Kevin O’Connor is Duke’s rising edge with room to bloom
In the 2026 season, Duke’s Kevin O’Connor is emerging as a useful, high-motor rotational DE: he’s 6-4, 245, has 19 career tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss, 0.5 sacks, four QB pressures, and played 532 snaps across 27 games, including a career-high five tackles and a TFL in the 2025 Sun Bowl[1]. He fits a team that wants a versatile, experienced defender with academic discipline, special-teams value, and a steadily expanding role; the upside is more than the box score, but the current calling card is reliability, length, and upward momentum[1][11].
