2023 NFL Draft: The top 8 linebackers
When you’re thinking of the most important positions in any defense, you’ll probably list edge-rushers and cornerbacks right off the bat. The increase in quick game at all levels of football has made interior disruptors more impactful and important, because it’s easier to get to the quarterback in a relatively straight line if you’re of a mind to. And in today’s NFL, where safety switches are all the rage, and the division between free and strong has disappeared, the rangy safety is a necessity.
What you wouldn’t say right off the top is “linebacker.” And that’s obviously a sea change from even one era ago. Today’s linebackers, for the most part, are not given the praise allotted to Dick Butkus, Jack Lambert, Mike Singletary, and Ray Lewis in their primes. NFL defenses have gone so far away from the base formations (think more obvious 3-4 and 4-3 sets) that defined the game for so long, and linebackers have had to adjust.
Now, if you can’t play half a field, you’re in big trouble, because that’s what you’re asked to do, more often than not, when the league is trending up to 70% nickel from season to season, and playing more dime than base. So, if you’re comfortable as the only ‘backer on the field, that certainly helps.
The math has changed for linebackers, and with that, the need for versatility has also exceeded anything imaginable from even a decade ago. Now, a linebacker will be tasked with serious snaps on the defensive line, in the slot, and even sometimes at the cornerback position.
As the game becomes more defined to cede to the pass, linebackers must adjust, or find themselves in less than optimal circumstances.
The 2023 NFL draft class of linebackers is a full buffet of different body types and skill sets, which fits the current paradigm of need. Here are our eight best in the upcoming class.
(All advanced metrics courtesy of Pro Football Focus, Sports Info Solutions, and Football Outsiders unless otherwise indicated).
2023 NFL Draft: The top 9 safeties
2023 NFL Draft: The top 11 cornerbacks
1. Trenton Simpson, Clemson
(Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports)
Height: 6′ 2⅛” (68th percentile) Weight: 235 (33rd)
40-Yard Dash: 4.43 (97th)
10-Yard Split: 1.55 (85th)
Bench Press: 25 reps (75th)
Vertical Jump: N/A
Broad Jump: N/A
3-Cone Drill: N/A
20-Yard Shuttle: N/A
Wingspan: N/A
Arm Length: 32⅜” (52nd)
Hand Size: 10¼” (90th)
Bio: A running back and linebacker at Mallard Creek High School in Charlotte, North Carolina, Simpson was named the North Carolina High School Football Player of the Year in 2019, and he was ranked the 13st-best prospect in the nation by 247 Sports. Over three seasons with the Tigers, Simpson had 12 sacks, 64 total pressures, 119 tackles, 79 stops, and he allowed 50 catches on 73 targets for 406 yards, 319 yards after the catch, three touchdowns, no interceptions, two pass breakups, and an opponent passer rating of 96.0. In the 2022 season, Simpson had 404 snaps at linebacker, 129 along the defensive line, 88 in the slot, and one at cornerback.
Stat to Know: Simpson allowed the lowest Deserved Catch Rate (50%) and yards per target (2.6) of any linebacker in this draft class.
Strengths: When it comes to pure range, Simpson puts up tape that most linebackers can’t touch. You do not expect a 6-foot-3, 235-pound ‘backer to align at a cornerback position and bomb out the top of a wide trips right formation, but Simpson has multiple examples of doing just that.
And as a pass-rusher, Simpson can act as a LEO off the line, blitz with relative impunity, or just run-and-chase the quarterback from a spy position.
As is the case for most lighter linebackers in the modern era, Simpson is better off reading gaps like a running back to get to the ball. Taking on guards and centers who outweigh him by 100 pounds is not always an optimal strategy.
Conclusion: It should come as no surprise that Simpson is from the same program that produced Isaiah Simmons — Clemson obviously has a lot of bandwidth for linebackers who play all over the defense, and do so successfully for the most part. As was the case for Simmons when he was selected eighth overall in the 2020 draft by the Arizona Cardinals, the challenge for his NFL coaches (which is still in place for Simmons and the Cardinals) will be to understand which parts of that amazing versatility transfers to the NFL, and which stuff is best left on the cutting room floor. Simmons projects best as an off-ball wrecker who can blitz off the edge, and can cover in certain (mostly man) concepts.
NFL Comparison: Dre Greenlaw. The 49ers stole Greenlaw out of Arkansas in the fifth round of the 2019 draft, and while coverage has never been his thing, Greenlaw has become one half of the NFL’s best linebacker duo alongside Fred Warner. There are also elements of Tampa Bay’s Devin White in Simpson’s play style in his ability to disrupt the passer from everywhere, but Simpson has more potential in coverage.
2. Jack Campbell, Iowa
(Steven Branscombe-USA TODAY Sports)
Height: 6′ 4⅝” (96th percentile) Weight: 249 (84th)
40-Yard Dash: 4.65 (67th)
10-Yard Split: 1.59 (70th)
Bench Press: N/A
Vertical Jump: 37½” (84th)
Broad Jump: 128″ (94th)
3-Cone Drill: 6.74 (95th)
20-Yard Shuttle: 4.24 (66th)
Wingspan: N/A
Arm Length: 31⅞” (34th)
Hand Size: 10¼” (90th)
Bio: Campbell was named to the All-Iowa Elite all-state team by the Des Moines Register as a senior out of Cedar Falls High, and he also won his team’s Golden Hammer Award, which is the best name ever for such a prize. Campbell could have been a Division I basketball prospect, but chose instead to go with the Hawkeyes as a linebacker. Over four seasons with the Hawkeyes, he had three sacks, 37 total pressures, 205 tackles, 126 stops, and he allowed 74 catches on 94 targets for 309 yards, 477 yards after the catch, three touchdowns, five interceptions, six pass breakups, and an opponent passer rating of 82.1. In 2022, Campbell had 761 snaps at linebacker, 89 in the slot, 21 along the defensive line, and two at cornerback.
Stat to Know: On plays in which he was double-teamed last season (21 of them), Campbell allowed four yards per carry and no explosive plays as a tackler.
Strengths: Against double teams and slide blocks, Campbell is big and aggressive enough to clock through protections and create tackles for loss. He spends a lot of time diagnosing things after the snap, so one thinks this might be accelerated in a defense where he can just pin his ears back and go more often.
As a pass-rusher, Campbell can bring it from just about anywhere in the front seven; he combines the speed to fly by multiple gaps and the power to deal with blockers in an appealing package.
Weaknesses: There are times when I’d like to see Campbell be more sudden with his movements — as I said, he spends so much time diagnosing, that he’ll sometimes be a tick behind the play, whether it’s in the open field, or defeating blocks in closed spaces. I don’t think it’s a play speed issue, but it does show up on tape in a negative sense.
Conclusion: If you’re running a heavy dime defense in the NFL and you’re looking for a 230-pound move ‘backer whose 4.4 speed transfers to the field, Campbell probably isn’t your ideal. But if you prefer a nice combination of the new-school athletic linebacker and the old-school downhill thumper, Campbell would be a great fit. I would love to see his NFL coaches get him out of his own head a little bit, and have him just scream to the ball at times instead of thinking and processing through every play.
NFL Comparison: Karlos Dansby. There aren’t a lot of linebackers who move as well as Campbell does at his height and weight, but Dansby was one. Selected in the second round of the 2004 draft by the Cardinals out of Auburn, Dansby proved able to do just about everything on the field at 6-foot-4 and 250 pounds. Campbell has that kind of potential — once again, let’s have him not think and diagnose quite as much once he gets the hang of his NFL defense.
3. Drew Sanders, Arkansas
(Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports)
Height: 6′ 4⅛” (96th percentile) Weight: 235 (33rd)
40-Yard Dash: N/A
10-Yard Split: N/A
Bench Press: N/A
Vertical Jump: N/A
Broad Jump: N/A
3-Cone Drill: N/A
20-Yard Shuttle: N/A
Wingspan: N/A
Arm Length: 32⅛” (43rd)
Hand Size: 9¾” (61st)
Bio: Everybody wanted Sanders out of Ryan High School in Denton, Texas, but Nick Saban bagged him for Alabama over offers from Oklahoma, LSU, Georgia, Notre Dame, Oregon and Penn State. Primarily an edge defender for the Crimson Tide in 2020 and 2021 (338 snaps on the defensive line, and just five in the box), Sanders chose to transfer to Arkansas for the 2022 season to move to a more traditional linebacker role — albeit with a lot of pass-rushing pop. In 2022 for the Razorbacks, Sanders had 11 sacks, 39 total pressures, 63 tackles, 43 stops, and he allowed 21 catches on 26 targets for 227 yards, 210 yards after the catch, no touchdowns, one interception, two pass breakups, and an opponent passer rating of 87.0.
Stat to Know: Sanders lined up along the edge on 20% of his snaps last season, amassing five sacks and 17 total pressures when he did so.
Strengths: Sanders has a real knack for getting to the quarterback whether he’s off-ball or on the edge; when he’s at the second level, he uses his closing speed (which is ridiculous for an off-ball linebacker) and range to close the distance between himself and the quarterback in a big hurry, even if he’s spying at first. Sanders can get to fifth gear right away.
Sanders can also bring his edge experience to the table with some nice speed-to-power stuff.
Weaknesses: Because he has just one year of experience as a true linebacker, Sanders is very raw in pass coverage. He struggles to pick up keys and will be left flat-footed more often than you’d like, even against short, easy stuff.
Conclusion: Sanders’ NFL team will have a series of fascinating discussions about his potential. There is an argument to be made that you just make him a pass-rusher most of the time, and forget about the linebacker stuff. On the other hand, if Sanders can get the hang of the nuances of the linebacker position over the next couple of seasons to add to all his existing attributes, he could be a true one-of-one player in the league. He’s a downhill linebacker and pass-rusher from Day 1; the question is, how much more can he become?
NFL Comparison: Connor Barwin. The Texans took Barwin in the second round of the 2009 draft out of Cincinnati, and while Barwin always had a decent number of snaps in the box throughout his career with Houston, the Eagles, the Rams, and the Giants, he was primarily an edge guy — and a very good one at his peak, with three seasons of double-digit sacks. Sanders profiles pretty well in that same way.
4. Daiyan Henley, Washington State
(Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports)
Height: 6′ 0⅜” (14th percentile) Weight: 225 (5th)
40-Yard Dash: 4.54 (88th)
10-Yard Split: 1.55 (85th)
Bench Press: N/A
Vertical Jump: 35″ (63rd)
Broad Jump: 125″ (88th)
3-Cone Drill: N/A
20-Yard Shuttle: N/A
Wingspan: N/A
Arm Length: 33″ (74th)
Hand Size: 9½” (41st)
Bio: Daiyan Henley has been around. He started his collegiate career at Nevada as a receiver in 2017, moved to defensive back in 2019, and then to linebacker in 2020. His transfer to Washington State for the 2022 season put him on the national radar, and Henley responded with a season in which he had five sacks, 18 pressures, 74 tackles, 40 stops, and he allowed 34 catches on 46 targets for 361 yards, 212 yards after the catch, two touchdowns, one interception, one pass breakup, and an opponent passer rating of 101.8. In 2022, Henley played 560 snaps at linebacker, 59 in the slot, 39 along the defensive line, seven at cornerback, and one at free safety.
Stat to Know: In 2021, his final season at Nevada, Henley had four interceptions. If you want a guy who can defend flat to curl all day long, Henley should be on your list.
Henley can also disrupt the quarterback from the edge, and as a blitzer. He already has an elevated sense of getting after the passer on stunts and games.
As long as he breaks for the ball at the right time, Henley is a good coverage linebacker, as we have seen. But there are times when you’d like to see him be more proactive when getting to his target.
Conclusion: Henley comes into the NFL at a time when his type of linebacker — the off-ball specialist who can legitimately cover half the field — is more valuable than ever. When he’s on point and understands what the offense is doing, he’ll be an asset from the second he steps into the building. His professional coaches will have to clean up the diagnosis stuff, but Henley is well on his way to helping to define his eventual NFL defense.
NFL Comparison: Bobby Okereke. The Colts got Okereke in the third round of the 2019 draft out of Stanford, and Okereke overcame some early play-reading issues to become one of the NFL’s more underrated linebackers. Okereke just signed a four-year, $40 million contract with the Giants, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see Henley provide similar value to his defense(s) as a do-it-all guy for his size.
5. Noah Sewell, Oregon
(Troy Wayrynen-USA TODAY Sports)
Height: 6′ 1⅝” (47th percentile) Weight: 246 (78th)
40-Yard Dash: 4.64 (67th)
10-Yard Split: 1.57 (79th)
Bench Press: 27 reps (87th)
Vertical Jump: 33″ (41st)
Broad Jump: 115″ (38th)
3-Cone Drill: N/A
20-Yard Shuttle: N/A
Wingspan: N/A
Arm Length: 31⅝” (29th)
Hand Size: 10″ (76th)
Bio: Sewell, the younger brother of 2021 Detroit Lions first-round pick Penei Sewell, was the consensus No. 1 player in Utah and ranked a top three inside linebacker in the nation by ESPN, Rivals and 247Sports, Sewell chose Oregon over offers from (deep breath) Alabama, Arizona, Arizona State, Auburn, BYU, California, Clemson, Florida, Florida State, Georgia, Hawaii, Kansas State, LSU, Miami (Fla.), Michigan, Nebraska, Nevada, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Oregon State, Stanford, Tennessee, Texas A&M, USC, Utah, Utah State, Virginia, Washington, Washington State and Wisconsin.
Over three seasons with the Ducks, Sewell had eight sacks, 61 total pressures, 146 tackles, 86 stops, and he allowed 58 catches on 78 targets for 510 yards, 385 yards after the catch, two touchdowns, two interceptions, six pass breakups, and an opponent passer rating of 89.2. In 2022, he had 457 snaps at linebacker, 85 along the defensive line, 56 in the slot, and three at cornerback.
Stat to Know: Sewell tied with Cincinnati’s Ivan Pace Jr. for the lowest missed tackle rate (2%) among the linebackers on this list.
Strengths: Sewell really shows up as a pass disruptor, whether blitzing or off the edge. He had 10 total pressures off the edge last season, and I don’t know if he can become a pure situational edge defender at the next level, but his coaches will certainly spend a few minutes at least thinking about it. Sewell’s embryonic speed-to-power stuff is certainly interesting.
Weaknesses: While Sewell can cover to a degree, he’s not the kind of linebacker who will give you great dividends up the seam. His movement skills are pretty limited in coverage, so buyer beware there. He’ll drop, go to a spot, and just stay there. This might be something he can’t overcome, and his NFL team will have to adjust accordingly. I wouldn’t want him in the slot to any serious degree, for example.
Conclusion: Sewell may not have lived up to all the hype as a recruit, but he’d have to be the evolutionary Dick Butkus to do that. It’s his misfortune to a degree to hit the NFL 20-30 years after his kind of linebacker was most valued. You put him as the downhill SAM in a base 4-3, or one of the inside guys in a true 3-4, and he’d have been just fine. Sewell’s limitations in movement and coverage will have some NFL teams looking elsewhere, but if you like your linebackers big, nasty, and able to blow things up all over the front seven, you could do a lot worse.
NFL Comparison: Kyle Van Noy. There is some Dont’a Hightower to Sewell’s game as a run defender and pass-rusher close to the ball, but Sewell might be a bit more agile at the second level. Think more of Van Noy, who the Lions took in the second round of the 2014 draft out of BYU. Van Noy has never been anything to write home about in coverage, but he’s become a plus run defender and pass rusher at multiple points of the defense in which he’s played.
6. DeMarvion Overshown, Texas
(Syndication: Austin American-Statesman)
Height: 6′ 2¾” (72nd percentile) Weight: 229 (14th)
40-Yard Dash: 4.56 (85th)
10-Yard Split: 1.59 (70th)
Bench Press: 15 reps (5th)
Vertical Jump: N/A
Broad Jump: 124″ (85th)
3-Cone Drill: N/A
20-Yard Shuttle: N/A
Wingspan: N/A
Arm Length: 32¼” (47th)
Hand Size: 9½” (41st)
Bio: An All-America, all-state and two-time all-district honoree out of Arp High School in Arp, Texas, Overshown committed to Texas in 2018, had 33 starts over his five season, and played in 50 total games. Over those five seasons for the Longhorns, Overshown had nine sacks, 52 total pressures, 187 tackles, 119 stops, and he allowed 92 catches on 118 targets for 817 yards, 629 yards after the catch, two touchdowns, three interceptions, 10 pass breakups, and an opponent passer rating of 90.6. In 2022, he had 469 snaps at linebacker, 123 along the defensive line, 117 in the slot, and two at cornerback.
Stat to Know: Overshown’s pressure rate of 25% in 2022 is the highest for any linebacker on this list.
Strengths: Let’s start with that pressure rate, and how it manifests on the field. Overshown uses his athleticism to work off the edge with excellent ability to sift through blocks…
In coverage, Overshown is athletic and agile enough to cover short and intermediate stuff from the middle of the field to the flat.
Weaknesses: At his size, Overshown will get washed out in the run game by blockers at the first and second levels. Like a lot of lighter linebackers, he’s better off reading gaps than trying to take people on in a physical sense.
Conclusion: Teams in need of run-pluggers at the position might look another way in Overshown’s case, but his skill set personifies the ways in which the NFL is trending in that he provides range, measurables, athletic aggression, and pure movement in an appealing package. He could be a real factor for a defensive coaching staff that maximizes his abilities on the edge, in the box, and in the slot, without worrying too much about how he deals with power situations.
NFL Comparison: Daryl Washington. Selected by the Cardinals out of TCU in the second round of the 2010 draft out of TCU, and before off-field issues got the better of him (this is not a comparable in Overshown’s case), Washington was for a while one of the prototypical versions of the modern linebacker who could cover in the box and the slot, as well as reading run fits and providing two-level pressure.
7. Dorian Williams, Tulane
(Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports)
Height: 6′ 0¾” (16th percentile) Weight: 228 (11th)
40-Yard Dash: 4.49 (94th)
10-Yard Split: 1.54 (89th)
Bench Press: N/A
Vertical Jump: 33½” (47th)
Broad Jump: 120″ (68th)
3-Cone Drill: N/A
20-Yard Shuttle: N/A
Wingspan: N/A
Arm Length: 33¾” (92nd)
Hand Size: 10¼” (90th)
Bio: Williams was a two- to three-star prospect out of Indian Land High School in South Carolina, and the “major” school offers were not forthcoming — he chose Tulane over Coastal Carolina and Troy. But he became a force for the Green Wave in 2021, when he led the American Athletic Conference with 98 total tackles, and especially in 2022 for a Tulane team that went 12-2, and finished the season ranked ninth in the nation after shocking USC, 46-45, in the Cotton Bowl.
Over four seasons with the Green Wave, Williams had 11 sacks, 44 total pressures, 217 tackles, 128 stops, and he allowed 56 catches on 75 targets for 503 yards, 302 yards after the catch, two touchdowns, two interceptions, eight pass breakups, and an opponent passer rating of 90.0. In 2022, he had 756 snaps at linebacker, 53 along the defensive line, 38 in the slot, and two at cornerback.
Stat to Know: Of Williams’ 22 total pressures last season, 15 came from the middle linebacker position as either a blitzer or as a spy.
Strengths: Williams works well as a spy because of his closing speed, but also because he’s alert to move well in short spaces to keep up with quarterbacks trying to get out of his radius. Good luck with that, quarterbacks.
Weaknesses: That Cotton Bowl win over USC did have multiple instances in which Williams struggled to get off blocks to the ballcarrier — generally speaking, linebackers his size are going to be better off looking for open space to exploit as opposed to trying to wrestle with giants.
Conclusion: Nobody is going to realistically debit Williams for his liabilities in power situations when he comes to the NFL with obvious attributes in space with his height/weight profile. Where you want him is in that role as a true half-field ‘backer who can clean things up at the line of scrimmage, create pressure from all over the place, and cover beyond where most linebackers can. In those regards, he’s a modern linebacker who absolutely fits the profile.
NFL Comparison: Wesley Woodyard. An undrafted free agent out of Kentucky, Woodyard got on with the Broncos for the 2008 season, and over the next six years in Denver, matched with six years with the Titans, Woodyard transcended any questions about his size to become one of the NFL’s more instinctive move linebackers. Williams seems like the same kind of player — someone who will amplify the efforts of your defense with a lot of great tools.
8. Ivan Pace Jr., Cincinnati
(Kareem Elgazzar/Cincinnati Enquirer via USA TODAY NETWORK)
Height: 5′ 10⅝” (1st percentile) Weight: 231 (19th)
40-Yard Dash: N/A
10-Yard Split: N/A
Bench Press: N/A
Vertical Jump: N/A
Broad Jump: N/A
3-Cone Drill: N/A
20-Yard Shuttle: N/A
Wingspan: N/A
Arm Length: 30¼ (3rd)
Hand Size: 9½” (41st)
Bio: Pace spent three seasons at Miami (Ohio) out of Colerain High School in Cincinnati before transferring to the Bearcats to play with his younger brother, Deshawn Pace. Over four seasons with those two schools, Pace had 24 sacks, 100 total pressures, 209 tackles, 153 stops, and he allowed 37 catches on 50 targets for 343 yards, 190 yards after the catch, two touchdowns, one interception, five pass breakups, and an opponent passer rating of 97.3. Last season, he had 847 snaps at linebacker, 48 along the defensive line, and two in the slot.
Stat to Know: No linebacker in the 2023 draft class had more sacks (12) or total pressures (55) in the 2022 season than Pace, who also allowed the lowest yards per target (3.0) among players designated as inside linebackers by Sports Info Solutions.
Strengths: So, if a guy with first-percentile height and 19th-percentile weight for his position excels as a pass-rusher at the college level, what does that mean in his NFL transition? From the ways in which he loves to get physical with blocking backs, to his closing speed, Pace absolutely has transitive pass-rushing skills for the next level.
Weaknesses: As you would expect, Pace doesn’t stand much of a chance if he has to take on offensive linemen in power situations — here, he’s much better off trying to find the open space. Otherwise, it’s a wasted rep.
Conclusion: You might think that Pace’s size profile makes him an outlier in the modern NFL, but there are enough linebackers 5-foot-11 and under, and about 230 pounds, who are given the opportunity in the league. Pace will get his shot because he works so well at the second level, and there are enough NFL defenses that understand the need for their fronts to take care of the war daddies, while the uber-quick linebackers move in for the splash plays.
NFL Comparison: David Long. The Titans selected Long in the sixth round of the 2019 draft out of West Virginia, and over the last few years, Long has excelled in everything from blitzing to run fits to certain coverage concepts. Both Long and Pace are proof that you don’t need to fit a certain body profile to make it as a linebacker at the highest level.
