BLACKSBURG — Aeneas Peebles and Antwaun Powell-Ryland spent most of Wednesday’s pro day at Virginia Tech waiting for their opportunities to go through position drills. That meant there was a lot of time to nitpick every small detail in how they were going to attack those drills.
Defensive linemen Aeneas Peebles, left, and Antwaun Powell-Ryland talk before they begin position drills during Wednesday’s Virginia Tech Pro Day in the Beamer-Lawson Practice Facility in Blacksburg.
They broke down how they approached the drills at the NFL scouting combine and the feedback they received from the scouts in attendance. They even recalled what they learned from working out with Pete Bommarito in Florida and at their respective trips to the East-West Shrine Bowl (Powell-Ryland) and the Senior Bowl (Peebles).
While the process to the NFL Draft is about the individual, the two defensive linemen wanted to ensure that the other and their teammates at pro day had the tools to make an impression.
“It was great. It was great being with those guys, just continuing the Hokie tradition, just going on down there, working out together, pushing each other,” Peebles said. “I enjoyed every bit of it.”
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Peebles and Powell-Ryland are known defensive line commodities heading into the NFL Draft. When they weren’t talking to one another during pro day, they were giving pointers to fellow defensive linemen Josh Fuga, Cole Nelson and Wilfried Pene as they went through tests and drills.
Peebles participated in the bench press and Powell-Ryland did the vertical leap at pro day, and they stayed close to their teammates for the other drills.
“Being able to do this with my teammates is great. We didn’t have the season we wanted, but being able to go out here and chase our dreams, that’s what we wanted,” Powell-Ryland said. “That’s what we wanted all along. Just being able to go out there and cheer them on, because not a lot of people get a chance to do that.”
Powell-Ryland and Peebles were dominant forces on the Hokies’ defensive line in 2024, and their on-field production has resulted in interest from NFL franchises.
Both said they have spoken with all 32 NFL teams between their senior showcases and the scouting combine, and they said the feedback they received was positive.
The 6-foot-3, 258-pound Powell-Ryland said teams are looking at him as an edge pass rusher. He primarily lined up as a defensive end at Virginia Tech after working as an outside linebacker at Florida.
“They project me as an edge rusher. I haven’t gotten any linebacker interviews or anything like that,” Powell-Ryland said. “They see me as an edge rusher. As far as the teams that I’ve spoken with, more of a designated pass rusher type of deal. Of course I can work my way up. For the start of it, that’s it.”
The scheme with the Hokies allowed Powell-Ryland to flourish. He finished third in the nation with 16 sacks after totaling 9.5 sacks in 2023, and he was runner-up to Boston College’s Donovan Ezeiruaku in voting for 2024 ACC defensive player of the year.
Virginia Tech defensive lineman Antwaun Powell-Ryland runs a drill at the NFL scouting combine in Indianapolis on Feb. 27.
Peebles joined Powell-Ryland as the only Tech players to start every regular-season game on the defensive line in 2024. The Duke transfer was one of Pro Football Focus’ highest-rated defensive tackles with an overall grade of 89.1 thanks to his ability to consistently win his one-on-one battles and create pressure up the middle that allowed Powell-Ryland to record sacks.
“I think of myself as the best pass-rushing defensive tackle in this draft class,” Peebles said. “I hope throughout this whole draft process I’ve shown that.”
The 6-foot, 282-pound Peebles was the shortest defensive tackle at the scouting combine, but the scouts looked back at his Senior Bowl practices and saw he routinely was winning one-on-one battles against bigger offensive guards and centers.
“They’re just wanting to see me do more,” Peebles said. “They’re just continuing to ask me different questions about my game, testing my football intelligence, asking me questions about myself on film, things they like, things I don’t like. It’s just been all overall feedback. It’s been great, it’s been bad, it’s been amazing. The whole process is just something I’ve loved to have been a part of.”
Virginia Tech defensive lineman Aeneas Peebles runs a drill at the NFL scouting combine in Indianapolis on Feb. 27.
Both defensive linemen were named to the Associated Press All-America third team and were the first defensive players from Virginia Tech to receive All-America recognition from the AP since Tremaine Edmunds in 2017.
Edmunds was taken in the first round of the 2018 NFL Draft. Most projections don’t have Powell-Ryland and Peebles being selected that high, but they are excited for the potential of hearing their names called during next month’s draft.
“It’s a blessing. Not a lot of people get to do it. Not a lot of people even make it this far,” Powell-Ryland said. “So just being able to be one of the chosen few is enough for me. I’ve been working for it. It’s been on my mind this whole time. For me to be actually out here is definitely worth it.”
