Grade
73.7S
7th Round - UDFA
2026 Draft Class
Tucker Large
Status
UDFAPhiladelphia Eagles Washington State
5'11"
183lbs
May 23, 2026
Executive Summary
Tucker Large is a versatile, instinctive defensive back whose man-coverage ability, physical mentality, and special-teams value give him a legitimate path to carving out an NFL role despite limited national attention.
Strengths
Coverage Ability, Versatility, and Ball Skills
Weaknesses
Angles, Frame, and Range
Full Scouting Report
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Game IQ / Play Recognition
Pros:
•Team captain and one of the leaders on that defense
•Reads through the line well and can track where the ball is
•Can read running lanes and fill the gap well
Cons:
•Can be a tad slow to react
Coverage Ability
Pros:
•Reads receivers' posture and route path very well
•Doesn’t bite on fakes
Trusted in man coverage a lot
•Good hand usage throughout the route to control or slow down the receiver
•Recovery speed is solid
•Very physical at the top of routes and during
•Very good in man coverage for a smaller-framed safety
Cons:
•Late to read a QB’s eyes to see the receiver and react to it simultaneously
•Flips his hips a little too early
•Waits too long to break on the ball in zone, specifically with underneath middle of the field routes
Range
Pros:
•Has very solid sideline-to-sideline speed
•Solid recovery speed
•Can play the center field role at an average level
Cons:
•Doesn’t possess elite speed
Tackling / Physicality
Pros:
•Plays with a chip on his shoulder
•Hits with really good pad level
•Brings physicality
•Tackling form is normally consistent
•Wraps ankles/legs well and gets a decent breakdown
•Works well, cleaning up any gang tackles and assisting
•Can meet the RB in the hole and make the play
•Got better as the season went on of tackling in open field
Cons:
•Hits with his head/eyes down way too much, which leads to complete whiffs
•Struggles to make tackles from an angle compared to a face-up one-on-one meeting
•Needs to shed blocks quicker
Angles / Pursuit
Pros:
•Really solid hustle when pursuing the ball
•Flows to the ball consistently
Cons:
•Doesn’t take good angles to the ball, leading to arm tackles that don’t have an effect because he doesn’t have much weight behind him
•Focuses too much on inside out leaving the outside very exposed, despite the fact that he is the last line of defense
•Overpursues the ball a lot, opening cut-back lanes and more whiffs
Athleticism / Frame
Pros:
•Has pretty average speed and explosiveness
•Decent agility and short-area quickness
Cons:
•Undersized weight-wise
•A little undersized height-wise, but it isn’t a major problem
Ball Skills
Pros:
•Attacks the ball at the highest point
•Gets pass breakups
•6 pass deflections as a safety is solid
•Had 3 interceptions in 2024
Cons:
•None
Versatility
Pros:
•Can man up and play press coverage
•Can play that robber role and be a box safety
•Has the ability to be the last line of defense and a single high safety
•Was a very solid punt returner at South Dakota State in 2023
Cons:
•Got taken out in heavy redzone sets
•Never saw him used in blitzes
Games Watched:
•Week 3 vs UNT, Week 4 vs WASH, Week 6 vs MISS, Week 10 vs LT
Ideal Situation:
•Tucker Large is a player I got to see in person and watched play a lot during his senior season. Large was one of my favorite players from the 2025 Cougs team. Large plays with a swagger and chip on his shoulder, which is something I always look for in defensive players. Large has many NFL traits the Philadelphia Eagles could use. Large’s overall man-to-man and zone coverage ability is currently ranking as the best in the 2026 safety class. That isn’t saying too much, as I have only now scouted three, but nonetheless, it is very solid. Washington State trusted him a lot in one-on-coverage, and he took that receiver out of the play pretty consistently. Tucker Large has a ton of versatility. Large lined up on the LOS in press coverage, outside the numbers and deep, as a robber in Cover 1, or as a single high safety. The only thing he didn’t do was blitz, or at least in the games I watched, he didn’t. Large also has tremendous ball skills from his time as a returner with South Dakota State. He tracks the ball and breaks on it well in man coverage. Large had 6 pass deflections in the 2025 season and should’ve had an interception off of a 2026 top NFL prospect in Trinidad Chambliss, but a penalty unrelated to the play negated it. Large also had 3 interceptions with the Jackrabbits in 2024 and 4 in 2023. Now, Tucker Large, despite being an underrated UDFA signing by the Eagles in my opinion, does have some weaknesses to his game. Large’s range isn’t the greatest as a single-high safety; his pursuit angles are hard to watch at times, and his frame/athleticism doesn’t wow you. Large too often took bad angles to the ball or overpursued it, which left him in a bad spot to make a tackle. Another overall negative to his game was his tackling mechanics. For the most part, they are solid, but he ducks his head down way too much. This leads to whiffs, bad arm tackles, or falling off the ball carrier. Another current problem is that Large has a really big leg injury that I have been unable to find out exactly what it is. Large is expected to miss the first four games of the 2026 regular season for the Eagles and all of training camp. Large is an older prospect at the time of writing; he is 24, which will slightly limit his ceiling. Large projects to me as a good special teams player. Large can return and would make a good gunner in kickoff. Large, I think, could eventually become the second string SS behind Marcus Epps this season, but for now will most likely be a 3rd or 4th string SS, and possibly a practice squad player. Personally, I think that doesn’t do him justice, and if he hadn’t had that leg injury against Utah State in the Potato Bowl, he would have been a 6th- or 7th-round pick.
Disclaimer: All evaluations and opinions on DiamondProspects are solely my own and do not represent Washington State University or Washington State Football.
Ratings:
•Game IQ / Play Recognition – 7.2/10
•Coverage Ability – 8.2/10
•Range – 7.2/10
•Tackling / Physicality – 7.7/10
•Angles / Pursuit – 5.5/10
•Athleticism / Frame – 6.4/10
•Ball Skills – 8.5/10
•Versatility – 9.0/10
Total = 73.7/100 (D-) Early 4th or Mid 4th
I am an Assistant in Player Personnel/Scouting for Washington State Football with over six years of experience scouting NFL prospects and evaluating talent. I previously covered high school baseball as a writer for NMPreps and now run DiamondProspects, where I publish scouting reports, prospect evaluations, and draft analysis. I am currently a junior pursuing a degree in Sports Management and am originally from Albuquerque, New Mexico.
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