2026 NFL Draft Prospects: Outside Linebacker

2/18/25: Hill (6-3, 235) 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 rush ability along with being a tough run defender. He is fast, strong, physical, and instinctive.

2/18/25: 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, but 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 for their defenses.

2/18/25: 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.

2/18/25: Chambliss provided some clutch plays for the Bulldogs in 2024 while recording 41 tackles with 6.5 sacks. Chambliss has versatility as a run defender and pass rusher.

2/18/25: 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.