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The 2025 NFL Draft is almost here, and Yahoo Sports experts Nate Tice and Charles McDonald are breaking down the top prospects position by position. Here are the linebackers. Check out Nate and Charles' consensus big board here, along with Nate's final big board and Charles' final big board.
Other prospect rankings: QBs | RBs | WRs | TEs | OLs | Edges | IDLs | CBs
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1. Jalon Walker, Georgia
Nate Tice: One of my favorite players in the draft. Walker plays both as an off-ball linebacker and an edge defender on the line of scrimmage in Georgia’s rush packages. He plays a little bit of everywhere, so much so he calls himself an “HLB” which stands for "hybrid linebacker."
As an off-ball linebacker, Walker is a strong tackler and good athlete who is consistently diagnosing plays quickly. He can run, chase and has no issues taking on and shedding climbing offensive linemen, and has the athleticism to be a plus-player in coverage. He can be a bit slow when having to turn and diagnose, something that would get cleaned up with more time at the spot.
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Walker is also a talented and productive pass rusher, and shows off his bend, strength and quickness when getting after the QB. Walker plays with his hair on fire and can hang as an off-ball linebacker who can stay on the field for all three downs and be a positive player against the run and pass, with the pass-rush ability being a giant cherry on top.
He won’t be an ideal fit for every team, but I think Walker is just a guy I would want in my front seven. His competitive play style is infectious and he has the ability to fill up the box score in different ways, with leadership to boot. He reminds me a lot of Clay Matthews.
Charles McDonald: Walker isn’t the most prototypical pass rusher out there, but he can do some damage in an aggressive role. He rushed and blitzed from all over the Georgia defense, but he didn’t necessarily play a traditional role that has a clean translation to the NFL.
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When he played off-ball, he was primarily used as a spy or a blitzer to hawk down quarterbacks. He had plenty of reps off the edge, where he still has work to do in developing moves, but his speed, physicality and effort will play well in aggressive defensive schemes.
2. Jihaad Campbell, Alabama
Charles McDonald: Comfortably the best true linebacker in this class, Campbell helped himself a ton with a strong combine workout to solidify his first-round status for the upcoming draft. Quality three-down linebackers are increasingly harder to find, which might make Campbell a priority target early in the draft. He rushed the passer some at Alabama, but his NFL future will be off the ball.
Nate Tice: Campbell is a refreshing player to watch: a defender with the combination of size, speed, violence and intelligence to truly have the potential to play as an every-down off-ball linebacker in the NFL.
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Campbell is a big body (6-3, 235 pounds) who had a great day of testing in Indianapolis with a 4.52 40 time. He also has the game tape that reflects his size and speed combination. Campbell is strong enough to take on climbing offensive linemen and has the speed to run sideline-to-sideline. He is plenty fluid and explosive enough to be a good coverage player, but can be a bit inconsistent in that area because of his still-developing feel as an off-ball player.
Campbell also is a disruptive pass rusher who can win against linemen (he has experience as an edge defender) and was a total mismatch against poor college RBs. There’s still parts to clean up, but Campbell has the potential to be a real impact defender at a position where it has become increasingly hard to find even mid-term starters. He makes sense in a lot of different defenses, too.
3. Carson Schewsinger, UCLA
Nate Tice: Schwesinger can absolutely fly. UCLA would highlight his speed by having him run with WRs down the field on its Cover 2 looks, which Schwesinger easily accomplished. He has great awareness and recognition against the run and pass, often knifing into the backfield or beating blockers with his speed and ability to quickly diagnose plays.
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Schwesinger has just an adequate build and his strength deficiencies often showed up when he had to take on offensive linemen. Sometimes he gets completely wiped out of the play if he wasn’t able to beat the blocker to the ball. He has the makings of a plus-coverage player who might get overwhelmed at times in the run game, but you hope he creates enough explosives to offset his lack of play strength.
Charles McDonald: If Schewsinger lands with the right defensive line, he could be a splash play machine at the next level. He has incredible instincts in coverage and the speed to make plays in space. He can get a bit jammed up in the box against offensive linemen.
4. Jeffrey Bassa, Oregon
5. Danny Stutsman, Oklahoma
Nate Tice (from October): A linebacker who actually plays in the box! At least most of the time. Stutsman is asked to do quite a bit in Oklahoma’s defense, but he is, at the very least, solid in all of those roles. As an off-ball player, he does a nice job of diagnosing run plays and staying disciplined, with adequate play strength to take on blocks and wrap up ball carriers. He’s also a sound player in zone coverages with enough athleticism to hold up in man situations.
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