2026 NFL Draft Prospects: Outside Linebacker



The top 2026 Outside Linebacker prospects available for the 2026 NFL Draft. * – denotes 2027 prospect. ** – denotes 2028 prospect.

This page was last updated Sept. 18, 2025. Follow Walter @walterfootball for updates.

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2024 NFL Draft Position Rankings:
QB | RB | FB | WR | TE | OT | G | C | DE | DT | NT | 3-4 OLB | 3-4 DE | OLB | ILB | CB | S | K | P

2025 NFL Draft Position Rankings:
QB | RB | WR | TE | OT | G | C | DE | DT | NT | 3-4 OLB | 3-4 DE | OLB | ILB | CB | S | K | P

2026 NFL Draft Position Rankings:
QB | RB | WR | TE | OT | G | C | DE | DT | NT | 3-4 OLB | 3-4 DE | OLB | ILB | CB | S | K | P

1. Texas image Anthony Hill Jr.*, OLB/ILB, Texas
Height: 6-3. Weight: 235.
Projected 40 Time: 4.55.
Projected Round (2026): 1.

Previous Seasons
  • ’25 – Abdul Carter, Penn State
  • ’24 – Dallas Turner, Alabama
  • ’23 – Will Anderson, Alabama

9/18/25: In 2025, Hill has 15 tackles with two forced fumbles. Hill was impressive as a true freshman in 2023, and it looked like he was scratching the surface of his ability. He totaled 67 tackles with five sacks, one forced fumble, and two passes defended. In 2024, Hill had 113 tackles with eight sacks, one pass broken up, and an interception. He was all over the field for the Longhorns, showing blitzing and pass-rushing ability, along with being a tough run defender. He is fast, strong, physical, and instinctive.


Seasonal Defensive Stats

Season Team Tackles Solo Ast Sack FF PD Int
2024 TEX 113 59 54 8 4 1 1
2023 TEX 67 41 26 5 1 2 0

Game Log

Date Opponent Result Tackles Solo Ast Sack FF PD Int
1/10/2025 OSU 8 28-14 6 4 2 .5 0 0 0
1/1/2025 ASU 4 39-31 2OT 8 1 7 0 0 0
12/21/2024 CLEM 12 38-24 9 7 2 0 0 0
12/7/2024 UGA 5 22-19 OT 6 6 0 0 0 1
11/30/2024 TA&M 20 17-7 5 3 2 0 0 0
11/23/2024 UK 31-14 11 7 4 2 1 0 0
11/16/2024 ARK 20-10 2 0 2 0 0 0
11/9/2024 FLA 49-17 8 3 5 1 0 0
10/26/2024 VAN 25 27-24 8 5 3 1 0 0
10/19/2024 UGA 5 30-15 8 4 4 1 0 0 0
10/12/2024 OU 18 34-3 11 7 4 2 1 0 0
9/28/2024 MSST 35-13 6 1 5 .5 0 0 0
9/21/2024 ULM 51-3 3 1 2 1 0 1 0
9/14/2024 UTSA 56-7 11 5 6 1 0 0 0
9/7/2024 MICH 10 31-12 6 2 4 0 0 0
8/31/2024 CSU 52-0 5 3 2 0 0 0
Stats from ESPN 8/3/2025


2. LSU image Harold Perkins, OLB, LSU
Height: 6-1. Weight: 220.
Projected 40 Time: 4.49.
Projected Round (2026): 1-2.

Previous Seasons
  • ’25 – Jalon Walker, Georgia
  • ’24 – Chop Robinson, Penn State
  • ’23 – Nolan Smith, Georgia

9/18/25: In 2025, Perkins has 13 tackles, two passes batted, and a sack. In 2024, Perkins had 16 tackles before going out for the season with an ACL injury. In his few games of action, Perkins was not the same tenacious player that he was in 2023 and 2022. Perhaps he was easing off, trying to protect himself from injury.

Perkins is the size of a traditional outside linebacker, but he is a lightning-fast playmaker who was all over the field for LSU as a freshman in 2022 and 2023. He was a dynamic edge rusher who showed natural blitzing ability. In 2022, he totaled 72 tackles, 7.5 sacks, three forced fumbles, one interception, and four passes batted. In 2023, Perkins recorded 7.5 sacks, three forced fumbles, 74 tackles, and four passes batted. Perkins possesses a unique body type and is undersized as an edge defender. Still, there is no doubt about his explosive speed and tremendous instincts.

In the NFL, Perkins could be a hybrid defender who rushes off the edge, similar to Micah Parsons or Von Miller, and also can play outside linebacker. However, Parsons and Miller are significantly thicker and bigger than Perkins, so it will be interesting to see how teams evaluate Perkins’ potential fit for their defenses.



3. Ohio State image Sonny Styles*, OLB/ILB, Ohio State
Height: 6-4. Weight: 230.
Projected 40 Time: 4.49.
Projected Round (2026): 1-3.

Previous Seasons
  • ’25 – James Pearce Jr., Tennessee
  • ’24 – Chris Braswell, Alabama
  • ’23 – Will McDonald, Iowa State

9/18/25: In 2025, Styles has 14 tackles and a forced fumble. Styles has a lot of talent and started to play up to his potential during the 2024 season. He finished with 100 tackles, six sacks, one forced fumble, and five passes broken up. In 2023, he recorded 53 tackles, two sacks, and one pass batted, plus he has been very good in pass coverage. Styles started out as a safety, but was eventually moved to linebacker. Given his size, he fits best as a linebacker in the NFL.



4. Utah image Lander Barton, OLB/ILB, Utah
Height: 6-3. Weight: 233.
Projected 40 Time: 4.67.
Projected Round (2026): 1-3.

Previous Seasons
  • ’25 – Jihaad Campbell, Alabama
  • ’24 – Trevin Wallace, Kentucky
  • ’23 – Trenton Simpson, Clemson

9/18/25: Thus far in 2025, Barton has 12 tackles and a fumble recovery. In 2024, Barton had 72 tackles with four passes broken up, two sacks, and two interceptions. 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.



5. Alabama image Deonte Lawson, OLB/ILB, Alabama
Height: 6-2. Weight: 239.
Projected 40 Time: 4.55.
Projected Round (2026): 1-3.

Previous Seasons
  • ’25 – Donovan Ezeiruaka, Boston College
  • ’24 – Jonah Elliss, Utah
  • ’23 – Derick Hall, Auburn

9/18/25: In 2025, Lawson has 10 tackles and was unimpressive against Florida State. Lawson was 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 had 76 tackles with two sacks, one forced fumble, an interception, and four passes defended. In 2023, he had 67 tackles with three sacks and four passes defended after recording 51 tackles and four passes broken up.



6. Ole Miss image Suntarine Perkins, OLB, Ole Miss
Height: 6-1. Weight: 210.
Projected 40 Time: 4.55.
Projected Round (2026): 1-3.

Previous Seasons
  • ’25 – Oluwafemi Oladejo, UCLA
  • ’24 – Bralen Trice, Washington
  • ’23 – B.J. Ojulari, LSU

9/18/25: Perkins has 11 tackles thus far in 2025. Perkins was a dangerous quarterback hunter for the Rebels in 2024, recording 10.5 sacks with 60 tackles and an interception. He had 38 tackles and 3.5 sacks in 2023. Perkins needs to gain weight and get stronger for the NFL.



7. Pittsburgh image Kyle Louis*, OLB, Pittsburgh
Height: 6-0. Weight: 225.
Projected 40 Time: 4.58.
Projected Round (2026): 2-3.

Previous Seasons
  • ’25 – Josaiah Stewart, Michigan
  • ’24 – James Williams, Miami
  • ’23 – Andre Carter II, Army

9/18/25: In 2025, Louis has 19 tackles with two sacks and an interception. Louis was all over the field for Pitt in 2024, showing the ability to be a pursuit run defender and make plays in pass coverage. Louis totaled 100 tackles, seven sacks, one forced fumble, four interceptions, and three passes defended. While he does not have big size, Louis is instinctive and fast. If Louis stays consistent, he could be a serious riser.



8. Michigan image Jaishawn Barham*, ILB/OLB, Michigan
Height: 6-3. Weight: 248.
Projected 40 Time: 4.68.
Projected Round (2026): 2-3.

Previous Seasons
  • ’25 – Jalen McLeod, Auburn
  • ’24 – Zion Tupuola-Fetui, Washington
  • ’23 – Felix Anudike-Uzomah, Kansas State

9/18/25: Barham has six tackles thus far in 2025. In 2024, Barham had 66 tackles with one sack and two passes defended. 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.



9. Florida image George Gumbs Jr.*, OLB, Florida
Height: 6-4. Weight: 238.
Projected 40 Time: 4.68.
Projected Round (2026): 3-5.

Previous Seasons
  • ’25 – David Walker, Central Arkansas
  • ’24 – Mo Kamara, Colorado State
  • ’23 – Byron Young, Tennessee


<> 9/18/25: Thus far in 2025, Gumbs has 10 tackles with a sack and a forced fumble. In 2024, Gumbs had a solid debut for the Gators, showing some edge rush ability. He totaled five sacks with eight tackles for a loss, and 35 tackles. The previous three seasons, Gumbs played at Northern Illinois.



10. Virginia Tech image Sam Brumfield*, OLB, Virginia Tech
Height: 5-11. Weight: 225.
Projected 40 Time: 4.60.
Projected Round (2026): 5-7.

Previous Seasons
  • ’25 – Eugene Asante, Auburn
  • ’24 – Nathaniel Watson, Mississippi State
  • ’23 – Nick Hampton, Appalachian State

9/18/25: In 2025, Brumfield has 17 tackles with three sacks. In 2024, Brumfield had 60 tackles with 1.5 sacks and one pass defended. As a freshman, he was better, totaling 82 tackles with 3.5 sacks and three forced fumbles. As an undersized Will linebacker, Brumfield needs to be a standout in pass coverage and be a dynamic pursuit run defender to rise in 2025.



11. Miami image Mohamed Toure, OLB/ILB, Miami
Height: 6-1. Weight: 233.
Projected 40 Time: 4.68.
Projected Round (2026): 7-FA.

Previous Seasons
  • ’25 – Tyreem Powell, Rutgers
  • ’24 – Khalid Duke, Kansas State
  • ’23 – Charlie Thomas, Georgia Tech

9/18/25: Thus far in 2025, Toure has eight tackles and one pass defended. In 2024, Toure went down in training camp with a torn ACL, the same injury that cost him the 2022 season. During the spring of 2025, Toure left Rutgers to transfer to Miami. 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.



2024 NFL Draft Position Rankings:
QB | RB | FB | WR | TE | OT | G | C | DE | DT | NT | 3-4 OLB | 3-4 DE | OLB | ILB | CB | S | K | P

2025 NFL Draft Position Rankings:
QB | RB | WR | TE | OT | G | C | DE | DT | NT | 3-4 OLB | 3-4 DE | OLB | ILB | CB | S | K | P

2026 NFL Draft Position Rankings:
QB | RB | WR | TE | OT | G | C | DE | DT | NT | 3-4 OLB | 3-4 DE | OLB | ILB | CB | S | K | P