As the 2025 NFL Draft approaches, the incoming linebacker class has become a topic of discussion. First-round LB prospects are becoming the norm once again, and as many as three could go within the top 32 picks.
How does the 2025 LB class stack up, and what might their NFL projections be? Below, you’ll find our current top 10 LB rankings for this year’s NFL Draft.
10) Jack Kiser, Notre Dame
At a certain point in the middle rounds of the NFL Draft, reliability and special teams ability at the linebacker position take precedence. Jack Kiser has both in his corner. He’ll turn 25 years old at the start of the 2025 season, but he has a high floor in the right situation.
A six-year contributor at Notre Dame with almost 300 total tackles to his name, Kiser does so many of the little things right. He’s not devoid of talent, with 4.68 speed and strong agility at 6’2″, 231 pounds, but his ability to read, engage, and finish as a tackler stands out.
With non-elite explosiveness and below-average length, Kiser will never be a high-end starter, but he can function as high-quality depth right away, and his ability to flow to gaps, play with efficient spacing, and convert at contact ensures he can be serviceable.
9) Cody Simon, Ohio State
Along the way to Ohio State’s national championship, Cody Simon emerged as one of the Buckeyes’ most important defenders. Over 15 games in 2024, Simon accumulated 112 tackles, 13 tackles for loss, seven sacks, and seven pass deflections, making his presence felt all over.
Simon’s production reflects a notable truth about his 2025 NFL Draft profile: he’s quietly one of the more well-rounded LB prospects in the class.
He doesn’t have elite size, but he offers good vertical and lateral mobility, good take-on skills, gap intrusion upside, and a solid zone coverage floor.
With shorter arms, Simon can struggle to deconstruct from blocks at times, and non-elite fluidity can get him in trouble when he’s caught in 1-on-1 pass-game situations. But overall, Simon is a decent three-down player with in-built special teams utility.
8) Danny Stutsman, Oklahoma
If you’re looking for high-end production and versatility between MIKE and WILL, Danny Stutsman is a prospect to circle in the middle rounds. Over the past three years at Oklahoma, Stutsman has amassed 338 tackles, 35 TFLs, and seven sacks.
At 6’3″, 233 pounds, Stutsman has good size, and his 4.52 40-yard dash is emblematic of his sideline-to-sideline range. He’s always around the football with his speed and responsiveness, and he sets the tone with unflinching urgency and tenacity on the attack.
Stutsman isn’t the most consistent in zone coverage, or as a playmaker at the catch point, which dilutes his three-down outlook. But even there, he has his bright moments, and his early-down range, physicality, and tone-setting toughness combine to carry weight.
7) Demetrius Knight Jr., South Carolina
Demetrius Knight Jr. first came onto the radar with a strong 2023 campaign at Charlotte. He leveraged that into a breakout season at South Carolina in 2024, in which he logged 82 tackles, eight TFLs, two sacks, an INT, and three forced fumbles.
Knight will turn 26 years old next January, so age thresholds may bump him down the board. But the flip side with Knight is that he can hit the ground running and be a starting WILL linebacker very early in his career and a potential impact starter at his peak.
At 6’2″, 235 pounds, with near-33″ arms, Knight has the build to engage blocks and control gaps, and he navigates the box well with his patience, lateral agility, and attacking burst. His QB background pads his football IQ, and his physical nature emboldens his impact.
6) Chris Paul Jr., Ole Miss
After transferring from Arkansas to Ole Miss, Chris Paul Jr. enjoyed a career-best season in 2024, featuring 88 tackles, 11 TFLs, 3.5 sacks, one INT, and four PBUs. He benefitted from playing behind Walter Nolen and others, but Paul himself was also exceptional.
The big hang-up with Paul’s evaluation is his size. At 6’1″, 222 pounds, Paul is lean and compact, and his sub-30″ arms represent a massive outlier. Nevertheless, Paul might be an outlier worth betting on, as he has the traits to supersede his flaws and thrive in the pros.
As a processor, Paul is excellent against split-flow and misdirection, and with his high-end explosiveness and range, he can chase runners from sideline to sideline. Despite his length, he had the lowest missed tackle rate in college football. He sniffs out plays and makes stops. Simple as that.
5) Smael Mondon Jr., Georgia
Smael Mondon Jr. has five-star pedigree and a background as a defensive back, and it shows on tape. The senior defender logged 57 tackles, four TFLs, three sacks, and three PBUs in a strong 2024 campaign, and his offseason has only strengthened his stock.
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At 6’2 3/8″, 229 pounds, with near-33″ arms, Mondon boasts 4.58 speed and elite explosiveness — traits that are easily visible on film. Mondon is an instant closer and a capable block-taker with his length and leveraging, but his coverage upside is most distinct.
Mondon can play overhang LB and big nickel in sub-package looks. With his ability to reduce, redirect, surge out of breaks, and drape opposing targets, he can be a true coverage chess piece, with added utility as a gap invader and blitzing threat.
4) Barrett Carter, Clemson
Barrett Carter has quietly maintained his production, even after an anticipated 2024 NFL Draft leap didn’t come to fruition. For three straight seasons, Carter has eclipsed 10 TFLs. In 2024, he added 3.5 sacks and a career-high seven pass deflections to his totals.
At 6’0″, 231 pounds, Carter is most likely maxed out with his muscle mass, and he doesn’t have great length, so size will be an issue in block engagement situations. But as an athletic WILL linebacker with unique blitz dynamism and coverage versatility, he has merit.
Carter moves with supercharged energy, quickness, and fluidity, which he can use either to rocket through gaps, match TEs, or carry big-slot weapons up the seam. He’ll be best in a role where he can play reactive, but his two-phase playmaking propensity is valuable.
3) Carson Schwesinger, UCLA
Call him a one-year wonder at your own risk, but Carson Schwesinger’s one year of tape is some of the best in the 2025 NFL Draft LB class. In a breakout 2024 season at UCLA, Schwesinger accumulated 136 tackles, nine TFLs, four sacks, two INTs, and three PBUs.
At 6’2″, 242 pounds, with a 39.5″ vertical, Schwesinger has the build and the elite explosive burst, and he magnifies that speed and range with perhaps the class’ best play-flow processing ability, block recognition, and angle IQ as a second-level operator.
In addition to his rangy, instinctive play, Schwesinger also has high-level pass-rushing chops as a gap blitzer, and he’s fluid and fast-flowing in zone coverage. His play strength against blocks is the only thing keeping him from being a bona fide Round 1 prospect.
2) Jalon Walker, Georgia
Jalon Walker has played off-ball linebacker and off the edge, and many evaluators view him as an enthralling hybrid of the two positions. In 2024, he racked up 60 tackles, 11 TFLs, six sacks, and two pass breakups, showing off his disruptive imprint as scouts followed closely.
The perplexing part of Walker’s evaluation is that he isn’t a perfect fit for off-ball LB or EDGE. At 6’1″, 243 pounds, with 32″ arms, he’s too small to be a full-time EDGE on early downs, and he lacks elite gap instincts and coverage ability in an off-ball slot.
Walker can shine in an attacking SAM-backer role that highlights his strengths as a block warrior and pass-rush powerhouse. His speed-to-power is deadly, along with his burst and bend, and his closing speed and urgency in the box can overwhelm offenses.
1) Jihaad Campbell, Alabama
Jihaad Campbell is the top-ranked LB prospect on PFSN’s board and a top-15 overall talent in the class. At the mainstream level, Campbell vs. Walker is a debate. But here, Campbell has a sizable lead as the class’ LB1 and a unique high-floor, high-ceiling projection.
At 6’3″, 235 pounds, Campbell has a tantalizing physical framework. He has high-end length and a hyper-elite mix of explosiveness, long-strider speed, short-area agility, and flexibility. His range is domineering, and he has keen processing ability and instincts for his age.
As a former EDGE recruit, Campbell has an especially high ceiling as a pass-rush catalyst with his speed, bend, and hand usage arsenal. But his potential is just as high in coverage, where he can man up TEs and big-slot targets 1-on-1 and undercut passes in zone. If Campbell can improve his block engagement, he has the makings of an All-Pro WILL LB.