Minnesota DT Deven Eastern lone Gopher invited to the NFL combine
Minnesota defensive tackle Deven Eastern is the lone Golden Gopher headed to this year’s NFL Combine.
The full list for this month’s NFL Combine was released on Wednesday, and after an impressive week at the 2026 Panini Senior Bowl last month in Mobile, Alabama, Eastern was invited to participate at the combine in Indianapolis later this month.
This fall, the Shakopee, Minnesota native recorded 38 takcles including 18 tackles for the Golden Gophers, while totaling five tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks. He also recorded one pass breakup and one forced fumble while earning All-Big Ten Honorable Mention at the end of the season.
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Over the course of his career with the Golden Gophers, Eastern played in 45 games, including 39 starts, totaling 97 tackles, 12.0 tackles for loss, and 4.5 sacks.
Eastern was a Rivals Industry Ranking four-star prospect as part of the 2020 recruiting class for the Golden Gophers. He was ranked as the No. 210 player in the country, the No. 21 defensive lineman, and the third-best player in the state of Minnesota.
Notably, On3 ranked Eastern higher than any other ranking outlet, ranking him 158th nationally and the No. 16 defensive lineman in the country.
Eastern is notably currently ranked as the No. 229 player available on the Pro Football Focus Draft Board for this year’s draft, which makes him the 20th-ranked interior defender available in this year’s draft.
