The 11 greatest linebackers within the 2023 NFL Draft, ranked

Although not the flashiest group within the 2023 NFL Draft, this 12 months’s class of off-ball linebackers includes a handful of rock-solid prospects.

This 12 months’s group lacks a bona fide star prospect like Micah Parsons and Isaiah Simmons in latest drafts earlier than it, however the class brings loads of worth early in Spherical 2 and earlier on Day 3 that ought to see a run of draft picks taken on the positions in these ranges.

SB Nation polled a number of of its draft analysts to find out a consensus high 11 linebackers on this 12 months’s class.

1. Jack Campbell, Iowa

Armed with elite measurement for a linebacker and top-notch athletic attributes, one may make the argument Campbell has the very best ceiling of any off-ball linebacker on this draft. His processing wants some extra consistency, however his fluidity and total worth on passing downs makes him a beneficial asset in a pass-heavy NFL.

2. Trenton Simpson, Clemson

Simpson is a bit mild for his place and doesn’t deliver elite play energy to the desk, however he’s an absurd athlete who ran a 4.43 40-yard sprint on the Mix this 12 months. His vary as a tackler is arguably the very best within the class, and he’s a sound processor on the second stage.

3. Drew Sanders, Arkansas

Probably the very best blitzing linebacker on this class, Sanders solely has one 12 months of serious school manufacturing however dominated for Arkansas in 2022. He’s a big-bodied linebacker with superb athletic traits and the flexibility to hurry the passer off the sting at a excessive stage once in a while.

4. Daiyan Henley, Washington State

Henley is a gangly linebacker with a smaller body however lengthy arms and loads of room to fill out. He’s an athletic defender with superb closing velocity as a run defender and the fluidity to maneuver round in zone protection throughout the center of the sector.

5. DeMarvion Overshown, Texas

Although his skinny body and total pad stage may show to be a problem on the subsequent stage, Overshown’s sheer size, mobility in house, vary as a tackler and worth as a blitzing choice ought to see him chosen as one of many first linebackers within the 2023 draft.

6. Owen Pappoe, Auburn

Pappoe is a well-rounded linebacker whose velocity stands out as a significant energy of his on tape. He’s a rangy, sideline-to-sideline tackler, and although he lacks measurement and block-shedding means, an agile defender like him with a 4.39 40-yard sprint to his title will definitely flip some heads.

7. Henry To’oTo’o, Alabama

If you happen to’re on the lookout for a strong, if unspectacular linebacker to fill in as a high-floor choice, To’oTo’o is your man on this class. He’s a superb tackler who wraps up with good kind and has a excessive soccer IQ, even when his bodily instruments are quite pedestrian.

8. Noah Sewell, Oregon

The youthful brother of Lions offensive sort out Penei, Noah Sewell entered the 2022 season as a highly-touted prospect however now finds himself within the background, arguably greater than he deserves to be. He regarded a tad slower and fewer explosive this previous 12 months, however he improved his kind and play energy as a tackler and has a really well-built body.

9. Dorian Williams, Tulane

Williams has the size and athleticism wanted to suit as a strong WILL choice and a doubtlessly elite particular teamer on the NFL stage. Whether or not he can overcome a scarcity of preferrred measurement stays to be seen, nonetheless.

10. Ivan Tempo Jr., Cincinnati

If Tempo had been just some inches taller, odds are he can be one of many first linebackers off the board this 12 months. He’s athletic, highly effective, and refined in his method as a tackler, and he’s some of the polished blitzers within the 2023 draft. Dimension and size stay large crimson flags, with him being a hair below 5-foot-11.

11. Nick Herbig, Wisconsin

Herbig is a little bit of a hybrid defender who can rush the passer off the sting and function an off-ball SAM linebacker with good athleticism in house. His means to stack and shed blocks is significantly better than most off-ball defenders, however one may argue he lacks preferrred size and is uncooked as a processor on the second stage. He has a real tweener profile, for higher or worse.