The 2026 NFL Draft is expected to be a big day for the Indiana Hoosiers. After sending a program record nine players to the NFL Combine in Indianapolis last month, Curt Cignetti's team is poised to have a monster weekend when the draft rolls around on April 23-25 in Pittsburgh.
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One player garnering plenty of hype during the pre-draft process is Hoosier CB D'Angelo Ponds. Ponds played a huge role in Indiana's National Championship-winning season in 2025, as he earned a First Team All-Big Ten selection for the second year in a row. With the honor, he became just the third Indiana defensive back to earn multiple first-team all-conference selections in program history.
As he continues preparing for the next level, Ponds is ranked among the best cornerbacks in the country. In Mel Kiper's latest NFL Draft positional rankings, Ponds comes in as the No. 6 cornerback on the board, and is projected as a late second round or early third round pick.
D'Angelo Ponds would make Seattle's elite defense even better
A few years ago, the Seattle Seahawks took Illinois CB Devon Witherspoon with the 5th overall selection in the 2023 NFL Draft. Witherspoon has developed into one of the top corners in the league, and is now a 3x Pro Bowler (2023-25) as well as a Second Team All-Pro in (2025). Ponds is drawing plenty of comparisons to Witherspoon, and pairing them together on the same defense could spell bad news for the rest of the league.
Despite being relatively undersized at 5'9" and 170 pounds, Ponds has proven that he can shut town top-tier receiving talent in the Big Ten. This past season, he racked up 55 total tackles, nine pass deflections and three interceptions. In his career, the Miami native ranks 4th nationally and leads the Big Ten in passes defended per game (0.93).
He was at his best when it mattered most, as he was named Defensive MVP of both the Rose Bowl and Peach Bowl during IU's historic title run. In the title game against Miami, was the highest-graded player on the field by PFF (88.7), as he allowed just one catch for four yards on six targets and forced four incompletions.
D'ANGELO PONDS PICK SIX ON THE FIRST PLAY OF THE GAME 😱pic.twitter.com/aq2YspoDt5
— The Sporting News (@sportingnews) January 10, 2026
NFL Draft stock continues to rise for D'Angelo Ponds
Ponds' draft stock continued to rise with an impressive showing at the combine last month. While in Indianapolis, he posted an impressive 43.5-inch vertical jump, which was tied for 2nd among all participants this year and 4th in combine history among cornerbacks. Adding a player of his caliber to a defense that is already among the toughest in the NFL could make for an ideal fit.
This past season, the Seahawks allowed a league-best 17.2 points per game en route to winning a Super Bowl title. Head coach Mike Macdonald is a defensive coach, so it seems likely that he would want to bolster his defense through the draft as much as possible.
Seattle owns the final picks of the first two rounds (No. 32 and 64 overall). It wouldn't be surprising to see the Seahawks grab Ponds at one of those spots.