Top 10 Linebacker Prospects in the 2026 NFL Draft
Last Updated: August 31, 2026 | Source: Consensus rankings from 9 outletsThe 2026 linebacker class is led by Sammy Brown, Chris Cole, Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa. Here's a breakdown of the top 10 prospects at the position, with scouting reports, measurables, and projected draft range.
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1. Sammy Brown — Clemson
Consensus Rank: #39 overall | Projection: Second round | Measurables: 6-2, 235 lbs, 4.45s 40Sammy Brown is a downhill box linebacker who arrived at Clemson as the 2023 High School Butkus Award winner and a consensus five-star, and he has played up to the billing. He claimed ACC Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2024 with 87 tackles, 11. 5 TFL and five sacks in just 444 snaps, then backed it up in 2025 with a team-high 107 tackles, 13.
Strengths: Elite production for a true freshman and sophomore: 194 tackles, 25.0 TFL and 10.0 sacks across 27 games ... one of only three Clemson players ever (with Clellin Ferrell, T.J. Parker) to hit 10 TFL and five sacks in both freshman and sophomore years ... ACC Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2024 Concerns: Coverage is the clear developmental area, with PFF grading him 61.8 in that phase and coverage scores grading out to just 58 percent ... can play too fast and overrun plays before the diagnosis fully catches up NFL Comparison: Trenton Simpson (fellow athletic Clemson LB with downhill burst) Full scouting report for Sammy Brown →---
2. Chris Cole — Georgia
Consensus Rank: #47 overall | Projection: Second round | Measurables: 6'3", 235 lbsChris Cole is the modern coverage linebacker NFL defenses keep hunting for. A five-star out of Salem, Virginia, he was the top-rated player in his state and a top-35 national prospect, and he picked Georgia over Miami, Penn State and Tennessee after a junior year of 76 tackles and 11 tackles for loss. He played all 14 games as a true freshman in 2024 with 16 tackles and two fumble recoveries, earning SEC All-Freshman honors.
Strengths: Covers as well as any linebacker in the class, rare for an off-ball backer ... track speed for the position, carries seams and matches in space ... versatile hybrid who lines up off the ball, in the slot and on the edge Concerns: Pass-rush production is modest despite the blitz snaps ... block-shedding gets tested by climbing guards at the second level NFL Comparison: Jamin Davis speed-and-cover hybrid Full scouting report for Chris Cole →---
3. Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa — Notre Dame
Consensus Rank: #50 overall | Projection: Second round | Measurables: 6'3", 230 lbs, 4.65s 40Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa is the do-everything centerpiece of Notre Dame's second level and the most talented linebacker in the early 2027 class. He owns a long, explosive 6-foot-3, 230-pound frame and moves in space like a safety, flowing laterally to beat ball carriers to their landmarks and erase perimeter runs before they develop. His processing is elite: he diagnoses inside zone and gap concepts instantly, navigates traffic cleanly, and arrives on balance with violent pop in his pads when he triggers downhill.
Strengths: Elite, top-of-position run defender who triggers downhill fast and meets runs at or behind the line (top-of-class run-defense grade, 15.2% run-stop rate in 2025) ... Rare sideline-to-sideline range that erases perimeter runs and lets him cover ground like a safety ... Outstanding instincts and processing speed, diagnosing inside zone and gap concepts instantly and navigating traffic cleanly Concerns: Durability is the key red flag, a torn left ACL ended his 2025 season and he previously lost a high school year to a right ACL tear ... Light for the position at 230 pounds and can be tested by downhill power between the tackles NFL Comparison: Tremaine Edmunds (long, explosive off-ball linebacker who erases space with elite range and coverage rather than point-of-attack power) Full scouting report for Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa →---
4. Kyngston Viliamu-Asa —
Notre Dame
Consensus Rank: #52 overall | Projection: Round 2 Full scouting report for Kyngston Viliamu-Asa →---
5. Rasheem Biles — Texas
Consensus Rank: #56 overall | Projection: Second round | Measurables: 6-1, 220 lbsRasheem Biles is a smaller, twitched-up, downhill off-ball linebacker who transferred from Pittsburgh to Texas after a breakout 2025, arriving in Austin as one of the top-ranked linebackers in the portal and slotting into the Mike role in Will Muschamp's defense. A former do-it-all high school athlete who played running back, receiver and defensive back, he tied a Pitt record with three blocked kicks as a true freshman, then anchored the Sharks linebacker group in 2025, leading the ACC with 17 tackles for loss while adding 101 tackles, 4. 5 sacks, two interceptions returned for scores and two forced fumbles.
Strengths: Led the ACC with 17 tackles for loss in 2025 ... Sure, physical tackler who finishes sideline to sideline ... Twitchy, top-tier athlete with quick diagnose-and-trigger reactions Concerns: 1st-percentile weight profile, listed only 6-1, 220 ... Too small to play between the tackles full time, can get moved off the ball if he does not shoot gaps NFL Comparison: Kyle Louis (undersized, twitchy Pitt LB who plays bigger than his frame) Full scouting report for Rasheem Biles →---
6. Suntarine Perkins —
Ole Miss
Consensus Rank: #84 overall | Projection: Day 2 | Measurables: 6'1", 220 lbs, 4.58s 40Suntarine Perkins is a 6'1", 220-pound linebacker from Raleigh, Mississippi, where he became the state's top high school prospect and a unanimous five-star recruit. A two-way force at Raleigh High, he led his team to its first state championship in 2022, rushing for over 2,000 yards and 32 touchdowns as a senior while recording 92 tackles on defense, before choosing Ole Miss over Alabama, Georgia, and Texas. He earned Freshman All-American and Freshman All-SEC honors in 2023 with 38 tackles, 5.
Strengths: Elite coverage ability for a linebacker, grading in the 94th percentile in coverage ... can match tight ends in man coverage and trail backs out of the backfield ... closing burst as a blitzer is a real weapon when he gets a clean rush, as evidenced by 10.5 sacks as a sophomore Concerns: Light at 210-220 pounds for an every-down linebacker ... will struggle to stack and shed NFL-caliber blockers consistently once offensive linemen get their hands on him NFL Comparison: Marte Mapu, Sacramento State (small-school tweener with safety instincts and coverage traits deployed as a hybrid linebacker) Full scouting report for Suntarine Perkins →---
7. Whit Weeks — LSU
Consensus Rank: #88 overall | Projection: Day 2 | Measurables: 6'2", 225 lbsWhit Weeks is the athletic heartbeat of LSU's defense and a player scouts believe can impact an NFL game in three phases: coverage, as a blitzer and against the run. Listed at 6'2" and 225 pounds, the former 4-star recruit broke out as a sophomore in 2024 with 125 total tackles, including an SEC-leading 61 solo stops, 10. 5 TFLs, 3.5 sacks, an interception, three pass breakups and two forced fumbles to earn first-team All-SEC honors.
Strengths: Breakout 2024 with 125 tackles and an SEC-leading 61 solo stops ... 10.5 TFLs, 3.5 sacks, an INT, 3 PBU and 2 forced fumbles as a sophomore ... Delivered 17-plus-tackle games against both Alabama and Oklahoma Concerns: Underweight at 225 pounds ... needs mass and strength to anchor against NFL blocks NFL Comparison: Drue Tranquill (sub-230 speed-and-blitz WILL who plays bigger than his frame) Full scouting report for Whit Weeks →---
8. Christian Alliegro — Ohio State
Consensus Rank: #90 overall | Projection: Day 2 | Measurables: 6'4", 245 lbs Full scouting report for Christian Alliegro →---
9. Ben Roberts —
Texas Tech
Consensus Rank: #101 overall | Projection: Day 3 | Measurables: 6'3", 235 lbsBen Roberts is the kind of linebacker recruiting rankings miss and production never does. He arrived in Lubbock as a converted safety out of Eaton High School, a three-star that programs passed on because they thought he was too slow for the secondary. Texas Tech saw a 6-3 frame built for the second level.
Strengths: Stout downhill run defender who anchors at the second level ... genuine coverage ballhawk with three interceptions and six pass breakups in 2025 ... Big 12 Championship Game Most Outstanding Player with two interceptions off BYU, the first player to do that in the game's history Concerns: Pass-rush value is minimal, with no sacks in 2025 despite the blitz opportunities ... missed nine tackles, a finishing detail that has to tighten NFL Comparison: Jack Campbell instincts-first three-down linebacker Full scouting report for Ben Roberts →---
10. Cole Sullivan — Oklahoma
Consensus Rank: #102 overall | Projection: Day 2-3 Full scouting report for Cole Sullivan →---