2025 NFL Draft: Top 10 linebackers heading into NFL Combine continue shuffling as surprising prospects rise up rankings
The 2025 NFL Combine is here. The NFL Draft is just around the corner. As draft season continues heating up the linebacker rankings continue shuffling as some surprising prospects rise up the boards.Our team of NFL Draft contributors at A to Z Sports has been working nonstop on this 2025 NFL Draft class for several […]
The 2025 NFL Combine is here. The NFL Draft is just around the corner. As draft season continues heating up the linebacker rankings continue shuffling as some surprising prospects rise up the boards.
Our team of NFL Draft contributors at A to Z Sports has been working nonstop on this 2025 NFL Draft class for several months now, so we decided to update our collective Top 10 ranks for 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 found some brand new consensus on this diverse set of linebackers set to impress at the NFL Combine.
Here's where we landed on the incoming 2025 NFL Draft linebacker group. 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 an amazing final season with the Georgia Bulldogs. 17% pass rush pressure rate off the edge. Elite downhill playmaking ability as an off-ball linebacker. Walker's unmatched versatility allowed him to completely take over games at times last season (especially against Texas).
The A to Z Sports team easily has him ranked as the consensus number one overall linebacker in the class who could also play edge nearly full time in the right system. There's a chance he tests above the 90th percentile athletically for both linebackers and edge defenders at the NFL Combine, which would only further solidify his top tier status.
2. Jihaad Campbell, LB Alabama
If any linebacker is going to challenge Jalon Walker for the best prospect at the position it's clearly Jihaad Campbell. He's a versatile monster playing off the ball and along the edge of the defensive front who brought an insane 20% pass rush pressure rate on a small sample. Campbell proved he could get after quarterbacks while also impressing in coverage last season, giving up just 7 yards per reception.
The A to Z Sports squad ranked Campbell as high as first overall and no lower than third among all linebacker prospects. Recent mock draft data suggests he may be a Top 40 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft as well. Given his wild range as a defender the NFL Combine likely only further helps his stock too. Expect some insane testing in the jumps and the forty-yard dash for his size.
3. Chris Paul Jr., LB Ole Miss
No linebacker recruit climbed 2025 NFL Draft boards faster than Chris Paul Jr. this past season. He went from little known transfer from Arkansas to potential second or third round linebacker selection in less than a year.
Paul can do it all. From racking up six sacks, to posting a near perfect missed tackle rate, to giving up just barely 200 receiving yards for the season on nearly 300 coverage snaps, Paul has a well-rounded skill set. He's a bit undersized, so the NFL Combine will be a crucial opportunity for him to prove that he's worth an early NFL Draft selection.
The A to Z Sports team ranked him anywhere from first to fifth overall at the position. That range might tighten up even further if he shows out at the NFL Combine.
4. Barrett Carter, LB Clemson
There's a significant tier break after the top three linebackers in this class according to our NFL Draft experts here at A to Z Sports. Only one of our staff ranked Barrett Carter above fourth among linebackers and there's plenty of disagreement on the four spot overall.
Carter has long been considered an early to mid-round NFL Draft prospect at the position as he's been a top linebacker in college football for three straight years. However, he would likely have been better off declaring after 2023 given how his year in coverage went last fall. Carter still offers quite the multiple set of skills, able to offer value anywhere on the field, but he gave up five touchdowns in coverage last season, leaving many questioning his every down potential in the league. Carter needs a strong NFL Combine to get back into early round discussion.
5. Carson Schwesinger, LB UCLA
Carson Schwesinger might be a one-year wonder at linebacker, but his 2024 was something else. He racked up nearly 150 total tackles on the year, sacked opposing quarterbacks four times, and picked off two passes in one of the most impressive breakout seasons in the country last season.
Still, the A to Z Sports team is a bit torn with him as he's hit or miss in coverage and doesn't have an extensive run of production to lean upon. He ranked as high as fourth among our staff, but the range of outcomes still seems wide for him.
6. Danny Stutsman, LB Iowa
Danny Stutsman is the complete opposite of Carson Schwesinger in terms of experience. Stutsman has four seasons with significant action, more than 2,500 career snaps, and three years with more than 100 total tackles. However, many believe he may not test very well at the NFL Combine given his propensity to play a little stiff in coverage and outside the box in space.
The A to Z Sports staff ranked him as high as first overall at the position, but as low as 10th. This sentiment of uncertainty with Stutsman's ceiling extends to the NFL Draft community at large too, as his mock draft data ranges from the second round to late day three.
7. Jay Higgins, LB Iowa
Similar to Stutsman, Jay Higgins is extremely experienced having been with Iowa for five years and over 2,000 defensive snaps. Higgins was wildly productive for the Hawkeyes two years in a row once he finally got his every down opportunity in 2023. There were major questions with his coverage ability prior to last season, but he cleaned that up in a big way, allowing just seven yards per reception and intercepting four passes in 2024.
Opinions are all over the place with Higgins' ceiling, but he's a safe mid-round projection at worst. The A to Z Sports crew ranked him tightly between 5th and 9th among true off-ball linebackers in the class.
8. Demetrius Knight, LB South Carolina
There was very little buzz about Demetrius Knight Jr. for much of his career, and some would say for good reason, as he took quite the circuitous path to potential NFL stardom.
Knight played his high school football as a triple-option quarterback prior to joining Georgia Tech way back in 2019. He couldn't ever quite catch on with a full-time role there as he was still learning the linebacker position.
However, after posting phenomenal seasons with both Charlotte and South Carolina Demetrius Knight Jr. has been swiftly rising up NFL Draft boards this spring. For many, he sparked their curiosity at the Senior Bowl. Then after the masses all took a dive into his 2024 tape he started to skyrocket. The A to Z Sports crew members rank him as high as fourth among off-ball linebackers now and with a strong NFL Combine there's even higher potential.
9. Jeffrey Bassa, LB Oregon
Jeffrey Bassa marks the beginning of the "best of the rest" tier at off-ball linebacker in this 2025 NFL Draft class. The A to Z Sports crew ranks him no higher than 6th in the class, but most have him as high as 8th due to his range and quick instincts.
I met with him at the Senior Bowl to talk through his quick instincts, and talked about the importance of study, fit, and reacting to what he sees before and after the play (as you can see in the post below).
10. Smael Mondon Jr., LB Georgia
Smael Mondon is a tough evaluation at linebacker. He's good at everything, but great at nothing, and plays a bit stiff at times. The NFL Combine could be a huge boom or bust outcome for him, leading to a much higher or lower rank among experts. Mondon played a ton of snaps for Georgia's incredible defense over the last three years, so his experience among the best is a plus, but inconsistencies in coverage and a decreasing role over the last three seasons is a bit odd as other talents were more impressive around him.
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We'll be back with more NFL Draft and College Football coverage here at A to Z Sports all year long! Follow me (@FF_TravisM) and A to Z Sports (@AtoZSportsNFL) on X for all the latest football news!
And if you're wondering why Demetrius Knight Jr. is one of the fastest rising linebacker recruits on 2025 NFL Draft boards, just check out his highlights in the video below!
