Niki Prongos is an offensive tackle and 2026 NFL Draft prospect who played his final collegiate season at Stanford University after three seasons at UCLA. A native of Marin County, California, Prongos brings one of the most unconventional backgrounds in the 2026 class, having grown up playing baseball and basketball at a high level, including a stint representing Lithuania in a 2021 European Championship baseball qualifier, before putting on football pads for the first time as a senior in high school. He enrolled at UCLA in 2022 as an unranked walk-on, redshirted his first season, and broke into the starting lineup in 2024, starting eight games across three different positions including left tackle, right tackle, and right guard. He transferred to Stanford for his final season in 2025, where he started all 12 games at left tackle and posted a 75.4 pass-blocking grade from Pro Football Focus, ranking fourth among ACC starting left tackles, helping protect the blindside through a season in which Stanford's offense generated notable efficiency in the running game.
Standing 6 feet 7 inches and approximately 315 pounds with elite explosiveness and fluidity for his size, Prongos is among the most athletically intriguing offensive linemen in the draft despite entering the process with fewer than 25 total games of football experience across high school and college. His quick feet, smooth hip movement, and natural feel for leverage acquisition translate to a pass-protecting style that mirrors edge rushers with surprising ease, and his basketball and baseball background has given him the coordination and body control that typically take years of football development to build. The clear limitations in his profile stem from his limited experience, including underdeveloped functional strength against power rushers and some rawness in stunt pickup and technique refinement that will require investment from an NFL strength and development staff. He projects as a Day 3 developmental selection with a legitimate ceiling as a starting tackle given his rare athletic profile, and any team willing to invest time in his growth is acquiring one of the higher-upside offensive linemen in this class.
