New: Be a GM College lets you run your NIL budget, fight the portal, and play the season. Try it. →
ProspectXavier Atkins · OLB from Auburn, No. 140 overall, fourth roundDraft him yourself

Xavier Atkins

OLB·Auburn#140 overall
Fourth roundConsensus #140 · STM #136 · model is 4 spots higher★★★★ recruitModel Score 85.4 B+
Updated October 8, 2026
Draft him yourself → Compare Xavier Atkins

Scouting Report

Xavier 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. Dane Brugler of The Athletic slotted him third among draft-eligible linebackers in his preseason summer scouting series and called his ball-carrier pursuit rabid, pointing to the Arkansas tape where Atkins spied Taylen Green into just 14 rushing yards while piling up 13 tackles, four tackles for loss, two sacks and a forced fumble himself. Auburn moved him around constantly, lining him up in the box and as an overhang defender outside the formation, and he handled both without losing his feel for the play. He is not purely a blitz specialist either, showing route recognition, eyes on the quarterback and enough hip fluidity to work zone drops, though his coverage results lag well behind his rush results. The wart is the one he cannot fix: a 6-0, 210-pound frame that Brugler flagged as the reason he sits lower on boards than his tape suggests, with the NFL wanting to see him keep arriving like a ton of bricks despite it. All Access Football lists him as a Day 2 name in its Auburn tracker, while the Fanspeak community consensus has him 144th overall and LB16, the gap between film and frame in a nutshell. Brugler notes he is well liked around the league even if the projection is complicated by size and usage. If 2026 brings cleaner tackling and better block deconstruction, he has a real path from a Day 3 projection into the Day 2 conversation.

NFL Comparison

What the data says

One of one. No NFL player had a college career this close. Closest: Matt Milano ’17 (37%).

Of his 20 closest coming out: 1 star, 5 starters, 8 backups, 6 didn't stick.

What scouts say

Blitz-timing production profile in a light frame; projection hinges on whether he plays bigger than 210 pounds

Draft Movement

#162 · Jun 8#140 · now

Up 22 spots since Jun 8

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
  • Quarterback spy work held Arkansas dual-threat Taylen Green to 14 rushing yards in a 13-tackle, four-TFL, two-sack game
  • Excellent blitz timing and natural feel for finding the backfield
  • True positional versatility, productive both as a box linebacker and as an overhang defender
  • Fluid hips and lateral movement that let him function in zone with eyes on the quarterback
  • Understands route concepts rather than just drifting to a landmark

Weaknesses

  • Undersized at 6-0, 210, the single biggest thing holding him down on NFL boards
  • Tackling consistency still needs cleaning up
  • Coverage grade of 64.8 does not come close to matching the pass-rush production
  • Can drift too shallow in his zone drops
  • Not a true stack-and-shed linebacker, struggles disengaging once bigger blockers get hands on him
  • Lacks the length NFL teams want at the position
  • Only 31 snaps before 2025, so the body of work is one season
  • Has to prove he can hold up against a heavier weekly dose of NFL physicality

College Stats

2025: 84 tackles, 17.0 TFL (led SEC), 9.0 sacks, 2 FF, 1 INT, 1 PD, 1 FR, 712 snaps; 2024 (LSU): 31 snaps; Career: 87 tackles, 17.0 TFL, 9.0 sacks

College Market Value

Model Price
$595K

Our model prices him at $595K on the open college market, built from production, pedigree, role and Auburn's program money. No credible deal has been reported for him this season.

Every P4 player priced, math public: College players & NIL · Roster spend

Measurables

Height
6-0
Weight
210

Awards & Honors

First-Team All-SEC (2025); Second-Team All-American (2025); Chuck Bednarik Award Semifinalist; started all 12 games in 2025; No. 3 draft-eligible linebacker in Dane Brugler's 2027 preseason rankings