Christian Alliegro
Ohio State#108 overallScouting Report
Christian 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. At a listed 6'4" and 247 pounds he carries the weight well and has the arm length NFL teams ask for at the position. His calling card is range: rapid acceleration and a closing burst that let him beat linemen and ball carriers to the spot sideline to sideline. He fires downhill to out-leverage blockers and shoot gaps, and he has several ways to beat bigger bodies, pulling a lineman past himself using the blocker's own momentum or loading his hands and exploding to create the half second of separation he needs. The tall frame cuts the other way when he sits too deep in the box and becomes an easy target for climbing linemen, though he is quick enough to dip past them. Coverage is the unfinished part. Vikings Wire's summer report called him a presence in the middle of the field who still has to clean up his pass coverage and overall awareness in 2026. He triggers fast on short zone routes but looks uncomfortable at depth or in heavy man, and his play strength shows when he fails to shed a block cleanly.
NFL Comparison
Of his 20 closest coming out: 0 stars, 4 starters, 11 backups, 5 didn't stick.
Long, downhill run-and-hit linebacker in the mold of a young Devin White for closing burst; coverage projection closer to a two-down thumper unless the zone instincts catch up
Draft Movement
Up 86 spots since Jun 8
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
- Powerful hands that load and explode into contact to create separation
- Uses a blocker's own momentum against him, pulling the lineman off balance and slipping by
- Physical enough to run through blockers in the middle of the field
- Speed translates to zone depth and gives him a chance in man against backs and tight ends
- Shows up as a run defender and on the blitz
Weaknesses
- Coverage instincts are the clear hole
- Uncomfortable operating at depth or against a heavy dose of man
- Overeager trigger leads him to fit the wrong gap
- Play strength limits his ability to absorb a block and then shed it, and he gets stuck when he does not win early
- Tall frame makes him an easy target for climbing linemen, especially when he lingers deep in the box
- 12.5% missed tackle rate is too high for a player whose game is contact
- Zero career turnovers generated, no ball production to point to
- Limited starting experience, only became a full-time player late in 2024
College Stats
Career through 2025: 124 tackles, 22 combined TFL and sacks, 0 turnovers forced; went from rotational backup to 60-plus snaps a game as a 2024 starter
College Market Value
Our model prices him at $600K on the open college market, built from production, pedigree, role and Ohio State's program money. No credible deal has been reported for him this season.
Portal: transferred from Wisconsin to Ohio State for 2026.
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Measurables
Awards & Honors
First-Team All-State and First-Team All-County in high school; 3-star recruit per 247Sports; All-American in lacrosse; graded a potential late top-100 selection in preseason scouting reports