Max
Llewellyn.
Max
Llewellyn.
Iowa· 5'6"· 258 lb· 4.81s 40
R7 · #238 · Miami Dolphins"A technique-first, run-defending base end in the Carl Nassib mold: the hands, size and effort make him a reliable early-down rotation piece from day one, and his snap count will always be capped by a first step that does not scare NFL tackles."Pre-draft read
The strong-side end aligns opposite the tackle, utilizing timing and torque in hand usage. He leverages a long arm into the tackle's chest plate, following with a rip or cross chop as the opponent re-establishes his set. His straight-line approach and average get-off limit pure speed outside, with pressure often developing later in the down as the quarterback climbs the pocket. He collapses sets effectively from the B gap on stunts, converting speed to power with hard inside steps.
He excels against the run, stacking and shedding blockers with force. The end maintains outside leverage to keep his shoulder free and consistent pressure on the C gap. His over-the-top rush primarily wins through contact due to stiff ankle flexion at the apex. Effort and relentless chase are consistent aspects of his play.
One-gap 4-3 penetrating front that asks its defensive ends to two-gap on early downs and rush the passer on third down, leveraging their size and power to win the point of attack.
Year 1 depth on the strong side of the defensive line who can win on run downs, with a ceiling as a reliable early-down run defender who produces pressures with secondary moves and effort.
3-4 outside linebacker who is asked to rush from a two-point stance on passing downs, drop into coverage, or penetrate the B gap with speed.
Llewellyn projects as a scheme-specific strong-side defensive end who can win with power and effort in a heavy front, but his limited athletic traits will likely cap his upside as a pass rusher.
2026 NFL Draft Highlights: DL Max Llewellyn
Program-cut senior reel: long-arm conversions, the safety, and the backside chase that defines the profile.
Max Llewellyn (DE) - Full Iowa Highlights
Extended 2024-2025 cutup showing the rush plan against Big Ten tackles and the run-defense edge setting.
Film Breakdown: Max Llewellyn's Pass Rush Bag
All-22 breakdown of the counter package - long arm to cross chop, spin off the double, and the hand usage that got him drafted.
Llewellyn projects as a scheme-specific run-defending end, providing a physical presence in heavy fronts. His value stems from professional hand usage and high-effort play, rather than burst or bend. A team drafts a player with a documented habit of running to the ball on late downs and a clean medical history, who can anchor against the run early in his professional career. His 4.81 forty-yard dash time confirms his limited explosiveness.
He developed in Iowa's system for four years, accumulating 14.5 career sacks and 20.5 tackles for loss over 43 games. After a 2024 season with 8.0 TFL and 5.5 sacks as a situational rusher, he earned a starting role in 2025. In his only full season as a starter at 24 years old, he recorded 9.5 TFL, 6.5 sacks, and a team-leading eight quarterback pressures, earning honorable-mention All-Big Ten honors.
The key evaluation question for Llewellyn was whether one year of starting production, with a pass rush dependent on hand technique rather than quickness, would translate to the professional level. His testing numbers aligned with his tape, placing him in the late-round category for run-stuffing ends. The Miami Dolphins selected him with pick 238.
- 01
Elite run defense
consistently stacks, sheds, and squeezes the C gap with heavy hands, which secured early-down snaps.
- 02
Professional hand usage
employs a long-arm, cross chop, and rip with a clear plan, avoiding reliance on a single move.
- 03
Situational pressure
recorded 8.0 TFL and 5.5 sacks in 2024 as a third-string end, indicating efficient disruption per snap.
- 04
Ball production
his 10 career pass breakups, three forced fumbles, two recoveries, and a safety highlight effort and awareness.
- 05
NFL-ready frame
measures 6-5⅝ and 258 pounds, with the capacity to add 7 pounds without compromising his limited burst.
- 01
Average explosion
recorded a 4.81 forty, 1.64 ten-yard split, 32.5-inch vertical, and 9-7 broad, placing him in the lower tier of drafted edges.
- 02
Limited arm length
32¼-inch arms are short for his height, preventing the length advantage typically associated with a 6-5 frame.
- 03
Lack of bend
stiff ankles and hips restrict his ability to turn the corner, limiting him to a power rusher who wins through rather than around tackles.
- 04
Only one season as a starter
out of 43 career games, he started just 13, and this came in his age-24 season with limited developmental runway.
— — — positional median (p50)
- 40 yd
- 4.81sp50
- Vertical
- 32.5inp50
- Broad jump
- 115inp50
- Three-cone
- —s
- Shuttle
- —s
- Bench
- —rep
| Yr | Team | G | Tkl | Sk | Int | PD | FF |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Iowa | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2023 | Iowa | 14 | 13 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 2024 | Iowa | 13 | 22 | 5.5 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| 2025 | Iowa | 13 | 25 | 6 | 0 | 5 | 0 |
| Career | — | 44 | 63 | 14.5 | 0 | 9 | 0 |
A dash means the figure is not published by a source we trust — never a zero we invented.
Honors
- Honorable mention All-Big Ten, coaches (2025)
- Honorable mention All-Big Ten, media (2025)
- Iowa Hustle Award, defense (2025)
- Iowa Team Leader Award, defense (2021, redshirt year)
- 2026 NFL Scouting Combine invitee
- Team-leading eight quarterback pressures for Iowa (2025)
- Four-year letterwinner and member of Iowa's 2023 Big Ten Championship Game defense
- Des Moines Register Elite All-State, first-team all-state and academic all-state at Urbandale HS (2020)
The realistic path in this exact building: a late-round Big Ten end whose value is snap-count durability and heavy hands, who earns a rotation job on special teams and base downs first and expands from there.
The ceiling: a lightly regarded long end who wins with length and relentlessness, grows into a starting job by year three and turns into an eight-sack every-down player.
The floor: a productive college end whose average burst and average length cap him as a camp body who cannot separate himself on a crowded depth chart.
Everything above is the pre-draft evaluation. This section is what actually happened — updated year over year.
Miami spent pick 238 on a player whose entire NFL argument is contained in one season. Llewellyn came to Iowa as an in-state three-star, redshirted, and then spent three years as somebody else's backup - four games as a redshirt freshman, 14 as a situational rusher on the 2023 Big Ten championship defense, and 13 more in 2024 as the third end in the rotation.
That 2024 season is what put him on boards: 8.0 tackles for loss, 5.5 sacks and a safety without a single credited start, which is the sort of pressure-per-snap number that makes area scouts write a second report. When Iowa finally handed him the job in 2025 he did not spike, he consolidated - 13 starts, 9.5 tackles for loss, 6.5 sacks, a team-high eight pressures, five pass breakups and two forced fumbles, and honorable-mention All-Big Ten from both the coaches and the media.
The value is real and it is narrow. Iowa's defense allowed just 0.055 PPA per play with a 19.1 percent stuff rate and 2.82 line yards, and Llewellyn was a central reason the front held on standard downs, where the unit gave up minus 0.018 PPA. The same defense bled 0.226 PPA and 1.86 explosiveness on passing downs, and that is the honest read on him: he is a run-down edge whose rush is a plan rather than an athletic trait. The Combine confirmed it - 4.81 and a 1.64 split are late-round numbers, and the 32 1/4-inch arms take away the length excuse that tall ends usually get.
What Miami is buying is a 265-pound-capable base end with professional hands, five years of technique coaching, no injury history, no character questions and a documented habit of running to the ball on the twentieth snap of a drive. In a defense that has consistently found value in heavy, high-effort linemen, the path is a special-teams and base-down rotation job in year one and an every-down early-down role by year three if the counter package keeps growing. The ceiling is a Carl Granderson-style late bloomer; the floor is a camp body who cannot separate himself. At 238 that is exactly the right bet.