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Football is a dynamic sport. You don’t have to be an expert to see how the game has changed in the last 15 years. Offenses and defenses have each had their advantages in different schemes over the last decade and a half.
As things have changed, a key position on defense has suffered: linebacker.
It’s become one of the least valued positions in the NFL. Only four linebackers currently have an average annual value (AAV) on their contracts above $15 million, per OverTheCap. That’s the fewest of any position on defense and compares to 23 edge rushers and 21 cornerbacks which surpass that threshold.
It’s harder to project future success at the position than others when going from college to the professional level. Successful college linebackers may be too small or too slow to handle what they’ll be facing in the NFL.
It’s tough to find players that meet the criteria of being strong enough to take on or shed blocks, hard-hitting enough to reliably tackle and fast enough to handle running backs or tight ends in coverage.
Outside of the likes of perennial All-Pros Fred Warner and Roquan Smith, teams hav struggled to find reliable, consistent linebacker play, especially from younger players.
That could change dramatically in 2026.
Linebacker is one of the best positions in the 2026 NFL Draft. The Ohio State duo of Arvell Reese and Sonny Styles are locks for the first round; Georgia’s CJ Allen isn’t far behind.
Reese and Styles are both elite athletes for the position with impressive size at 6-foot-4 and around 240 pounds. But they’re not solely relying on their physical tools.
‘What pick I go, I do believe I can make a difference,’ Styles said. ‘Whatever club I get to, figure out what my role is and be a champion at that role.’
That mix of size and athleticism sets both of the former Buckeyes up for success. Linebackers need more than that and both have shown their pre- and post-snap recognition in 2025.
‘I want to show [teams] I’m an intelligent football player,’ Styles added. ‘I’m not just a guy just out there running and hitting. That’s part of the game too but you have to be a smart football player especially in the NFL.’
‘Teams have pretty much been asking me what I want to do and see where my mind was at. I’ve been telling them I think I’m an outside linebacker, edge, potentially,’ Reese said. ‘I think I got a lot to get better at linebacker and edge, as far as pass rushing and coverage. But I think I can adapt to it, quick.’
One buzzword stands out with this incoming linebacker class: versatility.
Cincinnati product Jake Golday is similar sized to Styles and Reese with impressive athleticism for his frame as well. His experience at defensive end before settling in at linebacker for the Bearcats gives him confidence he can fit in any scheme at the NFL level.
‘I’ll do whatever is asked of me,’ he said. ‘One of the abilities that I have is that I’m really versatile.’
LSU linebacker Harold Perkins Jr. burst on the college football scene as a freshman with 7.5 sacks, four forced fumbles and an interception in 2022. Injuries affected his 2024 season and that plus his smaller frame could see him selected in the later rounds. But he’s shown a varied skillset that could fit teams’ evolving demands.
‘Just talking with teams and they ask me how I see myself and I give them all the same answer: I’m versatile,’ Perkins said. ‘Depending on the opponent we’re playing, who they’ve got over there and what you want me to do. If you need me at linebacker or if you need me at the edge or at that big nickel spot, I can do it.’
Reese, Styles, Allen and Golday are all likely to be the first linebackers drafted in the class with the mix of size and athleticism to handle NFL demands.
After that comes a group including Perkins and Alabama’s Deontae Lawson who both can handle the speed of the NFL game but have size questions at over 6-foot but under 230 pounds.
Lawson’s candid about how he should improve to stick at the NFL level.
‘Block deconstruction because at the next level you have elite offensive linemen that know their best way of getting the block so you can’t just slip and avoid everyone,’ he said.
He’s not worried about holding up in coverage, though.
‘I can run sideline-to-sideline and I think my instincts are pretty high,’ Lawson said. ‘I have great play recognition and I think that goes back to my film studying.’
Starting in Indianapolis at the NFL scouting combine this week, this linebacker class will make the case to be the best in years. They’ll have two months to emphatically convince franchises that’s true ahead before the NFL draft in April.
NFL combine: How to watch LBs
- Day: Thursday, Feb. 26
- Time: 3 p.m. ET
- Location: Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis
- TV: NFL Network
- Streaming: NFL+, fubo
- Drills:
- Pass drop and hip rotation
- Pass rush drill
- Four-bag shuffle drills
- Tests:
- 40-yard dash
- Vertical jump
- Broad jump
- 3-cone drill
- 20-yard shuttle
- Bench press
Catch all of the NFL combine drills with a Fubo subscription