Linebackers have never gotten a lot of respect at the draft from NFL, especially early in the first round and that isn’t likely to change this year. However, there are a number of very good prospects with at least some late opening round potential including Noah Sewell of Oregon, Clemson’s Trent Simpson and Henry To’o To’o of Alabama. Sewell, the younger brother of OT Penei Sewell, the 7th player selected at the 2021 draft, is a throwback 250-pounder who attacks the line of scrimmage and takes no prisoners when he gets there. In contrast, Simpson and To’o To’o are more in the 230-pound range with speed, quickness and great instincts.
There is also a solid group of second-tier LB prospects, although most likely will have to wait until later on the second-day to get a call. This group includes Jack Campbell of Iowa, Owen Pappoe of Auburn, Tyler Grubbs of Louisiana Tech, Mikel Jones of Syracuse, Mohamoud Diabate of Utah and Oregon’s Justin Flowe. In fact, while it lacks the pure upfront talent, there is considerable depth at LB this year for teams looking for some rotational depth and special teams potential at the position.
Note that we included a number of players nominally listed as OLBs on their respective team roster among the DE/ERs in our preview series. In fact, it’s a hard position to categorize. What we chose to do in the end was rank them where they are expected to play when their team lines up in 4-2 alignment, i.e. do they move up to play with a hand in the dirt at DE or do slide over into the middle. In the latter case they are included among the LBs.
Top 25 LBs for 2023
April 18, 2023 4:38 PM
| # | Player | HT/WT | 40X | College | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Trent Simpson | 6-2.5, 235 | 4.43c | Clemson | OLB | |
| Drew Sanders | 6-4.5, 235 | 4.70 | Arkansas | ER | |
| Jack Campbell | 6-4.5, 250 | 4.65c | Iowa | ||
| Daiyan Henley | 6-0.5, 225 | 4.55c | Washington State | OLB | |
| Dorian Williams | 6-1, 228 | 4.49c | Tulane | ||
| Noah Sewell | 6-1.5, 245 | 4.65c | Oregon | ||
| Owen Pappoe | 6-0, 225 | 4.39c | Auburn | ||
| Henry To'oTo'o | 6-1, 227 | 4.62c | Alabama | ||
| Nick Herbig | 6-2, 240 | 4.65c | Wisconsin | OLB | |
| DeMarvion Overshown | 6-2.5, 230 | 4.56c | Texas | OLB | |
| Jeremy Banks | 6-0.5, 232 | 4.53c | Tennessee | ||
| Dee Winters | 5-11, 227 | 4.49c | TCU | ||
| Cam Jones | 6-1, 226 | 4.70c | Indiana | ||
| Mohamoud Diabate | 6-3, 225 | 4.55 | Utah | ||
| Shaka Heyward | 6-2, 235 | 4.53c | Duke | ||
| Ivan Pace | 5-10.5, 230 | 4.65 | Cincinnati | ||
| Drake Thomas | 6-0, 230 | 4.70 | North Carolina State | ||
| Noah Taylor | 6-5, 240 | 4.75 | North Carolina | ||
| Anfernee Orji | 6-1, 230 | 4.55c | Vanderbilt | ||
| Robert Beal | 6-2, 255 | 4.70 | Georgia | OLB | |
| Isaiah Land | 6-4, 225 | 4.65 | Florida A&M | ER | |
| Ventrell Miller | 6-0, 232 | 4.70 | Florida | ||
| Troy Brown | 6-1, 220 | 4.70 | Central Michigan | ||
| Eku Leota | 6-3, 252 | 4.85 | Auburn | ||
| Charlie Thomas | 6-3, 216 | 4.52c | Georgia Tech | OLB | |
| SirVocea Dennis | 6-0.5, 226 | 4.65p | Pittsburgh | ||
| Ben VanSumaren | 6-1, 237 | 4.45p | Michigan State | ||
| Kyle Soelle | 6-2, 235 | 4.70 | Arizona State | ||
| Mikel Jones | 6-1, 225 | 4.55 | Syracuse | ||
| Aubrey Miller | 6-2, 225 | 4.75 | Jackson State | ||
| Micah Baskerville | 6-0.5, 221 | 4.75 | LSU | ||
| Ben Bywater | 6-3, 230 | 4.70 | BYU | ||
| Jalen Graham | 6-1.5, 221 | 4.65c | Purdue | ||
| Tyler Grubbs | 6-1, 225 | 4.65 | Louisiana Tech | ||
| Merlin Robertson | 6-3, 240 | 4.65 | Arizona State | OLB | |
| Seth Benson | 6-0, 235 | 4.70 | Iowa | ||
| Khari Coleman | 6-2, 225 | 4.65 | Mississippi | OLB | |
| Dillon Doyle | 6-2, 240 | 4.70 | Baylor | ||
| JD Bertrand | 6-1, 230 | 4.70 | Notre Dame | ||
| O'Rien Vance | 6-2, 255 | 4.80 | Iowa State | ||
| Deshawn Pace | 6-2, 220 | 4.65 | Cincinnati | ||
| Jordan Wright | 6-4, 235 | 4.75 | Kentucky | OLB | |
| Easton Gibbs | 6-2, 230 | 4.75 | Wyoming | ||
| Darius Muasau | 6-1, 230 | 4.75 | UCLA | ||
| JJ Weaver | 6-4, 245 | 4.80 | Kentucky | OLB | |
| Patrick O'Connell | 6-2, 225 | 4.80 | Montana | OLB | |
| Stefon Thompson | 6-1, 235 | 4.70 | Syracuse | OLB, X | |
| Edgerrin Cooper | 6-2, 225 | 4.70 | Texas A&M | ||
| Jackson Mitchell | 6-2, 230 | 4.80 | UConn | ||
| Johnny Buchanon | 6-0, 230 | 4.85 | Delaware | ||
| Curtis Jacobs | 6-1, 230 | 4.75 | Penn State | ||
| Ryan Greenhagen | 6-1, 245 | 4.80 | Fordham | X | |
| Carlton Martial | 5-9, 210 | 4.65 | Troy | ||
| Bumper Pool | 6-2, 235 | 4.85 | Arkansas | OLB | |
| Monte Pottebaum | 6-1, 245 | 4.75 | Iowa | FB | |
| Cody Simon | 6-2, 240 | 4.85 | Ohio State | ||
| Stone Snyder | 6-3, 240 | 4.75 | VMI |
* e indicates estimated time; c indicates combine; p indicates pro day time
** X indicates player has an injury or illness issue; XX indicates serious injury or illness that could impact draft status; XXX indicates injury or illness that could be career threatening; O indicates off-field issue
