1. Arvell Reese
Ohio State • Junior • 6’4 • 240
All eyes were on the Styles brothers this year at the start of the season for Ohio State. But at the linebacker position, the attention immediately shifted from day one after Arvell Reese dominated in their first game against Texas. He was all over the field in the pass game, making an impact in the run game, in coverage, and in the gaps against the run, and was especially effective as a QB spy across from Arch Manning. Reese played some significant minutes in 2024, but this year has exploded onto the scene, with 20 tackles in just his first three games. He has explosiveness, speed, size, power, and everything that you really would look for out of a linebacker at the NFL level. If he can continue the pace that he’s on this year, he will be a top pick in this year’s draft.
2. Anthony Hill
Texas • Junior • 6’3 • 240
Last year’s linebacker class was powerful, but I genuinely believe that Hill would have been the No. 1 linebacker in that class with his unique athletic skill set and feel for the game. Hill was a five-star recruit out of high school and was considered a top 20 player in the nation. He made a massive impact from day one for the Longhorns and proved to be one of the best freshmen in the country. Hill has absolutely everything that you should be looking for in a draft prospect at the linebacker position. He has size and length, as well as discipline to hold up in the run and pass game effectively. Hill keeps his eyes in the backfield and has an excellent feel for the game, and is always around the ball. A sideline-to-sideline tackler, Hill is very rangy and is also skilled in pass coverage. You will struggle to find anything Hill can’t do on film, and his skill set should make him a top 10 pick in the draft.
3. Sonny Styles
Ohio State • Senior • 6’4 • 235
Sonny Styles is the younger of the two Styles brothers on the Ohio State defense. Sonny is bigger than his brother, Lorenzo, and plays more of a hybrid safety-linebacker role. It is hard to project where Sonny will play in the NFL, as he clearly has the size and length to play LB or safety, but his movement skills are hard to place. He is clearly best playing in the box, and he doesn’t have great range to cover over the top at a high level. But he also is not the most physical guy and can struggle to get off blocks and hit hard as a tackler. Styles can wrap up well and has a good feel for the game to make plays sideline to sideline, and I think he is best suited to be an LB in the NFL. If he can play a little lower and do a better job accepting contact, he could be one of the best linebackers to come out of this draft.
4. Harold Perkins
LSU • Senior • 6’1 • 220
Perkins flew onto the scene in his freshman year when he dominated SEC tackles very early in his career. When watching the LSU defense in 2023, you could always spot the three interior guys they sent to the NFL, and your eye always flew to Perkins. Some people dropped Perkins after he slowed down a bit after his sophomore year, but this is something you would expect after how dominating he was as a freshman. Perkins was doubled and chipped consistently off the line of scrimmage. Perkins is small and will likely be limited to playing in a 3-4 as an OLB. But WOW is he quick, fast, explosive, twitchy — whatever you want. Perkins is an ATHLETE, and he can move. He has an elite first step and elite bend off the edge. I hate the way LSU used him, as he should be rushing the passer every down, but LSU used him as a WLB who would blitz often. He’s good in coverage, but he should rush the passer EVERY SNAP. Perkins is built like an RB, moves like a linebacker, and has the bend of an EDGE. Perkins also has a great mentality and loves to talk; he knows he’s good, and he will let you know. I love it. This might be the most I have ever written about a prospect, but I am this kid’s biggest fan, and he should be a star. I list Perkins as an LB because of his unique skill set and how LSU used him in the STAR role this season, but I think EDGE is more valuable, and teams will put him there more often. Perkins’s concern is his injury: he tore his ACL and missed all of 2024–25, which scares me a bit, especially given how vital his burst is for his size. But if he bounces back to 2023 form, he could be the best player in the class.
5. CJ Allen
Georgia • Junior • 6’1 • 235
When I look at linebackers, I look for three things: traits, consistency, and versatility. Allen is only average in size, but his speed and quickness are impressive, allowing him to make plays all over the field. When you watch Georgia’s defense, Allen is easy to find and is all over the film, making an impact on nearly every play. As a run defender, he is elite, getting into the backfield to get TFLs, and also uses his burst to blow up blocks and close gaps. He is a skilled tackler and is incredibly good at stopping outside zone concepts sideline to sideline. In the pass game, Allen is disciplined, sticking to his zone and handing off coverage without abandoning his assignment. My biggest gripes with Allen come in man coverage, where he can get overzealous, looking to make a big play, but can be burned by faster running backs or tight ends. He is plenty physical, but improving his ability to stick to a receiver’s hip will make him more valuable in the pass game.
6. Kaleb Elarms-Orr
TCU • Senior • 6’2 • 235
Let me tell you right away, KEO will sit near the top of my guys list for the rest of the season. He dominated as a freshman at Cal, and when he transferred to a bigger program, he struggled to really find his role with the Horned Frogs. This year, TCU cracked the code and KEO was one of the very best defensive players in the nation, logging a whopping 130 tackles on the year. He may be the best sideline-to-sideline tackler in this year’s draft and I have loved what I have seen on tape this season from KEO. In pass coverage, that is where KEO has a bit of room to improve, but he surely has the undeniable skills to be a quality pass defender and his ability to rush the passer off the edge or through gaps is simply incredible. In my opinion, KEO could fit any scheme, but I think ideally he will play in a nickel-heavy defense because of his athletic ability and range to make plays. He is a day one starter in the NFL and if he slips past day two he will be the steal of the draft.
7. Jacob Rodriguez
Texas Tech • Senior • 6’0 • 230
Rodriguez is everything that you expect to see from a Big 12 middle linebacker. He has great range and an innate ability to get downhill and attack the ball in the run game. He does a good job commanding the defense and consistently making his presence felt around the ball. He’s disciplined in his location on the field, both in his own coverage and when hitting run lanes, but can struggle due to size in man coverage. A lack of length may limit his ability to wrap up in the NFL, and bigger running backs may be able to beat him with stiff arms and bounce cuts. In a 3-4 defense, Rodriguez feels like the perfect fit as an inside linebacker with the range to make an impact in both the run and pass games. He will need to improve his ability to match up with tight ends to find significant playing time in the NFL, but there’s a low ceiling and a high floor for Rodriguez professionally.
8. Kendal Daniels
Oklahoma • Senior • 6’4 • 240
Daniels is one of my favorite linebackers in this year’s draft, and he has been flying under the radar since his transfer to Oklahoma this offseason. Before transferring to Norman, Daniels played the beginning of his career at Oklahoma State, where he had a very successful career as one of the best linebackers in the Big 12. Now at Oklahoma, Brent Venables has leaned on him to be the anchor for one of the best defenses in college football. Daniels has excellent athletic ability for a player of his size and is someone you will see around the ball for almost every play. He is a great tackler in space and is also not afraid to come up and lay the hammer, delivering several big hits on running backs and receivers. He is solid in pass coverage but is an excellent blitzer who can rush up the middle or off the edge sparingly. Sometimes, Daniels can struggle to take the right angles on tackles, but that will improve with time and his athletic ability.
9. Red Murdock
Buffalo • Senior • 6’3 • 240
Murdock reminds me a ton of current Chiefs middle linebacker Nick Bolton with his incredible tackling skills and reckless abandon all over the field. Murdock had a whopping 156 tackles in 2024 and has already surpassed 100 again this year, leading the nation. His ability to consistently make plays on the ball is impressive, and there may not be a better pure tackler in this year’s class. As a run defender, Murdock excites me, and he may be one of the best linebackers in the nation against the run. He can struggle at times with discipline in his gaps and can get caught with his eyes in the wrong place in the pass game. But his athletic ability is evident, and having a player who is all over the field and can produce the volume of tackles Murdock has is valuable. Despite concerns about playing at a small school, I expect him to be an early Day 3 pick, and if his skills translate, he will be a high-level inside NFL linebacker.
10. Josiah Trotter
Missouri • Sophomore • 6’2 • 240
A linebacker with the last name Trotter should immediately get your attention, and Josiah comes from a long line of NFL linebackers. His dad and brother, both named Jeremiah, have played for the Eagles in the NFL, and now Josiah will look to follow in their footsteps. Trotter is a very traditional linebacker with a big frame and a strong tackling skillset, and his ability to make hard hits is impressive. As a run defender, Trotter is one of the best in the draft and his ability to bring ball carriers to the ground stands out. He is not the fastest guy, but he is well disciplined in zone coverage and does a great job handing off coverages and picking up receivers across the middle of the field. Trotter is the type of guy that is everywhere and nowhere at the same time, and scouts are very impressed by his ability to keep up at both levels of the game. People have some concerns about the lack of intangible traits, but Trotter has the instincts and skills to be a very successful 3-4 inside linebacker in the NFL.
11. Jake Golday
Cincinnati • Senior • 6’4 • 235
Golday is one of the most underrated recruits in the nation and is a player many people will get to know after the combine. He is a big guy with a long frame and a ton of power as both a tackler and a pass rusher. He is versatile, and Cincinnati has lined him up in several different roles along its defense. This versatility is something I really like to see from linebackers, especially in the modern NFL, where loading the box and giving the quarterback different looks is valuable. Golday is a good pass rusher off the edge, but is most well known for his pure athletic ability. He has good speed and strength, which give him range and the ability to stick with tight ends and running backs in coverage, while also being a rangy tackler who can make plays all over the field. Golday projects more as a WILL linebacker, and his upside is high.
12. Taurean York
Texas A&M • Junior • 6’0 • 235
York was just a three-star recruit out of high school and was low on the radar of several top college programs, but received an offer from Texas A&M and committed there for 2023. Immediately, York made his presence felt in College Station and found a starting role in the middle of the defense the second he arrived. York is a relentless player who shows up on film all over the field in pass coverage and as a tackler, using his explosiveness and speed to make plays sideline to sideline. York has eyes in the backfield, is incredibly skilled at blowing up plays before they develop, and clearly has an incredible feel for the game. He is subpar in pass coverage, but he is an elite tackler, run defender, and blitzer, something that will make him very valuable in a 4-3 scheme in the NFL.
13. Deontae Lawson
Alabama • Senior • 6’2 • 220
Lawson was once one of seven five-star recruits in Alabama’s 2021 recruiting class and was seen as one of the top linebackers in the 2025 draft, but a torn ACL derailed the end of his season and he elected to return to school. Lawson is a linebacker with great length and what many would call the perfect frame for the position. Athletically, Lawson is gifted with great burst and top-end speed to hawk down runners in the open field. He has the potential to be great in pass coverage with his long arms and quality movement skills, but sometimes gets caught with his eyes in the backfield and can be taken out of his zone. He is solid in man coverage but needs to improve discipline flipping his hips in space. He is a great QB spy, and the biggest concern will be how he recovers from injury. If he looks like the athlete he was pre-injury, he could be an early draft pick.
14. Eric Gentry
USC • Senior • 6’7 • 220
Gentry is one of the most unique prospects to come out of college in several years. I have never seen a true off-ball linebacker with a 6’7 frame, making him a fascinating evaluation. While he is thin for the position, his movement skills are impressive, and his range helps in both run defense and pass coverage. His length allows him to take up massive space in zone coverage and make wrap-up tackles in open space. There will be concerns about his ability to get low against stronger backs, and teams may explore moving him to the edge, but he has shown enough success at linebacker to warrant serious consideration as a late-round pick.
15. Xavian Sorey Jr
Arkansas • Senior • 6’2 • 230
After three years with Georgia, Sorey Jr elected to hit the transfer portal in search of a bigger role and immediately made an impact at Arkansas, leading the team in tackles. He returned for his senior season and has continued to show elite sideline-to-sideline range with consistent tackling. He is an excellent run defender who wraps up well in the lane and forces offenses to run away from him. He struggles in the pass game with discipline, but has the athletic traits to improve. He is also a solid blitzer and can be used as a QB spy at times, giving him added value on passing downs and special teams.
