2025 NFL Draft Prospects: Inside Linebacker

11/16/24: Campbell had a big-time presence for the Crimson Tide in their road blowout of LSU. He had 1.5 sacks and a forced fumble and was an active defender in both phases. Campbell showed versatility by dropping into coverage as well as rushing the passer. Campbell is a big linebacker with speed and athleticism to go with his size. In 2024, he has 68 tackles with four sacks, two forced fumbles, one interception, and a pass broken up. Campbell looks like an early-round talent for the 2025 or 2026 NFL Draft.

11/16/24: Lawson has been a tough defender for the Crimson Tide in 2024, making a lot of plays in the ground game and contributing some plays in pass defense. He has 73 tackles with two sacks, one forced fumble, an interception, and three passes defended. In 2023, he had 67 tackles with three sacks and four passes defended after recording 51 tackles and four passes broken up.

11/16/24: In 2024, Barton has 59 tackles with four passes broken up.

6/27/24: Barton was on his way to an impressive 2023 season before a right foot injury ended his season after seven games. In those seven contests, he totaled 34 tackles with two interceptions, one forced fumble, and two passes broken up. In 2022 he had 46 tackles with 4.5 sacks, one forced fumble, and one pass broken up. The NFL advance scouts gave Barton a high projection on their preseason watch list.

11/16/24: In 2024, Carter has 43 tackles, four passes broken up, and three sacks.

6/27/24: Carter recorded 62 tackles, five passes batted, and 3.5 sacks in 2023. He had a strong 2022 season with 73 tackles, 5.5 sacks, two forced fumbles, two interceptions and eight passes broken up. Team sources said Carter is fast and athletic but small and can get destroyed in the inside run. He struggles to get off blocks and is a run-chase linebacker. Carter fits as a coverage linebacker in the sub package, but he could have issues holding up in the base set in the NFL.

11/16/24: Thus far in 2024, Stutsman has 96 tackles with one sack. Team sources are projecting him to be a day-two pick. They think he is a solid player with some limitations in pass coverage.

6/27/24: In 2023, Stutsman totaled 104 tackles, three sacks, an interception, two forced fumbles and three passes defended. Team sources said Stutsman is very athletic, very fast and very instinctive. They stated they feel he has good size and length, but lacks ideal strength and physicality. They opined that Stutsman could be similar to Pete Werner, except Stutsman is a little more finesse and has a lack of strength compared to Werner. Stutsman had a good 2022 season for the Sooners, recording 124 tackles, three sacks, two interceptions and five passes broken up. He is a big linebacker who displayed good instincts as a sophomore.

11/16/24: Jackson had 32 tackles with three passes broken up, an interception, and one sack. He played really well for Kentucky, and was a tough presence in the middle of the Wildcats defense before going down with an injury against Auburn.

6/27/24: Jackson was a tough defender for the Wildcats in 2023 recording 89 tackles with two sacks, two interceptions, and four passes defended. He has the potential to be a sleeper that could rise during the 2024 season.

11/16/24: Barham has 59 tackles with one sack and two passes defended thus far for Michigan. In 2023 he had 37 tackles with three sacks, an interception, and one pass batted. Thus far, his best season was his freshman campaign, when he had 59 tackles with four sacks, one forced fumble, and one pass broken up.

11/16/24: Dumas-Johnson has 54 tackles with 3.5 sacks, a forced fumble, and an interception. He’s played well for the Wildcats.

6/27/24: Playing for Georgia, Dumas-Johnson recorded 34 tackles, 3.5 sacks, and two passes defended in 2023 before going out of the lineup in early November. Team sources said they feel Dumas-Johnson has good instincts and plays strong. After the season, Dumas-Johnson transferred to Kentucky. Dumas-Johnson had an impressive debut as a first-season starter with the Bulldogs in 2022, with 70 tackles, four sacks, one forced fumble, and three passes broken up. He has a good skill set and could rise in Kentucky’s defense because it should fit him well.

11/16/24: Some team sources were impressed with Martin in the early going of the 2024 season. In 2024, Martin got off to a strong start, averaging over 11 tackles per game. He has 47 tackles, 5.5 tackles for a loss, one sack, and two passes broken up. Martin has been out of the lineup since late September with an injury. Last year, Martin was a tackling machine for the Cowboys with 140 stops, six sacks, two interceptions, and a forced fumble. Martin will fit as a Will linebacker in the NFL. He is undersized for the NFL, but has good instincts and could be a sleeper value pick.

11/16/24: Mondon has 18 tackles with two passes broken up.

6/27/24: Mondon played well in 2022 in his first season of playing time, recording 76 tackles, one sack, one breakup and one interception. In 2023, he totaled 68 tackles, three sacks, and a pass defended. Mondon has a good skill set with speed and athleticism. He could fit as a Mike – middle – or Will – weakside – linebacker at the pro level.

11/16/24: Mangum-Farrar returned to the field in mid-October and has seven tackles with one sack and one forced fumble.

6/27/24: 2023 was Mangum-Farrar’s first season at Indiana after previously playing at Stanford. In his debut with the Hoosiers, Mangum-Farrar had 62 tackles with four passes defended. In 2022 while playing with the Cardinal, Mangum-Farrar had 45 tackles with three passes defended.

11/16/24: Reid has 31 tackles and one pass batted. He suffered an injury against Baylor in early September and has been out of the lineup since then.

6/27/24: Reid was a decent contributor for the Utes in 2023, recording 67 tackles, one interception, and four passes defended. In 2022 he had 72 tackles with five sacks. Reid must increase his production and play well in pass coverage to rise.

11/16/24: Bruener has 78 tackles with three interceptions and five passes broken up thus far.

6/27/24: In 2023, Bruener was a solid linebacker for the Huskies totaling 86 tackles with 2.5 tackles for a loss, one interception, four passes broken up, and one forced fumble. Bruener could stand to get stronger for the NFL.

11/16/24: Knight has 54 tackles with two sacks and one pass broken up thus far.

6/27/24: Knight played at Charlotte before moving on to South Carolina. In 2023 he had 96 tackles with 1.5 sacks, three interceptions, and four passes defended. If he stays consistent or grows that production with the Gamecocks, he could be a riser for the 2025 NFL Draft.

11/16/24: Mascarenas-Arnold has 73 tackles with two sacks, two interceptions, and five passes broken up.

6/27/24: Mascarenas-Arnold was a good defender for Oregon State in 2023, recording 106 tackles with two sacks and two interceptions. He transferred to USC after the season. He is undersized so he might top out as a backup and special teams contributor.

11/16/24: Kiser has 49 tackles with a forced fumble.

6/27/24: In 2023, Kiser recorded 62 tackles, 1.5 sacks, an interception, and a forced fumble. Kiser flashed some ability as a sophomore in 2021 with 45 tackles, two forced fumbles, two interceptions, and four passes broken up.

11/16/24: Toure went down in training camp with a torn ACL, the same injury that cost him the 2022 season.

6/27/24: Toure was a solid defender in 2023, recording 92 tackles with 4.5 sacks, one forced fumble, one interception, and two passes defended. He missed the 2022 season and had a big jump from 2021 when he had 51 tackles with 4.5 sacks. Toure has to stay healthy and productive to rise.