the point.
Tonga's rare functional strength and ability to anchor against double teams make him a valuable early-down run stuffer, but his limited pass-rush upside and range restrict him to a rotational role.
BYU DT Khyiris Tonga Highlights 🔵⚪️ ᴴᴰ
Game film cut-up of Khyiris Tonga's BYU tape.
Khyiris Tonga Highlights | 2025 - 2026 NFL Season - Chiefs/Patriots
Game film cut-up of Khyiris Tonga's BYU tape.
BYU DT Khyiris Tonga Pro Day/Combine.
Game film cut-up of Khyiris Tonga's BYU tape.
Tonga projected as a full-time starter at nose tackle, a player with rare functional strength ideal for a two-gap role in even-front defenses. His heavy hands and ability to play with a low pad level for his size, combined with a 35-rep bench press, translated on tape to violent stack-and-shed play. He offered a clear floor as a run-down anchor, with limited upside as a pass rusher.
He consistently started at BYU, functioning as a rotational nose in an independent front. His usage emphasized his run-stuffing capabilities. Production was steady, though not spectacular, highlighting his role as a consistent block-eater rather than a disruptive playmaker. He was primarily employed to occupy blockers and maintain gap integrity, rather than generate pressure or make plays in pursuit.
Evaluators noted his minimal pass-rush juice, average get-off, and limited range once the play flowed away from him. These flags placed him firmly as a Day 3 prospect. Consensus viewed him as a scheme-specific two-gap 1-technique, with potential for special-teams jumbo-package contributions. He was ultimately selected in the seventh round at pick 250.
- 01
Anchor and play strength
Elite functional power for the interior; holds ground versus double teams and rarely gets displaced off the ball.
- 02
Hand strength and length
Long arms with a heavy, violent punch; locks out extension to keep his frame clean and stack-and-shed off blocks.
- 03
Pad level for his size
Fires out low for a 321-pound nose, gets under the pads of blockers, and wins leverage on first contact.
- 04
Two-gap discipline
Reads center-to-guard combinations, keeps eyes in the backfield, and stays home in his gap responsibility.
- 05
Short-yardage and goal-line value
Immediate role player on 3rd-and-1 and goal-line packages, taking on double teams to constrict interior gaps.
- 01
Pass-rush ceiling
Limited plan and toolbox as a rusher; wins primarily by bull rush or long-arm, without consistent counters.
- 02
Get-off and first step
Average snap reaction and lateral burst; interior gaps often close before he can shoot them effectively.
- 03
Chase range
Once the ball breaks the tackle box or flows away, he is a non-factor; pursuit tackles are rare on tape.
- 04
Conditioning and snap volume
Frame demands a rotational role rather than three-down snaps, with efficiency dropping in extended series.
— — — positional median (p50)
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- 35repp50
| Yr | Team | G | Tkl | Sk | Int | PD | FF |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | BYU | 13 | 19 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| 2018 | BYU | 13 | 29 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 2019 | BYU | 13 | 45 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 2020 | BYU | 11 | 36 | 2.5 | 0 | 5 | 0 |
| Career | — | 50 | 129 | 7.5 | 0 | 12 | 0 |
A dash means the figure is not published by a source we trust — never a zero we invented.
True 1-technique run-plugger with heavy hands and limited pass-rush juice; a bottom-of-line-rotation nose who eats blocks and lets linebackers run clean on early downs.
Elite anchor and stack-and-shed nose in an even front — ceiling if the strength and gap discipline translate to a snap-count workload rather than rotational usage.
Late Day-3 interior body type whose lack of pass-rush translation and conditioning capped him as a practice-squad-caliber rotational lineman without a clear scheme home.
Everything above is the pre-draft evaluation. This section is what actually happened — updated year over year.
Pre-draft context. Tonga entered the 2021 process as BYU's starting nose tackle, a 6-foot-4, 321-pound anchor whose calling card was raw functional strength — a 35-rep bench press and a stack-and-shed run-defense profile that projected cleanly into an even-front NFL role. He did not test at a full combine in the COVID-disrupted cycle, and his pro-day agility numbers were pedestrian, which capped the interior-rush ceiling. Boards placed him on Day 3 as a scheme-specific two-gap 1-technique with special-teams jumbo-package value, and the flags — average get-off, no pass-rush plan, short chase range — were consistent across evaluators.
NFL fit — Bears. Chicago selected him at 250 as a developmental nose tackle behind the veteran interior rotation, and he carved out a legitimate rotational role early in his career on run-down snaps and jumbo short-yardage packages, later moving through Minnesota and other stops as an interior depth piece. His snaps were concentrated on early downs and goal-line work — the exact profile the pre-draft evaluation called for — and his ability to hold double teams gave the linebacker level clean run fits.
Retrospective. Tonga has sustained an NFL career as exactly what the board projected: a late Day-3 two-gap nose whose value is anchored to run-down snaps, short-yardage packages, and interior depth rather than three-down usage. Not a starter, not a bust — a fair floor outcome for a late-seventh-round pick, and a role player whose functional strength and gap discipline outlasted more athletic peers taken around him.