2027 NFL Draft Prospects: Outside Linebacker

7/2/25: 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.

7/2/25: In 2024, Simmons had an excellent debut for Texas and showed serious pass rush ability with nine sacks. He also had three forced fumbles, 48 tackles, two passes defended, and one interception. Simmons has upside and could be even better after gaining experience.

7/2/25: 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. 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.

7/2/25: 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.

7/2/25: 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.