RYAN DUNLEAVY’S TOP 10 LINEBACKERS
Player School Ht Wt
1. Edgerrin Cooper Texas A&M 6-2 230
Want sacks? He had eight. Want coverage? He can man-up tight ends and backs (eight pass breakups over last two seasons). Want tackling? Ball-carriers felt his 83 stops last season. Knack for spying dual-threat quarterbacks. Guilty of over-pursuit.
2. Junior Colson Michigan 6-2 238
Big, physical run-stuffer who sheds blocks and finds crevices to sniff out the ball. Wrap-up tackler won’t let many get away. Adequate enough in pass coverage over the middle to be a three-down player. Zero interceptions in 43 career games.
3. Payton Wilson N.C. State 6-4 233 All the physical and mental attributes to be a first-rounder. Extensive injury history but returned from all to win 2023 Chuck Bednarik (college football’s top defensive player). Tackling machine still has his speed and range. Alcohol-related arrest in 2019.
4. Jeremiah Trotter Jr. Clemson 6-0 228 Needs no introduction after his father’s Pro Bowl career with Eagles. Instinctual and powerful player who always is first on the scene. Creates disruption as a blitzer. Always under control but concerns about his size and coverage ability.
5. Cedric Gray N. Carolina 6-1 234 Filled the box score with a third straight 100-tackle season, five sacks, two forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries and an interception in 2023. Charges downhill and takes the correct angles. Might get swallowed up by bigger-body blockers.
Player School Ht Wt 6. Tommy Eichenberg Ohio St. 6-2 233 Best season was 2022 (12 of 120 tackles for loss) Always plays at full speed — sometimes overrunning the ball to be stuck arm-tackling — and can run in space with a tight end. Slow-breaking on intermediate routes. A throwback football junkie.
7. Nathaniel Watson Miss. St. 6-2 233 Led SEC in sacks (10) and tackles (137) last season, upping two-year total to 25 for loss. Owns the box, but less of a factor in edge pursuit and in spread coverage. Twice arrested (DUI, assault). Can be lured into personal fouls.
8. Trevin Wallace Kentucky 6-1 237 Polarizing prospect whose alluring traits include footwork, physicality, quickness and range. Will let small gains become bigger because he is going for the ball. Possibility to grow into a three-down player with better down-and-distance recognition.
9. Curtis Jacobs Penn St. 6-1 241 Noticeable closing burst, especially behind the line of scrimmage (24 career tackles for loss). Broad-jumped 10-feet, 4-inches. Could be a two-down defensive player if field awareness doesn’t improve in coverage — but also a core specialteamer.
10. Jordan Magee Temple 6-1 228 Turned down FCS offers to play college quarterback. Three-year starting middle linebacker who never asked off punt coverage. Accelerates into ball-carriers. Looks for ways around blocks rather than through them. Underwent biceps surgery last November.