2025 NFL Draft Top 10 Linebackers: Jalon Walker and Jihaad Campbell headline diverse class of defensive talents
The 2025 NFL Draft is just a few months away now. The College Football Playoff and NFL Playoffs are wrapping up. It's time to look ahead to this incoming class of future NFL stars by position.Our team of NFL Draft contributors at A to Z Sports has been working on this class for several months […]
The 2025 NFL Draft is just a few months away now. The College Football Playoff and NFL Playoffs are wrapping up. It's time to look ahead to this incoming class of future NFL stars by position.
Our team of NFL Draft contributors at A to Z Sports has been working on this class for several months now, so we decided to collectively rank our Top 10 prospects at every position. Eight of our draft analysts ranked their top ten linebackers for this iteration of this Top 10 Positional Ranking series as we generated some consensus on this diverse class at the position.
Here's where we landed on the incoming 2025 NFL Draft linebacker class. If your favorite NFL team needs a linebacker, you better hope they select one of these top options.
1. Jalon Walker, LB Georgia
Jalon Walker had shown flashes of greatness prior to 2024, but he was a special force at linebacker for the Georgia Bulldogs this past season. After leading his team in pass rush pressures, sacks, (nearly in) tackles, finding success in every facet of the game he won the Butkus Award for being the best linebacker in the nation.
He might actually settle in as an pass rusher at the next level given his absurd athleticism off the edge, but he's versatile enough to do just about anything a defense wants him to as the ultimate chess piece up front.
The A to Z Sports team ranked him nearly unanimously as our number one linebacker, with two exceptions ranking him third or fourth. Questions about his particular fit may scare off some scouts, but Walker is unique athlete at the position.
2. Jihaad Campbell, LB Alabama
Jihaad Campbell is another do-it-all linebacker who can win as an edge on top of playing off-ball at an elite level. He's not quite as experienced as a pass rusher, but he was insanely efficient for Alabama when he was asked to get after the quarterback this past season. Eight sacks on less than 100 pass rush snaps is a wild feat.
He's posted two years as a strong cover linebacker on top of being an extremely reliable tackler and pass rusher up front. Less than 7.3 yards per reception allowed over the last two seasons for Campbell.
Campbell was ranked no higher than second, and no lower than third among all our A to Z Sports staff at the linebacker position. There seems to be rising sentiment that he could sneak into the first round.
3. Danny Stutsman, LB Oklahoma
Danny Stutsman brings with him more experience than every other linebacker in the 2025 NFL Draft class. Three straight seasons with over 100 tackles. Nearly 50 games played. Stutsman is a leader and a proven consistent producer that some NFL team is going to take a chance on somewhere late on day two of the draft.
Stutsman marked the beginning of significant disagreement at linebacker for our A to Z Sports draft experts as some ranked him as high as first overall while others dropped him all the way to sixth. There may be athleticism questions for some. We'll find out more at the NFL Combine.
4. Chris Paul Jr., LB Ole Miss
Chris Paul Jr. was one of the most impactful Transfer Portal acquisitions made by any team in the country as he dominated for Ole Miss all season long. He posted a pass rush pressure rate over 30% with insanely smart blitzing technique and pacing. Almost zero missed tackles on the entire year. Phenomenal spatial awareness when dropping into zone coverage. Chris Paul Jr. does it all. If he tests well at the NFL Combine he may rise into the LB2 or LB3 conversation for many.
Paul Jr. wasn't ranked highly very early for most of our A to Z Sports team, but he's been slowly climbing up the board as more of our team spends additional time studying him.
5. Barrett Carter, LB Clemson
Barrett Carter likely should have declared for the NFL Draft after the 2023 season. He was fresh off perhaps his best coverage season with a strong balanced skill set across the board. Carter did clean up some of his missed tackles, proving he could be far more reliable in that way, but he struggled in coverage, giving up a handful of touchdowns this season. He's a solid athlete and can fit into any scheme at the next level, but he's lost his shine a bit.
Our entire A to Z Sports NFL Draft team ranked him between third and fifth as we recognize what teams will likely get with Carter. Athletic upside and experience with good instincts.
6. Carson Schwesinger, LB UCLA
There aren't many linebackers in the 2025 NFL Draft class that have a shorter resume of high level play than Carson Schwesinger. He only started for one season at UCLA, but wow, it was wildly impressive. Schwesinger racked up nearly 140 total tackles, grabbed two interceptions, and even pressured the quarterback some too. He could improve in coverage, but that should come with experience.
Most of the A to Z Sports draft team has yet to catch up on how special Schwesinger could be, but the Senior Bowl and NFL Combine should shine more light on his potential.
7. Jay Higgins, LB Iowa
Jay Higgins is another linebacker who has flashed possible greatness at his peak. He got off to a slow start at Iowa playing behind some future NFL starting linebackers, but Higgins has tallied nearly 300 tackles in the past two seasons alone. He is a ferocious beast on every play, always close to the ball. There were significant questions about his coverage ability prior to 2024, but he seemed to answer those snagging four interceptions.
Almost the entire A to Z Sports team ranks Higgins between fifth and eighth as a strong mid-round projection at the linebacker position.
8. Sonny Styles, LB Ohio State
There might not be a higher potential upside linebacker in the entire 2025 NFL Draft class than Sonny Styles. He's still competing in the College Football Playoff (as of this writing) and it's unclear if he will declare but he is a crazy talented athlete.
Styles entered college a year early so he could gain more experience against competition who stood a chance against him, potentially paving a path to the pros a bit faster. He initially joined the Ohio State Buckeyes as a safety, but transitioned to a freak athlete off-ball linebacker with range, closing speed, and tracking skills to make plays on the ball in the air.
Sonny Styles is still quite young so he may return to school. If he doesn't declare then that moves Jamon Dumas-Johnson of Kentucky into the 10-slot behind our next two linebackers. The A to Z Sports crew here will likely rank him higher if he does indeed declare.
9. Jeffrey Bassa, LB Oregon
Jeffrey Bassa is the perfect green dot candidate in the NFL. He struggled immensely as a freshman and sophomore at Oregon, but Bassa's massive leaps in improvement and understanding of the game are undeniable. He directed traffic on defense extremely well two seasons in a row as a leader for the Oregon Ducks. He wasn't always the best in his coverage assignments, but he was quite disciplined in all of his assignments.
The A to Z Sports team clearly sees a tier drop just ahead of Bassa, but he's still a strong Day 3 grade from most of our experts.
10. Smael Mondon Jr., LB Georgia
Smael Mondon Jr., just like Bassa for Oregon, is one of the more experienced leaders at linebacker in the 2025 NFL Draft class. He has nearly 2,000 snaps of play for the Georgia Bulldogs with three strong seasons in a row. He can kick outside into the slot if needed or rush the passer when called upon with consistent results. Mondon's athleticism is a bit of an unknown heading into the NFL Combine season, but if he tests well he might go much earlier than expected given his versatile skill set.
The A to Z Sports crew ranked him from 7th to 12th overall among the linebacker class, but he might deserve higher consideration for some in the draft community.
2025 NFL Draft Top 10 Safeties: Can anyone challenge Malaki Starks for the top spot in this stacked class?
The 2025 NFL Draft is just a few months away now. The College Football Playoff and NFL Playoffs are wrapping up. It's time to look ahead to this incoming class of future NFL stars by position. Our team of NFL Draft contributors at A to Z Sports has been working on this class for several […]
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