Top 10 Linebacker Prospects in the 2026 NFL Draft
Last Updated: October 12, 2026 | Source: Consensus rankings from 9 outletsThe 2026 linebacker class is led by Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa, Sammy Brown, Chris Cole. Here's a breakdown of the top 10 prospects at the position, with scouting reports, measurables, and projected draft range.
1. Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa — Notre Dame
Consensus Rank: #42 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 →2. Sammy Brown — Clemson
Consensus Rank: #42 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 ... 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 →3. Chris Cole — Georgia
Consensus Rank: #46 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 →4. Rasheem Biles — Texas
Consensus Rank: #72 overall | Projection: Day 2 | 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 →5. Suntarine Perkins — Ole Miss
Consensus Rank: #88 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 →6. Xavier Atkins — Auburn
Consensus Rank: #96 overall | Projection: Day 2 | Measurables: 6-0, 210 lbsXavier Atkins arrived at Auburn from LSU and immediately became the engine of the Tigers' defense, turning a reserve role into one of the most disruptive linebacker seasons in recent SEC memory. The headline number is 17 tackles for loss in 2025, which led the SEC, set the Auburn program record for a linebacker, and ranked third among any Auburn defender in a season since 1981. He backed it with 84 tackles, nine sacks, two forced fumbles and elite pass rushing across 712 snaps, production that reads more like an edge rusher than an off-ball linebacker.
Strengths: Elite pass-rush production for an off-ball linebacker, nine sacks on 712 snaps ... SEC-leading 17 tackles for loss in 2025, an Auburn linebacker record ... Twitchy, relentless pursuit that Brugler graded as the best trait in his profile Concerns: Undersized at 6-0, 210, the single biggest thing holding him down on NFL boards ... Tackling consistency still needs cleaning up NFL Comparison: Blitz-timing production profile in a light frame Full scouting report for Xavier Atkins →7. Ben Roberts — Texas Tech
Consensus Rank: #96 overall | Projection: Day 2 | 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 →8. Christian Alliegro — Ohio State
Consensus Rank: #98 overall | Projection: Day 2 | Measurables: 6-4, 247 lbsChristian Alliegro is a long, physical linebacker who has taken an unusual route to a 2027 draft conversation. He was an All-American lacrosse player originally committed to Navy for that sport before flipping to Wisconsin for football as a 3-star recruit, then transferring to Ohio State. Chiefs Wire tracked his 2024 rise from a backup getting one or two dozen snaps a game to a full-time starter logging more than 60, and noted the inexperience that came with it alongside traits worth a late top-100 grade.
Strengths: Rapid acceleration and closing burst make him rangy sideline to sideline ... Fires downhill to out-leverage blockers and shoot gaps for tackles for loss ... 22 combined tackles for loss and sacks through his first seasons Concerns: Coverage instincts are the clear hole ... Uncomfortable operating at depth or against a heavy dose of man NFL Comparison: Long, downhill run-and-hit linebacker in the mold of a young Devin White for closing burst Full scouting report for Christian Alliegro →9. Tony Rojas — Penn State
Consensus Rank: #109 overall | Projection: Day 3 | Measurables: 6'2", 230 lbsTony Rojas is a running back playing linebacker, and it shows in the best ways. He rushed for 2,239 yards and 35 touchdowns as a senior at Fairfax in Virginia, earning Gatorade Virginia Player of the Year and an All-American Bowl invite before signing with Penn State as a four-star and top-110 national recruit. He converted to linebacker and worked into the rotation as a freshman, flashing the range and coverage skills the modern second level demands, and his 2024 tape included three interceptions and a long playoff interception return.
Strengths: Sprinter's speed for a linebacker, among the fastest in the class ... strong in coverage with the range to carry seams ... two sacks and four run stops against Villanova Concerns: Torn pectoral in Week 4 cut the 2025 sample to four games ... run defense lags, more cover backer than downhill force NFL Comparison: Payton Wilson coverage speed with an injury file Full scouting report for Tony Rojas →10. Whit Weeks — LSU
Consensus Rank: #120 overall | Projection: Day 3 | 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 →