With each name that was coming off the 2025 NFL Draft board in each round, it was one less spot for a talented Virginia Tech football defensive tackle. Aeneas Peebles was seen as a Day 3 pick in most mock drafts leading into the draft in Green Bay this weekend, but it was eye-opening that as the picks went above 200 that he was still not picked.
That changed and it changed quickly for a pair of former Hokies. After the Philadelphia Eagles took edge Antwaun Powell-Ryland at No. 209, one pick later, the Baltimore Ravens grabbed Peebles, making it two straight Virginia Tech players picked in the sixth round.
Baltimore Ravens get former Virginia Tech defensive tackle Aeneas Peebles in the sixth round of the 2025 NFL Draft
During the 2023 winter transfer portal, Peebles put his name in and made the move from Duke to Virginia Tech to remain in the ACC. The 6-foot-1, 282-pound Virginia native received a score of 89.1 by PFF, one of the highest numbers in the country, and he had a 91.2 pass rush grade.
Like Powell-Ryland, Peebles was a first-team All-ACC selection in 2024 and impressed at the NFL Combine with a 40-yard dash time of 4.94 seconds and 4.7 second 20-yard shuttle. He was projected as a fifth or sixth round pick and that's where he went.
In his college career between Duke and Virginia Tech, Peebles had 118 tackles, 21 for a loss, and 11.5 sacks, while forcing two fumbles. Going to the Ravens is a landing spot where he can excel in a system that will fit him in a very tough AFC North with the Cleveland Browns, Cincinnati Bengals, and Pittsburgh Steelers.