Top NFL Draft Linebacker Prospects

SI Staff | Mar 21, 2013

Top NFL Draft Linebacker Prospects /

Top NFL Draft Linebacker Prospects

Dion Jordan

The wide-receiver-turned-defensive-end will likely make another position change to outside linebacker, his best fit in the NFL. Jordan's athleticism off the edge got him 12.5 sacks and 23.5 tackles for loss over the past two seasons for Oregon, along with 86 tackles. He also forced three fumbles in 2012. He's still rehabbing from a shoulder injury but demonstrated his speed and quickness at the combine with a 4.6 40 and a 4.35-second 20-yard shuttle.

Jarvis Jones

The 2012 SEC Defensive Player of the Year had a monstrous season on the field, making 24.5 tackles for loss, 14.5 sacks and seven forced fumbles, all tops in the nation. Scouts should love his production and his awareness, but he faces questions about his long-term healthy ? he was diagnosed with spinal stenosis three years ago, but an independent doctor now says he may have never had it.

Barkevious Mingo

Mingo's numbers were hurt by playing defensive end, a position for which he is undersized. He's a far better fit for outside linebacker in the NFL. He still had 8.5 tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks in 2012, but fell short of his 15 tackles for loss and eight sacks in 2011. Mingo unquestionably has the speed and athleticism to play linebacker; he ran a 4.58-second 40 at the combine.

Alec Ogletree

Despite missing four games for a suspension, Ogletree still made 111 tackles, 11.5 tackles for loss, three sacks, one interception and one forced fumble in 2012. He's a hard hitter, has good hands to help him get off blocks and does a decent job in coverage. Off-the-field issues hinder Ogletree's draft stock because he got a DUI this offseason in addition to the suspension he served in the fall for a failed drug test.

Kevin Minter

Minter enters the draft after a fantastic 2012 campaign in which his production easily topped even his higher-rated teammate, Barkevious Mingo. Minter made 130 tackles with 15 tackles for loss, four sacks, an interception and a forced fumble last season. The hard-hitting interior linebacker takes great angles to ballcarriers and is a sure tackler. His speed is less than ideal as his 4.81 40 at the combine indicates.

Manti Te'o

Teo's draft stock took a beating in early 2013. First, he got exposed badly against Alabama in the National Championship game. Then, of course, there was the Lennay Kekua debacle. Despite these attention-grabbing moments, it's important to remember Te'o is still the 2012 Maxwell Award winner who finished second in the NCAA with seven interceptions. The negatives are obvious, but Te'o is still one of the top linebacker prospects, especially in pass coverage.

Khaseem Greene

Greene was busy in 2012, recording 136 tackles, 12 tackles for loss, six sacks, six forced fumbles and two interceptions. The combine did little to counter the perceived weaknesses in his game, including his strength. Greene isn't a hard hitter, but he possesses a knack for getting strips and has solid lateral quickness, posting the second-fastest time in the 20-yard shuttle.

Arthur Brown

Brown topped 100 tackles for the second straight season in 2012, also getting seven tackles for loss, two interceptions and a sack. He is a strong tackler and a ferociously hard worker. Brown plays bigger than his size, but at 6-feet his height is less than ideal.

Chase Thomas

Thomas consistently executed on the field in 2012, getting double-digit tackles for loss and 7.5 or more tackles for loss for the third straight season. He is at his best blitzing off the edge but can also perform solid pass coverage. Thomas has great instincts to read the play but will need to add some size to handle NFL linemen.

Sio Moore

Moore impressed at the combine with a great combination of speed and strength. He ran a 4.65 40 and benched 29 reps. That followed his third productive college season, in which he made 72 tackles, 15.5 tackles for loss and eight sacks. Moore needs to learn to better use his hands to get off blocks but has good agility to stay with his man in coverage.

Kiko Alonso

Alonso finished off a strong college career with 72 tackles, 15.5 tackles for loss and eight sacks in 2012. He has the quickness to keep with running backs and wraps up on tackles. Teams may be wary of Alonso due to his two alcohol-related arrests as well as a torn ACL. He also doesn't have a great ability to change directions, leaving him vulnerable to misdirection plays.

Kevin Reddick

Reddick got off to a slow start in 2012 but finished the season with a bang, getting 9.5 tackles for loss, three sacks and a forced fumble in his final four games. Reddick finished the season with 85 tackles, 18.5 tackles for loss, 6.5 sacks and two forced fumbles. He reads the play well and is an effective blitzer from the inside. He's susceptible to cut blocks and needs to improve his stamina to play at a high level for the entire game.

Trevardo Williams

Williams helped himself at the combine with a great showing. He ran a 4.57-second 40, pumped 30 reps on the bench press and leaped 38 inches in the vertical jump. The Jamaica native played defensive end at Connecticut but his size -- 6-1, 241 pounds -- will likely force a switch to outside linebacker in a 3-4 defense. Williams had 28.5 tackles for loss and 24 sacks in the last two seasons.

Jamie Collins

Collins has dominated Conference USA for the past two years, including 20 tackles for loss, 10 sacks and four forced fumbles in 2012. He's extremely athletic and had a strong showing at the combine, posting the highest mark in the vertical jump with a 41.5-inch leap. He'll need to make the adjustment from defensive end to linebacker because he lacks the strength to play on the line in the NFL.

Brandon Jenkins

Jenkins missed all but the first game of the 2012 season with a broken foot but opted for the NFL rather than taking a medical redshirt and returning to Florida State. He had 12 tackles for loss and eight sacks in 2011, down from 21.5 and 13.5, respectively, in 2010. He dropped roughly 10 pounds from his listed weight at Florida State as he prepares to move from defensive end to linebacker, although some question whether he has the quickness and a good enough ability to change directions to make the position switch.

Published Mar 21, 2013

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