Draft-Week Buzz
No verified pre-draft news items in the past 30 days for this prospect. See Day 2/3 Team Fits below for projected landing spots and /news.html for the cross-prospect timeline.
Scouting Nugget: James Madison transfer
Expanded bio coming soon. This prospect is EDGE Rusher #24 in the 2026 class.
Background
Rutgers EDGE from Bristol (CT); James Madison transfer FCS-to-FBS riser.
College Production
2022-24 JMU: 20+ career sacks. 2025 Rutgers: 7 sacks Big Ten rotational.
Scouting Take
FCS-tested athletic profile with speed-to-power. Scheme-narrow fit as 3-4 OLB.
Draft Projection
UDFA. Designated pass-rush rotational.
Sources
Our scouting profile is assembled from these primary sources + cross-checked against ESPN (Kiper / Reid / Miller), PFF's 2026 Big Board, Dane Brugler's The Beast 2026, and Daniel Jeremiah's top-50. See our full methodology and citations.
Day 2 / Day 3 Team Fits
NFL teams that lost a same-position veteran this offseason — and could target Eric O'Neill as a Day 2/3 replacement option.
- VERIFIED Kansas City Chiefs: moved on from Michael Danna (speed-rusher) on 2026-02-23. [verified]
Picks held: R1 #9; R1 #29 via Los Angeles Rams; R2 #40 - REPORTED Miami Dolphins: moved on from Bradley Chubb (speed-rusher).
Picks held: R1 #11; R1 #30 via Denver; R2 #43 - REPORTED Green Bay Packers: moved on from Rashan Gary (power-rusher).
Picks held: R2 #52
Confidence: "VERIFIED" departures cite a publication URL (Spotrac, OverTheCap, ESPN, NFL.com, team transactions page) confirming the move and date. "REPORTED" entries come from public free-agency trackers without a single canonical source we could attach. Fits are archetype-and-position based; we are not claiming the team has expressed interest in the prospect.
NFL Scheme Fit
NFL Scheme Fit
- 3-4 OLB / sub-package speed rusher
Pittsburgh Steelers · Dallas Cowboys · Los Angeles Chargers · Houston Texans
Scheme matches are bucketed from the prospect's height, weight, and (for WRs) archetype tag against a static lookup of which NFL teams currently run each scheme family.
Rookie Contract & Landing-Spot Outlook
Projected Rookie Contract Value
~$0.84M base + bonus (1-yr) · Pick range: UDFA · ~0% guaranteed
UDFA 1-yr deal: $840K base + ~$10K-$25K signing bonus
Contract band uses the 2026 NFL CBA rookie wage scale projected from the prospect's expected pick range; guarantee % is the slot-default at that pick. Landing-spot best/worst case is derived from TEAMS data (positional needs + scheme overlap minus same-position R1 conflicts) — not a claim that either team has expressed interest.
Versatility, Limits & Roster Pathway
Position Versatility & Alternative Roles
- Stand-up OLB / 3-4 only — Sub-245 frame caps base-down 4-3 DE snaps; fits as a 3-4 OLB / sub-package speed rusher.
Biggest Limiting Trait MED
11th-percentile height for the position — Frame is among the smallest at the position in the 2026 class — scouts will flag matchup-specific exposure as the ceiling-cap.
Day-3 NFL Roster Pathway
Day 3 DL projection means rotational sub-package work and special-teams snaps are the realistic Year 1 role; pass-rush production carries the most weight.
Derived from height/weight against the 2026 position cohort and the prospect's projected round. Versatility callouts identify alternate alignments NFL teams have historically used for similar size profiles. Limiting-trait notes flag the single most-cited measurable concern; severity reflects how often that flag ends a Day 1 starter projection. Roster-pathway notes describe the realistic Year 1 NFL role for Day 3 picks.
By the Numbers — 2026 Class Context
- Frame: Among 2026 EDGE prospects, his 6-2 / 245 lbs frame sits at the 11th percentile in height and 19th percentile in weight.
- Position class: Eric O'Neill is EDGE #24 of 27 ranked EDGEs in the 2026 class. Of those, 8 are projected in the R7/UDFA range.
Computed factually from the 2026 prospect class roster — height/weight percentiles benchmark this player against every other ranked prospect at the same position. Recruiting arc compares his high-school 247Sports/Rivals composite to his current projected round.
Eric O'Neill’s NFL Archetype: Haason Reddick
Haason Reddick (Philadelphia Eagles)
Closest EDGE physical profile in the modern NFL: 6-2/245 lbs. Same frame, same role bucket — NOT a talent or career-arc projection.
Note: this is a physical-profile match — frame, position, role bucket. Not a talent or career-arc projection.
Similar EDGE Rusher Prospects
Closest matches to Eric O'Neill (6-2 / 245 lbs, #24 EDGE) by ranking proximity and physical profile. SIZE MATCH = within 1″ height and 10 lbs; TIER MATCH = within 2 ranking spots.
- Keyshawn James-NewbySIZE MATCH New Mexico · 6-2/240 lbs · #25 EDGE · UDFA
- Ben BellSIZE MATCH Virginia Tech · 6-2/250 lbs · #26 EDGE · UDFA
- Michael HeldmanSIZE MATCH Central Michigan · 6-3/255 lbs · #23 EDGE · R7-UDFA
- Vincent Anthony Jr.SIZE MATCH Duke · 6-3/250 lbs · #21 EDGE · R7
- Aidan HubbardSIZE MATCH Northwestern · 6-3/255 lbs · #27 EDGE · UDFA
Rutgers & The 2026 Class
Other R7-UDFA prospects in the 2026 class
Different positions, same projected draft tier as Eric O'Neill.
- Garrison Grimes · LS · BYU
- Luke Altmyer · QB · Illinois
- Davon Booth · RB · Mississippi State
- Caullin Lacy · WR · Louisville
- Dillon Bell · WR · Georgia
- Sage Surratt · WR · Wake Forest