JP Acosta of CBS Sports named Arizona defensive back Treydan Stukes in his article "2026 NFL Draft: Potential next A.J. Brown and 10 other undervalued prospects worthy of your attention." Acosta called Stukes one of the most impressive stories of this (2026) entire draft class.
Stukes finished his Arizona career with 206 tackles, 12.0 tackles for loss, 1.0 sack, seven interceptions and 29 passes defended during his five seasons with the Wildcats. At 6'2 and 200 pounds, Stukes has ideal size as an NFL DB.
Stukes is 62nd overall in the NFL Mock Draft Database Big Board. The Denver Broncos hold the 62nd pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. The Miami Dolphins are mentioned as a team with a need for a DB who could potentially draft Stukes on The NFL Mock Draft Database.
Led by Dalton Johnson, Genesis Smith and Stukes, Arizona was seventh nationally, allowing 165.3 passing yards per game and holding opponents to complete 54.0 percent of their pass attempts, led the nation with a 97.21 passer rating against and allowed nine touchdowns with 22 interceptions.
"Treydan Stukes is one of the more impressive stories of this entire draft class. Stukes walked on at Arizona in 2020, tore his ACL in 2024, and then in his final season turned in an impressive campaign as an AP third-team All-American with four interceptions and six PBUs. Stukes has the best ball skills of any safety in this class, matching his athleticism (4.33 40-yard dash, 38-inch vertical jump, 10'10" broad jump) with the intangibles that his experience gives him to make plays on the ball from the hashes or closer to the box."JP Acosta, CBS Sports
Stukes' best attributes
Acosta is sold on the versatility Stukes has. The ability for Stukes to play nickel and deep safety while standing out in both spots, playing in man coverage against slot receivers and making plays in the back of the defense impressed Acosta.
Acosta projected that Stukes could be drafted higher than a lot of people think due to how much defenses want to play light, have their slot defenders impact the run and match against power slots. Stukes is the only safety and one of two DBs with Georgia Tech cornerback Ahmari Harvey on Acosta's list.
Stukes' amazing ascension from a walk-on to a projected second-day selection in the 2026 NFL Draft has, as Acosta said, been one of the more impressive stories of this entire class. Johnson and Stukes were both named first-team All-Big XII and an All-American by multiple media outlets.
As Acosta mentioned, Stukes performed exceptionally well at the NFL Combine. Stukes has significantly improved his NFL Draft prospects since the end of the 2025 season. Perhaps no one has improved as a prospect from the beginning of their college career to the NFL Draft as Stukes has.