2022 NFL Draft Ultimate Preview: Inside Linebackers
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GREEN BAY, Wis. – With the return of All-Pro De’Vondre Campbell, the Green Bay Packers have one of the best off-the-ball linebackers in the NFL. A top-heavy 2022 NFL Draft Class beckons.
State of the Packers
The Packers got the steal of the century when they signed Campbell in June. Even while sitting out the season finale against Detroit, Campbell finished seventh in the NFL with 145 tackles. He added six tackles for losses, six quarterback hits, five passes defensed, two forced fumbles and two interceptions. Before sitting out the finale, he led the NFL with 101 solo tackles.
Of the 34 players with at least 107 tackles, Campbell and Washington’s Cole Holcomb were the only players with at least one sack, one interception, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery. Campbell was the only linebacker in the league with 100-plus tackles and at least two sacks, two forced fumbles and two interceptions. He tackled running backs. He covered tight ends. He was the glue to the defense.
Krys Barnes played just short of 50 percent of the defensive snaps as the other linebacker. Here’s an interesting comparison. Snaps per tackle: Campbell (6.81), Barnes (6.67). Run snaps per stuff (tackle at or behind the line of scrimmage): Campbell (35.9), Barnes (35.3). Coverage snaps per breakup: Campbell (132.8), Barnes (74.5). Distance of average tackle on run play: Campbell (5.7), Barnes (3.9). Stops (a PFF metric that essentially measures impact tackles and mirrors Green Bay’s win/loss system) per snap: Campbell (18.6), Barnes (16.4).
Ranking the Draft Need
Inside linebacker ranks seventh on our list of predraft needs. Can the Packers do better than Barnes? Yes. Do they need to improve their depth? Yes. Ty Summers (seventh round, 2018) has gotten his opportunities and fallen short. Isaiah McDuffie (sixth round, 2021) only played on special teams as a rookie. Ray Wilborn (undrafted, 2020) spent the year on the practice squad.
Perhaps You Can Forget These Prospects
Based on Green Bay’s draft history, the top prospects should all be in play. Florida’s Jeremiah Moon (4.76), Michigan’s Josh Ross (4.79) and Colorado’s Nate Landman (4.86) could be out based on their 40 times.
Ranking the Inside Linebackers
Devin Lloyd, Utah
Measureables: 6-2 3/4, 237. 33 arms. 4.66 40, DNP shuttle, 25 bench
Analytical stats: Lloyd was a consensus All-American following a spectacular senior season of eight sacks, 22 tackles for losses, 110 total tackles, four interceptions and 10 passes defensed. During his final three years, in which he played all 33 games, he piled up 249 tackles, 16.5 sacks, 43 TFLs, five interceptions and 13 PBUs. Out of 103 linebackers with 589 snaps, Lloyd was sixth in the draft class with 56 stops, according to Pro Football Focus. A stop is defined as a tackle that results in a “failure” for the offense. It mirrors Green Bay’s win/loss system. For instance, a first-and-10 tackle that limits the play to 3 yards is a stop 4-plus yards is not a stop. Quarterbacks completed 70.5 percent of passes and a 53.9 passer rating.
Personal touch: Lloyd is the son of two military parents, with his father serving 26 years in the Navy. “Growing up in a military household, everything is pretty much routine and scripted,” he told Fox News. “Everything from waking up and making your bed – how you make your bed – just a really regimented schedule … learning about working together and just really doing things the right way, doing things with the right intentions. Everything they learn at work pretty much translates in some way to life. So, I definitely learned a lot.”
Lloyd was a three-star recruit with minimal recruiting interest as National Signing Day approached. Utah offered after watching him in a basketball game. When he signed with the Utes, he was touted as a receiver or safety. Growing up, football wasn’t his sport. Mostly, he was into videogames. As he said at the Scouting Combine. “I don't recall really watching football at all until around, I'd say, really, high school was primarily basketball, but even then I wasn't too heavily into sports.” He got his first taste of football in middle school.
“Kids were playing at lunch,” he said at the Combine. “So, I would go to see them at lunch, like, we'd be playing and I just started like Mossing kids and fell in love with that competitive nature of going up and getting the ball, which sparked my interest in playing receiver. So, I was primarily a receiver all the way up until halfway through my senior season, is when I kind of flipped the switch like OK, I want to play defense.”
NFL Draft Bible Scouting Report: Lloyd possesses good long speed with his stride length that allows him to roam sideline to sideline. He is an active communicator, passing off routes in zone. Great eyes and locating skills in coverage allow him to take consistently favorable angles and be in the right place. Lloyd locates and carries tight ends up the seam and is able to get very good depth in his drops with his length making it tough for quarterbacks to layer the ball over him.
Nakobe Dean, Georgia
Measureables: 5-11 1/4, 229. 31 7/8 arms. DNP testing.
Analytical stats: Dean was a unanimous All-American and beat out Utah’s Lloyd for the Butkus Award as the nation’s top linebacker. As the man in the middle of Georgia’s powerhouse defense, he recorded six sacks and 10.5 TFLs among his 72 tackles. He added two forced fumbles, two interceptions and eight passes defensed. According to PFF, he was 37th in the draft class with 42 stops and allowed a 59.5 percent completion rate and 43.3 passer rating. Out of 103 linebackers in the draft class with 589 snaps, the completion rate ranked No. 1.
Personal touch: Dean won the Butkus Award at Georgia and he won the high school Butkus at Horn Lake High School in Mississippi. More than that, “He took Latin 1 and 2. Straight-A student. He finished with, like, a 4.4 GPA," his mom, Boyette, told The Score. "That intelligence was not strictly on the academic side. He had the same type of football IQ. He saw things that weren't normal for a high school kid to see." His only “B” growing up came in a seventh-grade typing class. That intelligence showed up on Saturdays, with coach Kirby Smart calling Dean the “commander and chief” of the defense.
At Georgia, he carried a 3.53 GPA in mechanical engineering. He was one of 22 members of the annual Allstate Good Works Team because of his play on the field, grades and numerous good deads. As part of that team, he was given $10,000 to donate to his hometown community center. “Giving back is in my blood,” Dean told The DeSoto Times. “My mother had me giving back since I was growing up. We did this day called The 12 Days of Christmas where we did 12 Days of Service leading up to Christmas. So giving back is in my blood and continues to stay with me.”
His older brother, Nikolas, played tight end at Ole Miss.
NFL.com Scouting Report: Explosive, three-down linebacker with the demeanor and quickness to become a volume tackler while holding down third-down duties at a high level. Dean's play recognition is a work in progress, which limits reaction time and forces him to deal with more blockers than he'll see as he gains more experience. Quick feet and plus agility will bring him to ball-carriers at a high rate but a lack of size and length means he'll need to fine-tune his approach as a tackler to make sure he finishes what he starts. He might lack measurables, but he has the toughness and technique to see a boost in his performance once his play becomes more proactive.
Troy Andersen, Montana
Measureables: 6-3 1/4, 243. 32 1/8 arms. 4.42 40, 4.07 shuttle, DNP bench.
Analytical stats: Andersen was the Big Sky’s Freshman of the Year as a running back in 2017, a third-team all-conference quarterback in 2018 and the Big Sky’s Defensive Player of the Year in 2021. In 15 starts as a senior, he recorded two sacks and 14 tackles for losses among his 147 tackles. He added two interceptions and nine passes defensed. He had 6.5 sacks in 2019; 2020 was wiped out due to COVID. Andersen led the FCS ranks with 66 stops, according to PFF, and yielded a 57.1 percent completion rate and 65.2 passer rating.
Personal touch: Johnny Cash sang, “I’ve been everywhere, man.” Well, Andersen has played everywhere. In 2017, he was the Bobcats top running back. When the starting quarterback was ruled academically ineligible in 2018, Andersen replaced him. In 2019, he played linebacker and fullback. With COVID wiping out the 2020 fall season – he wouldn’t have played, anyway, following knee surgery – Andersen returned in 2021 and got to focus on linebacker. He was a unanimous first-team All-American.
Said Dane Fletcher, a Montana State legend and former NFL linebacker: “I have scouts and agents hitting me up and there’s only one way to explain it, he’s the most athletic kid hands down that’s ever played at MSU. To be thrown into the situations he has, obviously he’s a 4.0 student, brilliant in the classroom which helped him get where he is, but then translates that on the football field, not a lot of people can do. Coming in as a running back, then quarterback, then defensive line then linebacker. It’s all the pieces that he can do. I have all the hope in the world for Troy and his future.”
At Beaverhead High School in Montana, he won 100- and 200-meter championships in track and was all-state at quarterback. His collegiate defensive coordinator compared him to Paul Bunyan. At the house on the family ranch, there was a mattress in the living room so the 5-year-old Troy could make diving catches. “You can't really give up on things once you start them,” Andersen told The Bozeman Daily Chronicle of life on the farm. “If you get cows in and they keep getting back on you, you can't really give up. You have to get them out eventually. So just kind of finishing things.”
Andersen planned to spend the days leading to the draft fly fishing, helping on the farm and working out. “It's every little boys dream," Andersen said at pro day. "You sit on the couch watching all the games growing up. You're like 'that'd be pretty cool.' And then to have the opportunity to play college football, that's cool. I loved my time in Bozeman, had so many memories and met so many great people. And then to have an opportunity to move on to where it's the best in the world playing football, it's a tremendous opportunity and it's one I don't take for granted. I'm excited for that next step.”
Andersen even won awards for his work in Montana State’s agricultural program.
NFL Draft Bible Scouting Report: Shows his speed on crossing patterns, staying with tight ends and slot receivers across the formation. At times he can be destructive coming downhill and getting off blocks, extends and sheds. Comfortable dropping in zone over the middle, gets depth and keeps everything in front. Keeps his eyes on the quarterback while moving laterally with routes. Completely shuts down the middle of the field at times.
Quay Walker, Georgia
Measureables: 6-3 3/4, 241. 32 5/8 arms. 4.52 40, 4.32 shuttle, 23 bench.
Analytical stats: A first-time starter as a senior, Walker had 1.5 sacks and 5.5 tackle for losses among his 67 tackles. He added the only three passes defensed of his 52-game career. According to PFF, he was 75th in the draft class with 32 stops and allowed an 85.7 percent completion rate and 97.6 passer rating. Of 103 off-the-ball linebackers in the draft class with 579 snaps, he ranked second in missed-tackle percentage.
Personal touch: When it was time to make his college decision official, Walker put on a Tennessee hat. Then, he chucked it across the room and unzipped his jacket to show his Georgia gear. It wasn’t one of his finest moments, he admits. “To be honest with you, I hate talking about it,” Walker said before the 2019 season kicked off. “But I know it’s going to be something that’s brought up the rest of my life, just about. Looking back on it, I think it was very immature of me doing that.”
Maturity isn’t an issue anymore. "He committed to being excellent and doing what he's supposed to off the field and on the field, became much more of a student of the game," coach Kirby Smart said. "He holds people accountable now and this is the guy who wouldn't do it. Now he's doing it all and it's pretty awesome to see how far he's come. I love watching players grow like that because I got to sit in his house for a long time and now getting to see a different person."
How did Walker get started in football? Here’s the story from his high school coach, Shelton Felton, via Dawg Nation: “We met when he was 15,” Felton said. “I saw him in the gym. He picked up a basketball, went full court and dunked it and everyone went crazy. I went and ran on the court to him. I asked him his name. He told me he was a basketball player. I told him that day ‘If you play football son you are going to be great’ and he believed in what I told him. He believed it and worked with it.”
NFL Draft Bible Scouting Report: Walker's mind is advanced for a collegiate player and he regularly sees the play develop ahead of time. Pairing this attribute with his 4.52 40-yard dash speed makes him a tenacious run defender who is usually the first guy to the action. As Walker recognizes runs quickly and pounces on them, he can take on blockers so that Dean doesn't have to. At an official six-foot-four, 241 pounds and with 32 5'8" arms, Walker has the ideal size that NFL teams covet. This aids his ability to attack large offensive linemen, strike their chest and create a pile-up to negate rushing lanes.
Chad Muma, Wyoming
Measureables: 6-2 3/4, 239. 31 5/8 arms. 4.63 40, 4.21 shuttle, 27 bench.
Analytical stats: A second-team All-American, Muma had 1.5 sacks and eight tackles for losses among his 142 tackles as a senior. He broke up three passes – all interceptions, two of which he brought back for touchdowns. According to PFF, he was No. 1 in the draft class with 68 stops and allowed an 86.7 percent completion rate and 77.5 passer rating. Of 103 off-the-ball linebackers in the draft class with 579 snaps, he ranked seventh in missed-tackle percentage. He had 18 percent of the Cowboys’ tackles, the highest rate in the class.
Personal touch: Muma is a third-generation Wyoming player. His grandfather forged his mom’s name in going from Lawrence, Mass., to Wyoming. Later, Muma’s father was a safety for the Cowboys. The family is happy to take credit for his hard-hitting style. “He went through five chinstraps at the beginning of the year,” Wyoming coach Craig Bohl told The Casper Star-Tribune. “And it wasn’t because of the malfunction on the helmet, it was so much thrust.”
When Muma was in seventh grade, he learned he had Type 1 diabetes. “Before I was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes, it was always a dream of mine to play college football and excel at that level,” he told The Wyoming News. “I wasn't sure if I was going to be able to do that with my Type 1 diabetes, because you don't hear a lot about college athletes with diabetes. I think it was important for me to go out there and say, 'Whatever goals you guys have right now, it's important to stick to those goals. Put your mind to it and don't let diabetes disable you from doing that.’” At the Combine, he says he tests himself every quarter. “If I need insulin, I will actually give myself a shot during the game based on my numbers are,” he said at the Combine.
NFL Draft Bible Scouting Report: Muma displays a good size to athleticism combo. Moreover, Muma excels versus the run with very good mental processing and instincts. He always stays square with very good feet while sorting through the trash. Additionally, he showcases an excellent understanding of run concepts and has outstanding gap discipline. He consistently beats blocks with quickness and instincts. One of the best and most consistent tacklers in the class. In 2021, he has two pick sixes and these plays really showcased his ball skills. Effective in zone coverage when spot dropping and reading the QB’s eyes.
Leo Chenal, Wisconsin
Measureables: 6-2 5/8, 250. 31 arms. 4.53 40, 4.24 shuttle, 34 bench (and 40.5 vertical).
Analytical stats: Chenal was a first-team All-American and the Big Ten’s linebacker of the year in 2021. In 11 games, he stuffed the stat sheet with eight sacks, 18.5 TFLs, 115 total tackles and two forced fumbles. He didn’t break up any passes. According to PFF, he was No. 3 in the draft class with 63 stops and allowed a 90.9 percent completion rate and 107.6 passer rating. He had 16 percent of the team’s tackles, tied for the second-highest rate in the draft.
Personal touch: A native of Grantsburg, Wis., Chenal is one of 16 kids. Yes, 16. He has eight full siblings and seven step-siblings. “When I was a little kid, I was always trying to pick fights with them and stuff,” Chenal, 12th-oldest in a group that ranges from 12 to 39, told The Associated Press. “That’s where I think I got all my energy and all my passion—just being able to compete with brothers growing up, always being physical with them, starting fights and everything.”
One of those brothers is John, a fullback for the Badgers. “He was kind of the guy who would get everyone riled up, whether it’s good or bad,” John said. “He’d start talking and getting loud. The next thing you know, we’re fighting. He has a way of getting everyone amped up and ready to go.”
Their mom, Brenda, noted how they pushed each other in everything. "If I beat him, we have to go again," John told UWBadgers.com. "If he beats me, we have to go again." Added Leo: We'll end up playing 10 rounds of ping pong because he can't handle being beat."
In his final high school game, he led Grantsburg to the state championship by rushing for 223 yards and two touchdowns, adding 40 receiving yards and one touchdown, throwing one touchdown pass and tallying 22 tackles. “He’s got the toughness that I think the Badgers represent,” Grantsburg’s coach told The Athletic. “He’s got that intensity and that nonstop motor and work ethic. He’ll be a great fit that way. He’s a high-character kid. You think of the Badgers, you think about a program of integrity with that coaching staff. He just kind of fits that mold. He’s a blue-collar, Wisconsin kid that is ready to go out there and try to make a name for himself.”
NFL Draft Bible Scouting Report: Chenal boasts solid linear speed and closes downhill quickly. He often uses quickness to beat opponents at the point of contact. Against the run, Chenal displays patience, vision, and awareness to anticipate the play before identifying and following the ball carrier. While still raw in coverage, Chenal has the potential to grow into an all-around linebacker. He reads the quarterback’s eyes well in zone coverage; consequently, he jumps routes if the passer telegraphs. His physicality and movement skills may enable him to cover tight ends and running backs as he develops. Chenal complements clean tackling technique with a strong grip and impressive stopping power to produce a consistent product at the tackle point. The talented linebacker improved his angles from 2020 to 2021.
Christian Harris, Alabama
Measureables: 6-0 1/2, 226. 32 1/8 arms. 4.44 40, DNP shuttle, DNP bench.
Analytical stats: Harris started 40 games over his three seasons with the Crimson Tide. He was a Freshman All-American in 2019, then had back-to-back seasons of 79 tackles in 2020 (4.5 sacks, seven TFLs) and 2021 (5.5 sacks, 12.5 TFLs). During his final season, he forced two fumbles and broke up three passes. According to PFF, he was No. 15 in the draft class with 51 stops and allowed a 77.1 percent completion rate and 123.7 passer rating. He allowed four touchdown passes, most among the linebackers in this story. His missed-tackle rate of 15.7 percent was second-worst among the linebackers in this story.
Personal touch: Harris played cornerback and receiver at University Lab High School in Baton Rouge, La., but started at linebacker for Alabama as a true freshman and handled the challenge like a boss.
“It was pretty amazing,” Harris said after surviving those weekly trials by fire. “Getting off the bus, traveling was a new experience for me. I think I handled it pretty well, I think as a team we handled the game pretty well. It’s a little bit, the game’s a lot faster in college than it is in high school. Of course, it was my first college game, but I feel like the coaches got me prepared well enough to be able to do whatever I can to help the team be successful, especially in that game.”
His older brother, Tylor, played at Wake Forest and spent time with the Seattle Seahawks. As kids, the Harris brothers and former Alabama linebacker Dylan Moses used to play together. Watching Tylor Harris and Moses play in high school drove Christian to new heights. “Christian was literally sitting in the stands mesmerized,” his mom told Rivals. “This was an energetic little boy, a little boy who was normally all over the place. Christian sat in that stadium and did not move. He was just mesmerized. Between the football team and the student section, he was in awe.”
When Tylor was being recruited, he had a list of questions he’d ask those coaches. Sometimes, little Christian butted in with his own.“ Christian started asking his own questions,” Ramona said in that Rivals story. “He was like, ‘So, do you tell this to everybody you talk to?’ I could have gone under a chair at that point, but it was good because he’s a child and he was saying the things that we were thinking. He was always aware. He could always see through people and can decipher when someone is telling him the truth.”
NFL Draft Bible Scouting Report: Very good athlete accelerates and reaches his good speed quickly making him rangy at the second level. Harris is a communicator on Alabama’s defense, getting teammates lined up and calling out audibles. He is a patient run defender who can scrape and flow fairly reliably. Once he triggers, his explosiveness to the ball carrier is apparent. Harris flashes violent hands and upper-body strength to disengage. In coverage, he is very springy and fluid, possessing all the movement skills to succeed in zone or man coverage on tight ends. When blitzing, he is a consistent threat thanks to his burst. Solid open-field tackler.
Channing Tindall, Georgia
Measureables: 6-1 7/8, 230. 32 3/8 arms. 4.47 40, 4.18 shuttle, DNP bench.
Analytical stats: How good was the Bulldogs defense? Tindall might be an NFL starter after not starting a single game in four seasons at Georgia. In 15 games off the bench as a senior, he set career highs across the board with 67 tackles, 5.5 sacks, 7.5 tackles for losses and the lone forced fumble of his career. According to PFF, he was No. 87 in the draft class with stops and allowed a 76.5 percent completion rate and 83.5 passer rating. He broke up zero passes in four seasons.
Personal touch: A high school All-American, Tindall could go from a zero-starts player in college to a Day 1 starter in the NFL. He could have found greater opportunity elsewhere by transferring. How did he stay patient? “I just kept my head down. I knew it was going to be a transition, just coming from high school and to playing linebacker, and then all the different schemes that we run in Georgia. I feel like we run like an NFL-type defense,” he said at the Scouting Combine. “So, it was frustrating for me, but for me personally, I wasn't frustrated at anybody else. I just I knew what I had to do. I just went and watched extra film, believed in the process. I knew the best players was here, so I didn't want to go anywhere else. Just I would rather hit that hump now and then hit it later. And so it just all paid off at the end of the day.”
His numbers in a part-time role, and his Combine numbers, show his potential. “I’m just a freak of nature altogether,” Tindall told Dawg Nation. “I feel like the film will show for itself about (my) speed.”
NFL Draft Bible Scouting Report: Middle linebacker with above average size. Tindall rotates in and out of the lineup and has been a special teams standout for the Bulldogs. He possesses great speed giving him sideline to sideline range and outstanding closing burst. When arriving, he carries his momentum through ball carriers and delivers hard hits. Very good play strength and physicality allow him to absorb and stack climbing linemen at the second level. On the blitz, Tindall uses his speed and strength to blow up blocking backs and tight ends.
JoJo Domann, Nebraska
Measureables: 6-1 1/4, 228. 30 3/8 arms. 4.58 40, 4.32 shuttle, 15 bench.
Analytical stats: Domann recorded 209 tackles during a career that began way back in 2016. He posted two forced fumbles during each of his final three seasons and nine for his career. During his final three seasons, he had 24.5 tackles for losses and 16 passes defensed. He had career highs of 72 tackles, nine TFLs and two interceptions in 2021 to earn second-team All-American. According to PFF, he was No. 93 in the draft class with 24 stops and allowed an 82.1 percent completion rate and 63.8 passer rating. Of 103 off-the-ball linebackers in the draft class with 579 snaps, he ranked 15th in missed-tackle percentage. No linebacker in the class played more slot-coverage snaps.
Personal touch: Domann was a sixth-year senior in 2021 and played his best ball. “For me, it’s all about living in my heart,” Domann told The Journal Star. “We all know how to play football, but sometimes we play it in our head. Really, play that thing from your heart. Fly around. You know your assignment, you know how to tackle, you know how to get off blocks. Really, like you’re a kid again. Just play, play from the heart.”
His father is NFL agent Craig Domann. His mom is marketing. Combined, they were ahead of college sports’ NIL curve. “It’s almost like I knew I wanted to be an NFL player and picked my parents,” Domann said in The Journal Star story. They donated the money earned to six causes.
Because of his father, Domann grew up around football. There was a time in 2008, when he was a fifth-grader, when he won a bet with several members of the Arizona Cardinals that he couldn’t sit in a cold tub for 8 minutes. Said Craig in an Athletic story, “I was like, ‘Dude, what happened?’”
In high school, Domann was the Gatorade Player of the Year for Colorado in 2015. He chose Nebraska over his home-state school because he wanted to play “big-time football.”
NFL Draft Bible Scouting Report: JoJo Domann is one of the best coverage linebackers in the nation due to his athletic ability and feel for the game. He brings versatility to the Huskers defense, spending three years at safety, primarily playing the slot/overhang role in 2021 and even plays on the line of scrimmage as an outside linebacker. Domann excels in zone coverage where he is able to quickly gain excellent depth on his drops, uses his arm length to alter receivers’ stems and has great feel to squeeze space and avoid being high-low’d by route concepts. Furthermore, Domann has stellar foot speed and very good fluidity which allows him to turn and run with big slot receivers and tight ends in man coverage.
Brian Asamoah, Oklahoma
Measureables: 6-0 1/4, 226. 32 5/8 arms. 4.56 40, DNP shuttle, 23 bench.
Analytical stats: Asamoah was a two-year starter. In 2021, he recorded one sack and four TFLs among his 89 tackles along with two forced fumbles. He broke up five passes in 2020. According to PFF, he was No. 46 in the draft class with 40 stops and allowed an 82.4 percent completion rate and 108.2 passer rating. Of 103 off-the-ball linebackers in the draft class with 579 snaps, he ranked sixth in missed-tackle percentage.
Personal touch: Asamoah is from Columbus, Ohio. He never got an offer from the Buckeyes, though. “I don’t know (what Ohio State is waiting for), to be honest,” he said. As Asamoah established himself, then-Buckeyes coach Urban Meyer noted the error. "We monitor who comes in the state," Meyer told Cleveland.com. "We monitor how well the players do. We track their whole careers, 'Whatever happened to this guy?' I need to know where and why if we did make mistakes. And we have made some mistakes."
Asamoah was academic all-Big 12 with a 3.1 GPA. He took 20 hours during the football season to help get his degree. “I didn't really see it as a challenge because it's something I wanted to do, something I had my mind set on,” he said at the Scouting Combine. “And then really just focusing on football. So to do those two things, you have to sacrifice a little time hanging out with people. But those are things I had in mind I wanted to do and I did it.”
His parents are from Accra, Ghana. He spent a year there living with his father’s brother, who is a pastor. “When I was 10 years old, I went down there for a learning experience and to see what the environment was like,” he said at the Combine. “It was very different from United States and it just gave me an opportunity to just be humble, and realize that being in America is such a blessing.”
NFL Draft Bible Scouting Report: Standing out among some of the best talent in the nation is no easy feat. Brian Asamoah II, though, thrived at the second level of Oklahoma’s defense in 2020 and 2021. The linebacker boasts borderline-elite short-area quickness, change of direction and long speed. He has the range to work to the sideline and the loose frame to make clean transitions. Further, Asamoah has flashed sound spatial awareness and an understanding of route development in zone coverage. The Oklahoma star has the burst and intelligence to leverage routes with sound angles. Moreover, he has the movement skills to handle deep zones.
Brandon Smith, Penn State
Measureables: 6-3 1/2, 250. 34 5/8 arms. 4.52 40, 4.08 shuttle, 19 bench.
Analytical stats: Smith started all 12 games in 2021, his junior season, and had 81 tackles, four TFLs, one forced fumble and five passes defensed. According to PFF, he was No. 60 in the draft class with 36 stops and allowed an 80.0 percent completion rate and 73.5 passer rating. His missed-tackle rate of 15.7 percent was fourth-worst among the linebackers in this story.
Personal touch: Smith was Virginia’s Gatorade Player of the Year in 2018 and the No. 1-ranked inside linebacker recruit in 2019.
Growing up in the small town of Louisa, Va., Smith told The Athletic: “I was probably the softest kid around here, I’m not even gonna lie. I was raised to treat people right and be nice and stuff like that outside of football, which I am, but I didn’t get that you had to flip the switch.” When he was 10, he mentioned his dream of playing in the NFL. His father, Rico, wasn’t having any of it. “I grabbed him in the collar,” Rico said in The Athletic story. “I said, don’t ever talk about the NFL in this house again. I said, you haven’t made the middle school (team), haven’t made the high school and you definitely haven’t made it in college. So many kids your age think NFL and NBA, and they need to do the other things in between.”
He won Big Ten Player of the Week for his performance vs. Auburn early last season. “There’s always room for improvement as far as my game,” Smith said. “I’m really not one to completely praise myself as far as the things that I do or the things that I will really excel at. I’m probably one of my biggest critics, and I constantly look at what I need to work on and what I need to really just [improve] on. So every aspect of my game I can improve on in some way, and that’s what I’ll continue to do.”
NFL Draft Bible Scouting Report: Hyper-athletic 4-3 outside linebacker that plays in the box, at overhang, on-ball and off-ball. While Smith played SAM in 2020, he will fill the WILL role in 2021. Smith is a big, long, explosive and fast defender that is capable in run and pass defense. Against the run, he plays with sound gap integrity and patience. He consistently takes deliberate angles to the tackle point to limit cutbacks. When defending the option, Smith reads the mesh point well and stays disciplined. The Penn State linebacker closes downhill at a very high speed and is a big hitter when the opportunity presents itself.
Darrian Beavers, Cincinnati
Measureables: 6-3 3/4, 237. 32 3/8 arms. 4.69 40, 4.17 shuttle, DNP bench.
Analytical stats: Beavers took advantage of his fifth season to record five sacks, 12 TFLs, 99 tackles, two forced fumbles, one interception and three passes defensed. He played safety, linebacker and defensive end during the 2017 and 2018 seasons at UConn. According to PFF, he was No. 8 in the draft class with 53 stops and allowed a 71.4 percent completion rate and 72.9 passer rating. His missed-tackle rate of 15.7 percent was sixth-worst among the linebackers in this story.
Personal touch: A receiver and safety in high school, Beavers was recruited by Cincinnati but signed with Connecticut. After two losing seasons – and two winning seasons by his hometown school – he transferred back home. "I remember watching his film when he put his name in the portal and there was some interest in coming to Cincinnati, and you watched him rush the passer and you're like, 'Oh, man, this dude can be a guy for us,’” defensive coordinator Marcus Freeman told Cincinnati.com. "Our original thought was maybe making him a defensive end. Then when he got here, you realized how athletic he was. He had some serious athleticism, which reminded you of high school and him playing safety at Colerain. We found a fit for him at sniper.”
As a junior in high school, he weighed 160 pounds. He posted a before-and-after photo on Twitter. “That first picture was the first day I started actually working out. I went over to La Salle High School and started working out on the field,” Beavers told The Athletic. “I was 160 pounds. I’m 260 now. I’m literally 100 pounds heavier than I was in that first picture. That’s crazy.”
NFL Draft Bible Scouting Report: He shows functional strength in and around the line of scrimmage to be physical with blockers. He has the ability to stack and shed in the box when offensive lineman lead block to the second level. The Cincinnati linebacker has some versatility because of his length, lining up as a traditional inside linebacker and offering value to his team as a stand-up outside rusher on occasion. In coverage, he shows really good awareness to understand his zone and let the quarterback’s eyes lead him.
Malcolm Rodriguez, Oklahoma State
Measureables: 5-11, 232. 30 1/8 arms. 4.52 40, 4.13 shuttle, 36 bench.
Analytical stats: Rodriguez started 48 times and played in 60 consecutive games during his five seasons. Taking advantage of the bonus COVID year in 2021, Rodriguez was a first-team All-American with three sacks and 16.5 tackles for losses among his 130 stops. He stuffed the stat sheet with one interception, five passes defensed and an impressive four forced fumbles. According to PFF, he was No. 2 in the draft class with 66 stops and allowed a 68.2 percent completion rate and 67.7 passer rating.
Personal touch: At Wagoner (Okla.) High School, Rodriguez beat out the senior quarterback and led the school to three straight state championships. In wrestling, he was a two-time state champion. He threw up before every big event. “Sometimes I have to just get those jitterbugs out,” he told The Tulsa World.
Still, Wyoming was his only FBS offer until Oklahoma State came late. “It always goes back to my wrestling background,” Rodriguez said. “Just being a hard-nosed, tough kid. Not a lot of guys you see out on the field are wrestlers.”
OSU coach Mike Gundy played quarterback for the Cowboys but also wrestled. He challenged his star linebacker one day. "I was like, 'Yeah, Coach, I still got it,'" Rodriguez told ESPN.com. "I could definitely still take him. He'd have no shot." Rodriguez had 16 percent of the team’s tackles, tied for the second-highest rate in the draft. "It definitely comes from that background," he said. "It's second nature, just getting people down. I don't do the big tackles -- I just go for the legs and the hips."
Rodriguez spent his first two seasons at safety – including earning honorable-mention all-conference in 2018 – before moving to linebacker. During spring practice, Gundy called him “a 10-year vet in the NFL.”
NFL Draft Bible Scouting Report: Rodriguez is excellent in avoiding blocks on stretch or outside zones, staying in his run fit and avoiding arms of linemen with excellent leverage and technique. His quick feet allow him to shuffle and burst, making tackles with little wasted movement and stuffing attempts to gain yardage. Impressive first step that really shows when deployed as a blitzer. He shows intelligence and nuance in coverage.
Aaron Hansford, Texas A&M
Measureables: 6-2 1/4, 239. 32 3/8 arms. 4.64 40, 4.40 shuttle, 24 bench.
Analytical stats: A former receiver and tight end, Hansford had a banner final season with two sacks, and 8.5 TFLs among his 89 tackles. He added four passes defensed. According to PFF, he was No. 7 in the draft class with 54 stops and allowed a 77.1 percent completion rate and 90.2 passer rating.
Personal touch: Coach Jimbo Fisher was instrumental in having Hansford switch sides. “He was a good tight end, and he played very well there, but he’s also not 6-4, 6-5,” Fisher told The Houston Chronicle. “You don’t have to be. I’ve had some great (tight ends) who are 6-2. But we had a great need (at linebacker), and we saw his athleticism. We also felt he could be a natural pass rush guy — which he does a great job of when he blitzes.”
When Hansford landed at A&M, his father talked about him during a radio interview. "From a physical sense, he's very blessed as an athlete (having two parents who are former sprinters). I think he has all the tools he needs to have great success. His mother held the state record in Louisiana in the 400-meter for over 32 years, so that says a lot about her. She qualified for two Olympic trials. Myself, I was a two-time high school All-American and collegiate All-American in track and field. Aaron started running track when he was about 8. I told him when he was born, 'you're the fastest man in the world' and evidently he believed it. From the time he started running track he had been participating in the USA Junior Olympics and AAU Junior Olympics as a finalist in the 100 meters.”
A shoulder injury in 2016 and knee injury in 2018 took their toll. “This one sent me down a spiral of discouragement, mentally,” he admitted to FCA.org. “Doctors weren’t sure if I’d play again. It takes a toll. And mental health in college football is so important. School and sports are hard enough, then add an injury—there’s a lot. It was so hard, but I’m very thankful for God and my family. I had a good support system.”
NFL Draft Bible Scouting Report: Athletic linebackers are exciting commodities in today’s NFL. Aaron Hansford has the frame and athletic profile to be a difference-maker in the league. The former wide receiver is a clean mover with loose hips to change direction and transition in coverage. He boasts impressive short-area quickness and long speed, affording him range at the second level while allowing him to navigate the box. What’s more, his closing speed to the tackle point is notable. Hansford’s movement skills afford him potential in zone coverage.
Sterling Weatherford, Miami (Ohio)
Measureables: 6-4, 224, 32 arms. 4.59 40, 4.33 shuttle, 21 bench.
Analytical stats: A three-year starting safety, Weatherford had four interceptions, 23 passes defensed and 210 tackles for his career. He had a massive sophomore year with 5.5 TFLs and 11 passes defensed. He picked off two passes as a senior. According to Pro Football Focus, his career missed-tackle rate was 15.8 percent. He missed 20 tackles in 2019 but 18 in his other three seasons. His coverage was strong, with a career completion rate of 55.8 percent. He yielded three touchdown last year.
Personal touch: Weatherford comes from an athletic family. Older brother Grant had a nomadic college basketball career that started at Purdue. A sister, Dakota, played basketball at Evansville and Louisville.
“For the large portion of his high school career, Sterling was a basketball guy that played football,” his high school coach told BVM Sports. “We had a conversation towards his junior year, I told him, ‘I know college basketball is in your family and I totally get that. I love basketball too and if that’s what you want to do I’m going to support you. But I want to let you know you really have some opportunities in football if that’s what you want to do, and I think you can be pretty special at it.’”
The movement skills honed on the hardwood helped in the defensive backfield. “I always played guard, so I got used to moving like a smaller skill player. I just kept growing (laughs),” he told SI.com’s Horseshoe Huddle. “I was offered by Miami (Ohio) to play safety. When I got there, the first thing our linebackers coach said to me was, ‘Yeah, you are going to be a linebacker. You know that, right?’ I just kind of chuckled at him, because I was 218 when I got to school. I just told him, ‘Hey, whatever gets me on the field.’”
NFL Draft Bible Scouting Report: Weatherford provides positional versatility between safety and linebacker roles and is an immense competitor. He often plays the slot/overhang/star position and can defend the pass and run. Versus the run, Weatherford is great at taking on blocks versus tight ends, engaging with physicality and displaying strong grip strength to pull cloth and disengage. Versus the pass, Weatherford is physical when rerouting tight ends, allowing him to remain in the hip pocket and often halts their route short entirely. He also has the fluid hips (for a linebacker) and foot speed to transition downfield when following running backs out of the backfield on a wheel route.
Tariq Carpenter, Georgia Tech
Measureables: 6-2 7/8, 230. 32 5/8 arms. 4.47 40, 4.46 shuttle, DNP bench (wrist).
Analytical stats: Playing safety for the Yellow Jackets, the supersized four-year starter recorded four interceptions and 22 passes defensed for his career. According to PFF, he allowed a career-best 63.0 percent completion rate in 2020 and 66.7 percent in 2021. He gave up four touchdown passes as a senior. His career missed-tackle rate was 13.2 percent. He rarely was used as a blitzer.
Personal touch: Carpenter capped his strong career with strong performances at the Hula Bowl and Senior Bowl. At the Hula Bowl, he was a team captain and intercepted a pass. At the Senior Bowl, he got some reps at linebacker. He had a predraft visit with the Packers.
Carpenter comes from an athletic family. His mom played college basketball at Central Methodist before becoming an Army staff sergeant. She served five international tours of duty, including three deployments to Iraq and one in Afghanistan. An uncle, Thurlos Pearson, played football at Missouri.
“My mom is definitely my ‘why,’” Carpenter told The Atlanta Journal Constitution. “She’s also my purpose. She’s my role model. She’s a person that I look up to because of those reasons because of the sacrifices that she made for me and Alexis to live a good life. I just do everything I can to make sure that she gets everything that she wants because she did the same thing for us.”
NFL Draft Bible Scouting Report: Tariq Carpenter is long and has a firm athletic build with long arms. He shows solid foot quickness and short-area burst at his size. Versatility to play deep, in the box and as a hybrid safety/linebacker type. Very good physical and competitive toughness, playing fast with good effort and is not afraid to make tackles. Possesses the size and length to play in the box and make plays in the run game.
D’Marco Jackson, Appalachian State
Measureables: 6-0 3/4, 233. 32 1/2 arms. 4.55 40, 4.29 shuttle, 19 bench.
Analytical stats: The Sun Belt Conference’s Defensive Player of the Year recorded six sacks and 19 TFLs among his 120 stops in 2021. He added one forced fumble, one interception and six passes defensed. According to PFF, he was No. 15 in the draft class with 51 stops and allowed a 76.0 percent completion rate and 110.3 passer rating. His missed-tackle rate of 15.7 percent was fifth-worst among the linebackers in this story.
Personal touch: A standout running back and linebacker in high school, the South Carolina native suffered a torn ACL as a senior in 2016, redshirted in 2017 and played off the bench in 2018 before hitting his stride.
A cousin, Maurice Morris, was a second-round pick in 2002 who rushed for 3,648 yards and scored 18 touchdowns in 10 NFL seasons. According to his school bio, Jackson “grew up on a family farm and enjoys riding horses, fishing, bull riding and calf wrestling.” In the College2Pro podcast, Jackson said of calf wrestling, “For me, it was just like a thing we grew up doing. I was the youngest brother so I got dare-deviled into a bunch of stuff. I didn’t know what I was going but my brothers were like, ‘Do this and do this.’ They talked me into a lot of dumb stuff. … We just bonded over it.”
NFL.com Scouting Report: Jackson's freestyling, downhill approach produced a spike in overall production in 2021, but also led to missed run fits and big plays for the running game. He has some talent at slipping blocks but it is usually lights out once blockers get their hands on him. His pursuit speed, combined with a lack of desired instincts, could necessitate a move to 4-3 Will linebacker, where his coverage potential and special-teams ability might land him a backup gig.
Mike Rose, Iowa State
Measureables: 6-3 7/8, 245. 33 1/4 arms. 4.69 40, 4.20 shuttle, 16 bench.
Analytical stats: Rose started 49 games in four seasons and finished his career with 321 tackles, 9.5 sacks and 41 tackles for losses. In 2020, he was a first-team All-American and the Big 12’s Defensive Player of the Year with five interceptions and 10.5 TFLs. He had three sacks and 12 TFLS as a senior. According to PFF, he was No. 94 in the draft class with 29 stops and allowed a 77.8 percent completion rate and 110.5 passer rating.
Personal touch:
Athletics are in the genes. A grandfather, Chuck Lima, was a linebacker and fullback at Notre Dame from 1954 through 1958. An older brother, Jack, played baseball at Dayton. Another brother, Jay, played football at Hillsdale. “My grandpa was always my idol,” Rose told ND Insider, “and the person that made me want to play college football.” When those schools met in the Camping World Bowl in 2019, Lima was cheering for the Cyclones. “If there is a direct conflict, I must tell you, my grandkids win out,” Lima said. “Mike has made the last couple of football seasons so very interesting to me. I usually rely on just checking up when I can about the Notre Dame game. I watch Mike every down.”
Iowa State was Rose’s only FBS offer. We weighed 212 pounds back then. “The added weight helps me take on blocks better,” Rose said. “I also want to have people feel me when I'm coming down and filling an A or B gap,” he told The Gazette. “I like having more weight because I don't feel much slower and the bigger you are, the easier it is to take on a lineman because they're 300 pounds and you have to go up against them every play.”
NFL Draft Bible Scouting Report: Rose is an old-school SAM LB that could have a niche role at the NFL level. He’s a good run defender, especially between the tackles where his physical nature shines. Rose triggers downhill quickly and is aggressive when filling his fit - he’ll succeed best in a one-gap attacking scheme that allows LBs to play fast. Rose’s best quality is how he stacks and sheds blocks - whether it’s offensive linemen or tight ends - he never shies away from contact. He always brings 110 percent effort.
Micah McFadden, Indiana
Measureables: 6-1 1/8, 240. 31 1/4 arms. 4.62 40, 4.15 shuttle, 21 bench.
Analytical stats: McFadden had 10-plus TFLs in each of his three seasons as a starter. As a senior, he piled up 6.5 sacks and 15.5 TFLs among his 77 tackles, and added two forced fumbles and three passes defensed. According to PFF, he was No. 33 in the draft class with 44 stops and allowed an 81.8 percent completion rate and 127.5 passer rating. His missed-tackle rate of 16.3 percent is the worst of the linebackers in this story.
Personal touch: McFadden played at Plant High School in Tampa, Fla., alongside North Dakota State receiver Christian Watson, he had an astounding 211 tackles, including 39 for losses. Not even McFadden could see that coming. "When my JV coaches told me going into my junior season that I was going to be a beast in the next season, personally, I didn't always see it or whole-heartedly believe it, but those guys believed in me,'' McFadden told SI. "They trusted that my talent could get me on the field and perform at a high level. "It was hearing those words every day, those guys in my ear telling me how good I could be and the work it would take to get me there. That continuous effort to do that really got me to that mindset. That got me to the next level to prepare for a varsity-type season that I had my junior year. And I just took it from there.”
He was recruited to Indiana by Tom Allen, whose son also was on those Plant teams.
“What I noticed him on was special teams,” Allen told The Daily Hoosier. “That’s where I noticed just a nose for the ball. Covering kicks, covering punts. I learned that from (former Ben Davis High School) Coach (Dick) Dullaghan years ago. … You find out who your linebacker and safeties are by who can cover kicks. I never forgot that.”
Despite the ridiculous numbers, Indiana was about the only school that was interested. Said Allen to The Indy Star: “His dad, he point-blank asked me, ‘Coach, is Micah going to get a chance to play at Indiana,’ and I was a little taken aback. But at the same time, I understood where he was coming from. … He wanted him to be able to have a chance to go to a place where he could eventually earn the opportunity to play, not just to be on the team.”
NFL Draft Bible Scouting Report: McFadden is a fantastic blitzer, who utilizes solid straight line speed and instincts to get after the quarterback. He consistently got after the quarterback from the middle linebacker spot and off the edge. As a run defender, McFadden also displays really impressive instincts. He is always one step ahead of the offense, and he has a great feel for where to be to make a play on the football. In zone coverage, McFadden is usually in the right spot. He moves pretty well in zone coverage.
