Trenton Simpson
Clemson
Grade: 1st-Rd
USAToday
Trenton Simpson is a highly-regarded linebacker who was the number one OLB recruit in North Carolina in the 2020 class. Although Simpson initially committed to Auburn, he later signed with Clemson, where he took over the do-it-all defensive catalyst role from Isaiah Simmons in his sophomore year. Simpson's versatility is one of his biggest assets, and he is equally capable of playing in the box, in the slot, off the edge, or even at deep safety. He can pressure quarterbacks, take on blocks in run defense, and blanket pass catchers in coverage. In his junior year, Simpson recorded 110 tackles, 18.5 of which were for a loss, 10 sacks, three pass breakups, and a forced fumble in 15 starts.
Despite being compared to Isaiah Simmons, Simpson plays his role differently. While Simmons was a jumbo-sized safety, Simpson is a true linebacker with the athleticism to play in space. Simpson is not the strongest, but he easily converts speed to power and plays with excellent pad level, making him a willing and able blitzer. He gains leverage and uses his length to control the opposition at the point of attack, and his twitchiness affords him some room for error. He has a very lean build with little body fat. Simpson's coverage prowess is also exciting, and he excels in making plays on the ball, though his ticker might be slow to see it develop. He also has a solid amount of special-teams experience, and his motor is never in question.
While Simpson has a lot going for him, there is always room for improvement. His versatility hurt him in one area, and he can occasionally miss tackles. He only has a single year of starting experience also. However, his ability to dominate all over the field makes him a surefire first-round pick in the 2023 NFL Draft. He may have the best sideline-to-sideline range of any linebacker in this class.
Henry To'o To'o
Alabama
Grade: 2nd-Rd
(Michael Wade / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Henry To’oTo’o is a senior linebacker from Alabama who started his career with the Tennessee Volunteers. He had a productive two seasons with the Volunteers before transferring to Alabama, where he put up even better numbers and earned All-SEC second-team honors in 2021. To’oTo’o is now considered a top linebacker prospect in the 2023 NFL Draft.
To’oTo’o has a solid build at 6’1” and 230 pounds, with good density and length. He is explosively quick and has excellent range, allowing him to track across the field and neutralize zone runs. To’oTo’o is a lateral athlete with loose hips, active feet, and the ability to adapt in space. He is also a quick processor, recognizing formations and reacting to plays with urgency.
To’oTo’o is a high-energy competitor who hits hard and actively aims to dislodge the ball from opposing players. He is a strong tackler who uses his length to wrap up and wrestle down ball carriers. To’oTo’o is also a violent blocker who can stonewall H-backs and collapse runs early. He sheds blocks with force and has the play strength to do so in space. To'o To'o is expected to be an early day two pick as an ultra-athletic linebacker who checks as an A+ run defender.
Jack Campbell
Iowa
Grade: 2nd Rd
(Robin Alam/ Icon Sportswire Via Getty Images)
Jack Campbell is a linebacker from Iowa who has had a successful college football career. He came to Iowa as an unheralded player and worked his way up to become a high-level starter in 2021. Campbell earned the Butkus Award as the top linebacker in college football in 2022. He also graded as PFF's 2nd-highest graded linebacker among all Power-5 schools, just behind Cincinatti's Ivan Pace. He is known for his high-level talent and high-level character, being a permanent defensive captain at Iowa.
Campbell is an extremely well-built linebacker with rare size and a stout base to combat blocks. He has maybe average range but he is a strong, physical tackler who brings maximum effort on every down. One of the areas of his strengths is his patience waiting for gaps to open and immediately filling them instead of running himself out of position. He also has awareness to scrap blockers and limit the amount of space for a runningback to find gaps. Campbell isn't a particularly twitchy athlete, and not a player you can move into the slot, but he graded exceptionally well in coverage with two interceptions as a hooks/curl defender.
Campbell is a true Mike linebacker with the right skills for the position and leadership you want in the middle of your defense. His combination of size, athleticism, play recognition, gap discipline, coverage ability, and playmaking range make him well-rounded with arguably the highest floor in his group. He can be a high-quality starter on an NFL defense for a decade and has a place as a defensive leader waiting for him with his character and active communication. Campbell's current draft projection is as a fringe top-50 prospect, a top-five player at his position, and a defender who's tailor-made for the MIKE role in the NFL.
Noah Sewell
Oregon
Grade: 2nd Rd
(AP Photo/Andy Nelson
Noah Sewell played for the University of Oregon and his brother, Penei Sewell, was a top-10 pick by the Detroit Lions. In high school, the younger Sewell transitioned from quarterback to linebacker and went on to become a five-star recruit, finishing his high school career with 206 total tackles, 28 for loss, and earning a No. 13 overall ranking in the 2020 class. At Oregon, he was named Pac-12 Freshman Defensive Player of the Year and in his junior year, he earned a first-team All-Pac-12 nod as well as a spot as a semifinalist for the Butkus Award.
Despite an underwhelming 2022 season, Sewell remains one of the top prospects in the class due to his impressive physique and physicality. His sheer size and strength make him an excellent fit as a run defender, and his play style as a thumper, and ability to come downhill, stack and shed blocks, and fill gaps in the run game is unparalleled. The issue being his tendency to over-run plays and being to excited for the big play instead of taking the smaller ones. Sewell's coverage skills can also be impressive, though inconsistant with lapses in judgement.
Sewell's Combine performance confirmed what we see on tape, he is a freak athlete with speed and explosiveness being major keys to his game. Sewell's durability and mental toughness are underrated aspects of his scouting report, as he never missed a game despite suffering multiple minor injuries. Overall, Sewell's combination of size, strength, and physicality will leave defensive coordinators salivating. Prior to last season, he had legitiment first-round hype, though a down season last year could drop him to being picked in the middle rounds.
Drew Sanders
Arkansas
Grade: 3rd Rd
AP Photo/Michael Woods
Drew Sanders is a junior linebacker from Arkansas, who was a five-star recruit in the 2020 class and played for the Alabama Crimson Tide before transferring to Arkansas. In his previous team, Sanders played as a rotational defender and quality special teamer. At Arkansas, Sanders was moved off-ball, indulging his versatility and was able to accumulate 103 total tackles, 13.5 tackles for loss, 9.5 sacks, a pick, five pass deflections, and three forced fumbles in 12 games across the 2022 campaign. He was awarded first-team All-SEC honors, which improved his draft stock as an NFL Draft prospect. Sanders possesses all the qualities of an ideal modern linebacker, making him a desirable player for NFL teams.
Sanders is an elite athlete for his size and displays high-end initial burst and long-track explosiveness when triggering on plays. As a former edge rusher, he offers a bristling first step as a pass rusher and can stress tackles to the apex with ease. Sanders also shows off exceptional range and is able to run down passers roaming to the sideline. As an athlete, Sanders is long, lean, with a quick burst, fluid motions, and about as agile as it gets for the position. The issue is the instincts might not be where it needs to be, even if the size and athleticism are worthy of 1st round praise. He has the highlights tracking down the ball, but he is unaware of coverage duties, and doesn't always breakdown for tackles in space.
Sanders is a high-energy pass rusher with an aresenal of moves from his years playing off the edge at Alabama as a backup. His duties as a linebacker will be as a blitzer first, QB-spy second, outside edge third, and coverage as a deep forth. Sanders has a lot of potential as an NFL prospect but more as a Micah Parson kind-of-player than a Bobby Wagner. For as athletic and toolsy as Sanders is, lack of instincts for the position may be a concern as a true middle linebacker. PFF projects Sanders to be picked between picks 50-80.
Ivan Pace Jr.
Cincinatti
Grade: 4th Rd
Field Level Media
Ivan Pace Jr. was a productive linebacker who moved from Miami-OH to Cincinnati with ease. He was PFF's highest graded linebacker (93.2) in college football last season and made several All-American rosters. Pace's outstanding instincts, explosive burst, and short-area quickness make him a heat-seeking missile who has a knack for finding the football. He often lines up in the middle of Cincinnati's defense and makes the calls, showcasing above-average range sideline to sideline and flashes as a tackler.
Pace's playmaking ability and instincts in run defense is exciting, but he lacks the length and mass to consistently fight off blocks in the box, which often leaves him covered up by guards working through the second level. Still, he had the 2nd-most run stops of any linebacker last season with 50. Furthermore, his energetic playstyle results in over-run plays, which creates cut-back lanes for ball carriers. In coverage, he has good athleticism with quickness to stay connected in man and instincts to know where to be in zone. However, his size and length limit his ability to defend taller tight ends who can win at the catch point.
Pace possesses toughness, good burst/speed, and instincts that make him an ideal inside backer. However, his lack of requisite size and length are major concerns, especially in man coverage. His top strengths include short-area quickness, play temperament, blitzing, and toughness, while his top concerns include size, length, and man coverage. He is project to be drafted outside the top-100.
Owen Pappoe
Auburn
Grade: 4th Rd
(University of Auburn)
Owen Pappoe is a senior linebacker from Auburn who was a former five-star recruit in the 2019 recruiting class. He has that explosive athleticism and proven productivity that make him a standout linebacker. In four seasons at Auburn, Pappoe recorded 256 tackles, 15 tackles for loss, eight sacks, two interceptions, seven pass deflections, and three forced fumbles. His standout performance in 2022 earned him recognition as a Butkus Award semifinalist.
Pappoe possesses an explosive and well-leveraged frame with great proportional length, which allows him to shed blocks effectively and wrap up opponents. However, he can be prone to faulty angles and premature gap commitment, which can result in him getting flushed out of plays entirely. Pappoe’s physical tools make him an intriguing prospect, and his translatable athleticism in coverage and ability to be an able tackler give him early rotational and special-teams utility. He may need some time to develop into a potential starter but his athletism projects as a great special teams ace.
Pappoe currently projects to be drafted between picks 120-150. PFF has him listed as 146 on their big board, just inside the top-150, mainly due to the versatility he provides as a player who lined up in the box, out in the slot, and on the defensive line during his college career.
Dorian Williams
Tulane
Grade: 4th Rd
AP Photo/Tyler Kaufman
Dorian Williams was a three-star recruit from South Carolina who has made a name for himself at Tulane as a dependable player on defense and special teams. Williams led the American Athletic Conference in tackles in 2020 and is respected as a leader within the program. He has the kind of athleticism you’d expect from a 230-pound linebacker combined with the physicality you’d expect from a heavier one. He has a solid frame and the necessary movement skills to drop in coverage and pursue the football to the sidelines, though his angles can be hit or miss.
Williams can close distances when searching to cut off routes and flow outside the tackles. He plays with a hot motor and has proven capable of navigating tight quarters to find the football. Williams struggles to take on and play through contact. His balance when taking on blocks is poor, and his ability to deconstruct blocks is below average. While Williams has made his share of highlight reel plays as Mike linebacker in college, he projects to be a core special trainer early in his career. One thing impressive about his college resume is special teams with over 700 reps across four seasons.
Despite his limitations, Williams has the potential to be an impact special teamer that can provide depth at linebacker on defense. He has the physical makeup of a starter but needs to get stronger, play faster, and develop instinctively to be considered a starter at the next level. His size and frame, special teams resume, and experience on defense, as well as his movement skills and college production, are all top reasons to consider him. Williams projects to be drafted between 100 to 140, which makes him a solid forty round pick, though an impressive combine could lead to him find his way into the day two conversation.
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