CLEMSON – After six total years of college football, Demonte Capehard is healthy, hungry, and hopeful ahead of the 2026 NFL Draft.

In the pre-Draft process, the defensive lineman made waves by posting a 4.85-second 40-yard dash time, the fourth-fastest in his position in Indianapolis. At Clemson’s Pro Day a few weeks later, he notched a 1.72-second 10-yard dash and 33.5-inch vertical jump. After years of dealing with nagging injuries, Capehart feels he showed NFL scouts the athleticism he can bring to a team.

“I think I showed them that I’m more mobile,” Capehart said after Clemson’s Pro Day in March. “I can move. I’m not just a nose tackle. I think I can play the whole line is what I feel like I showcased today and throughout the combine, so that’s one of the main things I think I put on display.”

Starting in his true freshman season in 2020, Capehart quickly made his presence known to opposing offenses. The Hartsville, S.C., native notched two tackles for loss, including a sack, in four appearances as a rookie. Five seasons later, he left Clemson credited with 72 total tackles, five pass breakups, three sacks, and 13.5 tackles for loss. 

With extensive footage of his game available to scouts, Capehart believes his quick hands and physicality stand out.

“I do think that (violent hands) was the best part of my game, but I also think I have a ceiling that I haven’t reached yet,” he said. “I think when they obviously turn on the tape they see how valid I am and what tools I have to work with.”

In 2024, Capehart, nicknamed “Cuddie” to friends and coaches, suffered an ankle injury that sidelined the lineman for three games, and hindered him for many more than was advertised at the time. Capehart told media members that during his recovery, he weighed around 330 pounds. Just 18 months later, at Clemson’s Pro Day, he weighed in at 312, his lightest since before the 2023 season.

Standing 6-foot-5, Capehart credited this transformation to consistency.

“I think determination and knowing what you want and just having fun,” he said. “I think sometimes guys get caught up in being like bounded down with so much to do trying to build a routine. Once you figure your routine out, I think you’ll make yourself a whole lot smoother through the process. So, sticking to the routine is one of the biggest things I’d say.”

Along with losing injury weight, Capehart has focused on his mobility this offseason, to showcase to scouts that he can play any position on the defensive line. He called this his “biggest goal” in the pre-draft process. To achieve this mobility, he focused on improving his “bend.”

“Just like anybody else, I’ve been training hard, just being able to be a little bit more mobile,” he said. “Me personally, I’ve been trying to work on my bending, because being a three-hundred-pounder ain’t always easy to bend. But you know, you got to get better and better. So that’s one thing I thought I would do today.” 

After years of physical therapy sessions, exhausting summer practices, and 57 games played, Capehart finds himself preparing for a career and a moment he thought about since playing little league football three hours east of Clemson.

The veteran does not take this position for granted. 

“When I first touched down in Indianapolis, I was talking to my agent and he said, ‘Bro, don’t make it no bigger than what it is, It’s just what you’ve dreamed about,’” Capehart said, reflecting on the NFL Combine. “So I think that it’s clear of a guy making a dream come true, chasing his dream to the fullest. Still chasing dreams so forth and so far along beyond Clemson.”

Despite talking to several teams following the combine, Capehart does not have his heart set, or in his words, he has not “caught feelings,” for just one team. The goal, above all, is to hear his name called on Draft Day to any team that is excited to have him.

It does not hurt that he ran a 4.85 in the 40-yard dash, the fourth best time for a defensive tackle at the combine. He also did well in several other drills at the combine.

The 23-year-old will get his chance on April 23-25, when the NFL Draft, a three-day event, will be held in Pittsburgh, Penn.