NFL Draft Preview: Linebackers
Overall
A position group long on potential, but short on experience/production. Teams that have a linebacker need and are drafting outside the top 10-15 picks may be able to stay put and get their preferred player. Micah Parsons and Gregory Rousseau opted out of 2020. Jayson Oweh had no sacks. Kwity Paye played only four games. And Jamin Davis and Jaelen Phillips are one-year wonders.
The Top 10
1. Micah Parsons, OLB/ILB, 6-foot-3, 246 pounds, Penn State. A one-year starter (2019), but what a season it was — 109 tackles (14 for lost yardage) and four forced fumbles in 13 games.
2. Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, ILB, 6-1 1/2, 221, Notre Dame. A top-30 safety in high school who played a hybrid linebacker-safety role in college, raising the question of which position is best for him in the NFL. He redshirted in 2017 and played only two games in ’18 (broken foot), but had 142 tackles in 2019-20, including a whopping 24 1/2 tackles for loss.
3. Kwity Paye, OLB, 6-2 1/2, 261, Michigan. Paye has the size to be a 3-4 outside linebacker in the Broncos’ scheme. But he had only one year of solid college production — 50 tackles and 6 1/2 sacks in 2019. He played only four games last year because of a groin injury (16 tackles, two sacks).
4. Gregory Rousseau, OLB, 6-6 5/8, 266, Miami (Fla.). One of the draft’s high-risk/high-reward prospects. In his three years for Miami, he redshirted (ankle injury), had 15 1/2 sacks (second nationally behind Chase Young) and opted out.
5. Zaven Collins, OLB, 6-5, 259, Tulsa. Highly honored after a 2020 season in which he had 53 tackles, four sacks and four interceptions in eight games (first-team All-America). He projects as a 3-4 inside linebacker and his 13 career pass break-ups suggest he can instantly be a sub-package player.
6. Jaelen Phillips, OLB, 6-5 1/2, 260, Miami (Fla.). Some teams may like Phillips more than his Miami teammate Rousseau because of his pass-rushing potential. Phillips missed 14 games in 2017-18 with UCLA (ankle, wrist and concussion), but had a team-high eight sacks in his only year with the Hurricanes.
7. Jamin Davis, ILB, 6-3 1/2, 234, Kentucky. An out-of-nowhere prospect who was in a spring 2020 competition just to start for the Wildcats. He led the team with 102 tackles and ran the 40-yard dash in 4.47 seconds.
8. Azeez Ojulari, OLB, 6-2 1/4, 249, Georgia. As a third-year sophomore, he led the SEC with 12 1/2 tackles for loss, 8 1/2 sacks and four forced fumbles. At his listed weight, defending the run may be an initial challenge, but he will make up for it on third down as a pass rusher.
9. Carlos Basham, OLB, 6-3 1/4, 274, Wake Forest. Depending on the team that drafts him, he will be a 4-3 end or a 3-4 outside linebacker. He had 20 1/2 sacks in 45 games (33 starts) and posted an impressive time of 4.59 seconds in the 40.
10. Joseph Ossai, OLB, 6-4, 256, Texas. Another prospect who projects as a 3-4 outside linebacker, Ossai had 145 tackles and 10 sacks in his final two years for the Longhorns (24 games).
Stock Rising
Joe Tryon, Washington
Listed at 6-foot-5 and 262 pounds before opting out of 2020, Tryon had eight sacks and 12 1/2 tackles for loss in his final college year. Tyron could represent good value early in the second round.
Stock Falling
Jayson Oweh, Penn State
He will be over-drafted despite not recording a sack last year for the Nittany Lions. That “0” on his stat chart is tough to overlook … so we won’t.
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2016: Two (first round picks).
2017: Five.
2018: Four.
2019: Four.
2020: Four.
Sunday: Defensive backs.
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