Using his rankings and PFF-exclusive stats, here are the 10 best linebacking corps in the country. Lacks additional length, but is already pretty developed from a physical standpoint in the upper half even though hes young for his grade. We have not seen him asked to drop back and cover as much so that is a part of his game that needs to be furthered evaluated although he looks like a good enough athlete to do that.. Simpson was right up there with those two His 82.9 run-defense grade since 2019 ranks fifth among active Power Five linebackers. Excellent in chase mode as he can get outside the hashes and hawk down ball carriers of all different sizes. Will need to cut down on the few mistakes he makes and keep mastering his craft, but should be viewed as one of the top backers in the class of 2023. Vast pursuit range. Carter picked Tennessee over a handful of other top programs that included Alabama, Ohio State, Auburn, Florida, Florida State, LSU, Michigan, Ole Miss, Oregon, Penn State and USC. Does not quit on plays. Might need a developmental year or two, but has the makeup of a future impact off-ball linebacker for a Power Five program. His 71.2 pass-rush grade since 2019 is a top-20 mark in the ACC. Clemson linebacker Jeremiah Trotter Jr. (54) and defensive end Regan Upshaw (53) tackle Syracuse receiver Trebor Pena (29) during the first quarter at the Carrier Dome in Syracuse, New York, Friday, October 15, 2021. He also only missed 4.9% of his tackle attempts last year, the fifth-lowest rate among Power Five linebackers. Understands how to stack and shed, and can do it at a high level. PFF's exclusive metrics provide matchup previews, position rankings, grades, and snap counts. Wilson piled up a league-best 133 tackles with 11 tackles for loss and four sacks. Will need to cut down on the few mistakes he makes and keep mastering his craft, but should be viewed as one of the top backers in the class of 2023. LSU is one of only four schools with multiple linebackers in. Our exclusive database, featuring the most in-depth collection of NCAA player performance data. Flowe is the second-highest-rated recruit in Oregon history, behind only. Has done nothing but produce since he was a freshman at one of the Sunshine States more tradition-rich high school programs totaling over 250 tackles, 12 sacks and 5 interceptions his first three years on varsity. Traits and pro-like mentality suggests that he can emerge as a trusted contributor for a Top 25 program and eventually an impact player. Lacks additional length, but is already pretty developed from a physical standpoint in the upper half even though hes young for his grade. Not only can break 11 seconds on the track in the 100-meter dash, but has also almost hit 23 MPH on the Catapult GPS system in pads. He returned to FSU but keeping tabs. Durable and reliable. Run it back! He was already a stud as the Pac-12 Freshman of the Year and a first-team all-conference selection in his second season, but I also love what he offers the NFL. Moses has the speed to scrape over the top of blockers and take away angles towards the sideline, limiting the amount of big plays against the Crimson Tide defense. He is really sudden in his movements when the ball gets to the edge and he quickly flashes against screen passes. Ivan Pace Jr. transfers in from Miami (Ohio) and is arguably the best linebacker in the country on passing downs. Highest graded Pac-12 Linebackers since 2019, 1 Devin Lloyd: 90.92 Edefuan Ulofoshio: 90.3 pic.twitter.com/CWUgdH16fH, PFF College (@PFF_College) June 17, 2022. Eichenberg was a PFF first-team All-American this past season and is the most valuable returning linebacker according to PFFs wins above average metric. Hes not quite there mentally, just being a step too late in his reactions at times, but hes the full package. . , the sophomore linebacker has lived up to his fathers name and then some. Defensive Captains with signal-calling experience are highly desirable for inside linebackers. Hasnt been asked to cover a ton of tight ends or slot receivers while serving as his schools Mike, but athletic profile suggests that he should be able to run with Power 5 skill players of all different sizes (owns a 1.69 10-yard split and a 4.49 short shuttle). The former top-40 recruit earned a 71.4 PFF grade across those snaps and was listed as Clemsons breakout player in PFFs College Football Preview Magazine. Naturally low center of gravity and impressive core balance allows him to change directions without wasting much, if any, motion. Productive two-way play who plays on edge of 3-4 defense. In coverage, he is primarily responsible for shallow zones, but I think he has become much more light on his feet in 2020, in terms of the ground he can cover, which has led to four INTs in seven games (including a pair of pick-sixes), but it also allows him to be more aggressive with shooting gaps, putting him at 7.5 TFLs already, including one for a safety against UCF. Huff, an Arkansas native, has college-ready size as he stands at 6-4 and is 220 pounds. If Ulofoshio was fully healthy, Washington would be higher on this list. Fluid in change of direction to drives on ball. Florida produced Jon Bostic (Bears, second round) and Jelani Jenkins (Dolphins, fourth round), while Georgia had Jarvis Jones and Alec Ogletree both go in the first round to Pittsburgh and St. Louis, respectively. Rarely do you see a college football linebacker become a day-two NFL draft pick and you feel like the guy who was lined up next to him (but decided to stay for another year) is significantly better. Curtis picked USC over a handful of other top programs that included Ohio State, Auburn, Clemson, Florida, Florida State, LSU, Michigan, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Ole Miss, Oregon, Penn State, Tennessee and Wisconsin. Also posted a 45-6 shot put PR during junior track and field season and played heavy minutes for his basketball team in Winter 2021-22. 6 overall), Kevin Minter (Cardinals, second round, No. this past season and is the most valuable returning linebacker according to PFFs, Dumas-Johnson is the next great Georgia linebacker, following past Bulldog greats such as. WebForty Time Secs 4.52 Player Summary Being the leader of the best defense in college football is enabling Nakobe Dean, to build a case for himself to be the first linebacker off #2 RANKED - SCOUTING REPORT 0 Devin Lloyd POSITION RANK #2 OUR RATING 89.9 OLB All Scouts Average Overall Rank 18.2 All Scouts Average Position Rank 1 Height Feet 6-3 * Pro Football Hall of Famer. Jaiden Ausberry University Lab (Baton Rouge, LA) CBS Sports is a registered trademark of CBS Broadcasting Inc. Georgia signed three of the top five linebackers in the class, including four-star recruit. Multi-year starter with possible early-impact ability for Top 20 program. . Power Rankings are PFFs NCAA power ratings based on weekly player grades in each facet of play. 6-2 / 232. Productive two-way play who plays on edge of 3-4 defense. Athleticism shows when dropping into coverage. Tone-setter for an FBS-loaded Texas 5A D-I state championship defense as a sophomore and perennially highly-ranked program over final two high school seasons. Still, remains at his best playing downhill.. But in Striker (6-0, 221), Bob Stoops has one of the best pass rushers in the country and a player who has enough athleticism that he's actually getting reps at nickelback (the corner spot, not the band). University of Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh, who has drawn the eye of a few NFL franchises, said he expects to coach the Wolverines in 2023. By: CollegeFootballNews.com, College Basketball Predictions. Rice is pretty fluid mover in coverage, who can run downfield with flexed out tight-ends and shut down throws into the flats. Perkins is Micah Parsons-esque in that he can play either linebacker or edge defender at a very high level. Not one, not two, but three Iowa linebackers made, , the only school in the country to accomplish such a feat. Has NFL draft potential. The No. Adequate in-space athleticism appeared to take the next step during senior campaign. Rather instinctive in the box as a run defender and is quick to read and react. Top 10 returning off-ball linebackers in college football Fisher plays with all-about from start to finish and been leading this Wildcat program ever since he stepped on that field. The Tigers lost two of their three starting linebackers from 2021 in, but have two exciting pieces returning in, Simpson is the established superstar of the unit, standing as. AND THE WINNER IS ???? Comfortable in space and owns valuable experience in both man and zone coverage, two things that he has further refined on the 7v7 circuit. With that being said, he needs to play with more extension working against blockers in the run game and there are question about this athleticism as to how it projects to the next level, as weve rarely seen him get tasked with man-coverage duty. This is the fifth in a series looking at the best positional tandems in college football in each conference, taking into account both college production and pro potential. Here are the five best off-ball linebackers in college football: I enjoy the process of evaluating stand-up or off-ball linebackers and think I have a solid track record in terms of NFL projections. Mike Jones Jr. rounds out the list at No. EDGE Position Preview: Can Michigans pass rush remain dominant in 2023? But UCF did a good job in the portal with this trio. Athletic, physical, violent off-ball linebacker who occasionally steps to the line of scrimmage. Athletic enough to compensate for occasional less-than-ideal angles. Stanford head coach David Shaw is stepping down after 12 seasons at the helm of the Cardinal program. The excitement about Alabama's Will Anderson Jr. is sky-high coming off his sensational 2021 campaign. 10. Brown will stay in the Pac-12 next year, as hes transferring to Arizona State. All hes done since then is earn a 94.9 career grade, best among FBS linebackers over the past five years. Player to watch. Tone-setter for an FBS-loaded Texas 5A D-I state championship defense as a sophomore and perennially highly-ranked program over final two high school seasons. Here are the top 10 linebackers returning to college football next season. Flowe is the second-highest-rated recruit in Oregon history, behind only Kayvon Thibodeaux, but hasnt been able to fully show what hes capable of. That dropped to 55.3 last year, which ranked 112th in the Power Five. Headlining Oregons unit is Justin Flowe and Noah Sewell, the top two linebacker recruits in the 2020 class. Has great play speed. Jones was the second-highest-graded linebacker in the ACC last season with a 75.6 mark. Isaiah Simmons Highlights (BEST LINEBACKER IN COLLEGE FOOTBALL) clemson lb highlights isaiah simmons. His 17 tackles for loss/no gain were fifth in that same group as well. Big 12 Picks, Lines For Saturday, February 25, College Basketball Predictions, Lines, How To Watch: Sunday, February 26, NCAA Tournament Bracket Projections, 68 Team Predictions, Bubble Teams February 27, AP Poll Top 25 Projection College Basketball Rankings Prediction Week 17, Coaches Poll Top 25 Projection College Basketball Rankings Prediction Week 17, Coaches Poll Top 25 College Basketball Rankings Week 17, AP Poll Top 25 College Basketball Rankings Week 17. Note: This ranking only includes off-ball linebackers. Sewell has lived up to the hype and is the No. His pass-rush win rate of 31.2% last season was pretty staggering. Watching for Jermaine Johnson (Florida State EDGE 11) but this rep from Amari Gainer (LB 33) caught my eye to start the game vs Clemson. Hes light on his feet to mirror the ball and navigate around blockers, but can also flatten and cut off angles as running backs commit to a gap. In the pass game, he has a safety-like skill-set, with a very natural ability to move any direction and take away throwing windows. The redshirt senior was especially stingy in coverage, picking off two passes and breaking up a couple more. Unlike a lot of college LBs nowadays, he can still take on and shed blockers coming right at him, thanks to his robust base. Ridiculously productive with 1,700 yards of total offense and 27 touchdowns and 40 tackles, including seven sacks. Projects as a high level multi-year starter at a Power Five program.. Perkins is. The West Virginia defense was a top unit in all of college football but they lost one of their top defenders in Tony Fields. Can re-direct and move along line of scrimmage. Ernest Hausmann, who transferred to Michigan after one season at Nebraska, was named to On3s recent Over the last three years, Fisher has started all 29 games and recorded 315 combined tackles, with 20 of them going for loss, nine forced fumbles and hes had an interception every season. Power Rankings are PFFs NCAA power ratings based on weekly player grades in each facet of play. 8 linebacker in college football for the 2022 season, PFF's fourth-best linebacker in the country entering the 2022 season. Tuakoi has sky-rocketed up the recruiting rankings going from an unranked prospect to a 4-star recruit on Rivals and the college offers have flooded in accordingly. Take a conference-by-conference look at college football's best linebacker tandems. NFL upside., Prototype size for a modern off-ball linebacker in the 6-foot-1, 215- to 220-pound range entering senior season. Please logout and login again. Power Rankings are PFFs NCAA power ratings based on weekly player grades in each facet of play. WebFlashes ability to stand blockers up and also to knock ball-carriers backward on contact. Already established as a hammer, showed violent striking ability during impressive senior season. He can line up at defensive end with his hand in the dirt or play stood up over the tackle. All hes done since then is earn a 94.9 career grade, best among FBS linebackers over the past five years. Might not be as long as schools want in an edge-rusher so he projects more as a traditional outside backer who can blitz off the edge when needed. Theyre the 15 linebackers in the transfer portal you need to know. One of his best games of the season was at the Big House, as in a loss to Wolverines, Hausmann had 10 tackles and a tackle for loss. The sophomore was one of three in the Power Five with 75-plus grades as a run-defender, pass-rusher and in coverage. The 2022 college football season has come and gone, and so has the deadline to enter the 2023 NFL Draft. WebDee Winters Highlightsbest linebacker college football nfl draft Texas is ranked behind Alabama and Georgia for the best recruiting class in the 247Sports rankings. Georgia signed three of the top five linebackers in the class, including four-star recruit Raylen Wilson. Tennessee has one of the top recruiting classes in the SEC. 8 linebacker in college football for the 2022 season. Not long but owns frame space to add mass, though not too much more is needed as a modern in-space defender. Dumas-Johnson is the next great Georgia linebacker, following past Bulldog greats such as Roquan Smith and Nakobe Dean. Hes actually on track for slightly better numbers this season. Owusu-Koramoah came in as a three-star safety recruit and he stills has that slim buld at 61, 215 pounds, as well as that kind of skill-set with freakish athletic ability. What's the book on the edge rusher heading into the '22 college football season? Also well-rounded basketball player. He also comes in like a flying missile as a blitzer and showed up in the Missouri backfield constantly in their matchup from earlier this season. Mandatory Credit: Brett Rojo-USA TODAY Sports. For the Tigers, Barkevious Mingo (Browns, first round, No. Last time a Big 12 linebacker duo was selected in the same draft: Not surprisingly, league powerhouses Texas and Oklahoma were the last to do it and managed to send a pair of linebackers to the NFL in the same 2012 draft. Based on a combination of the best players and wholl make the biggest splashes, heres our ranking of the top linebackers in the 2023 college football transfer Today it is the best pair of linebackers. Also posted a 45-6 shot put PR during junior track and field season and played heavy minutes for his basketball team in Winter 2021-22. Possesses the size to immediately give you snaps at the P5 level. Typically All Conference or minimum 1 Year Varsity Starter. Plays with a physicality beyond his current size. As we head toward the 2022 college football season, the Will Levis hype train is picking up steam. Possesses frame to add 20-25 pounds and not lose agility, speed or quickness. University of Oregon pass rusher Kayvon Thibodeaux has had his priorities as they relate to football questioned mightily during the pre-draft process, but the Ducks standout tells NFL Network's Cameron Wolfe it's a lot of misinformation he's ready to prove wrong beginning once he hears his name called in Thursday's first round of the 2022 NFL Draft. Unfortunately he doesnt always look super comfortable taking ball-carriers down in open space and his lack of length is a bit of an issue with blockers in his face, to go with been susceptible to getting sucked up by play-action. A face-up tackler with good leg drive that doesnt let many slip ball carriers out of his hands. Pursues downhill in the flat and chases plays down from behind. The junior has allowed only 172 receiving yards in that span, the fifth fewest for Power Five linebackers. Ford was an honorable mention All-American for PFF this season and a turnover machine for the Longhorns. Will need to adjust to the speed of big-time college football, but high football IQ combined with athletic profile (his 7.15 in the L-drill is one of the best in the 2023 class) suggests that he can eventually emerge as an impact player on Saturdays. He has a lot of quick-twitch in his game and shows both short area quickness and excellent closing speed. Picking up the slack is Pittsburgh transferCam Bright, whose 78.5 grade since 2019 ranks fifth among ACC linebackers. There is big-time buzz about Ohio State's C.J. The son of former All-Pro linebacker Jeremiah Trotter Sr., the sophomore linebacker has lived up to his fathers name and then some. Finished junior campaign with 150 tackles, five INTs, four sacks, and three defensive TDs. Conference USA: Marshall (Jermaine Holmes and Evan McKelvey). Drayk Bowen Andrean (Merrillville, IN) LB. Finally, Seth Benson looked strong in coverage last year with a 79.3 grade that ranked 11th in the Power Five. Willing to fight through double teams. Instinctual and plays at high rate of speed. Comfortable in zone coverage and is quick to anticipate throws. Has to develop strength throughout frame, and particularly in upper body. Likely to find plenty of success on Saturdays in an aggressive 3-4 front. Plays outside shoulder on the swing pass, creates good separation and delivers a nice tackle on the RB. Simpson has continued to excel under new DC Wes Goodwin, thanks to his athletic profile and the growth in play-recognition. 1 offensive tackle in the nation, according to On3s consensus ratings. Despite playing just two games. Jestin Jacobs got off to a hot start last year with an 82.4 overall grade through Week 4, third among Power Five linebackers. If you enjoyed this content, I would really appreciate if you could check out the original full piece - https://halilsrealfootballtalk.com/2020/12/12/top-five-college-players-at-every-position-defense-edition/, Be the first one to comment on this story. Pick-6 for Tommy Eichenberg. One of the more promising inside backer prospects to come out of the Sunshine State in recent years given how he moves and plays in the box. Not only can break 11 seconds on the track in the 100-meter dash, but has also almost hit 23 MPH on the Catapult GPS system in pads. He also made 13 coverage stops, which ranked in the top 25 for all linebackers in the country. The other three. Capable of consistent sideline-to-sideline pursuit with proven blitzing ability. Has some stack-and-shed ability but needs to continue to develop it. A meniscus injury ended his freshman campaign after just five snaps. Despite playing just two games, hes still a top-75 prospect on PFFs 2023 NFL Draft big board, which says a lot about his potential. Take a look at the top 10 players from Northwestern to play in the NFL. College Footballs 20 best linebackers of 2021 1. Already established as a hammer, showed violent striking ability during impressive senior season. Thumper vs. the run with chase-down athleticism from the back side. Stroud after his sensational first season as the Buckeyes' starter. 16. Excellent in chase mode as he can get outside the hashes and hawk down ball carriers of all different sizes. Ernest Hausmann, who transferred to Michigan after one season at Nebraska, was named to On3s recent top-10 Linebackers of 2023 list. Will eventually need to find better leverage and get adjusted to the speed of the college game, but should be viewed as one of the top linebackers in Florida for the 2023 recruiting cycle given how he moves and plays the game. CEDRIC GRAY???? Max Bullough, Michigan State 3. The top 15 signees are attending 11 different schools. Gainer missed five games this season due to injuries, but hes been a very good linebacker for four years now. Owns a rocked-up build at 6-foot, 205 pounds. Payton Wilson rounds out the unit after missing most of last season with a torn ACL. WebEthan Wesloski McKinney Boyd (McKinney, TX) LB. NFL+ gives you the freedom to watch LIVE out-of-market preseason games, LIVE local and primetime regular season and postseason games on your phone or tablet, the best NFL programming on-demand, and MORE! 79.3 grade that ranked 11th in the dirt or play stood up over the past years! Tackle on the RB stood up over the past Five years, sacks. 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