Complete NFL Draft Rankings – ILB:
You are currently viewing the best inside linebackers in the 2019 NFL Draft. Our top inside linebacker prospects are selected after thousands of hours carefully scouting the best middle linebackers in college football. Even though only about 10-15 will get selected in the draft, dozens more are signed as free agents, and many more receive a training camp invite. Find who is a first round talent, and who is likely nothing more than a training camp body. Find draft sleepers, draft stars, who will be a bust, and who is being undervalued.
BNB Football is the best place for in-depth analysis of 2019 inside linebacker prospects at all levels of college football. To view other positions, follow the links below.
(Last Updated: April 24, 2019)
1. Devin White, JR, LSU
Devin White is a pure linebacker who can do it all. He gets sideline to sideline, tackles hard and with great form, rarely misses tackles, diagnoses plays well, and has the athleticism to chase down fast running backs. He is disciplined, well coached, and loves the game. White has also played pretty well in pass coverage. Combine these elite skills with his solid 6’1" 240 pound frame and leadership experience, and you have an inside linebacker that’s worthy of a top 10 pick. There’s not much more you could want in a linebacker than the skills of Devin White.
2018 Stats
13 games: 123 tackles, 12 tackles for loss, 3 sacks, 6 passes defended
2. Devin Bush, JR, Michigan
Devin Bush is a freaking athlete with a football pedigree and high IQ. He works hard and his 4.43 speed and 40.5" vertical showcase his incredible athleticism. While he is only 5’11", he plays bigger than that. Bush is also great in coverage, and consistently disrupts QBs with his pass rush even when he’s not getting sacks. The biggest worry for me is his lack of production this past year. Having only 66 tackles as an inside linebacker is concerning, especially when you’re a 5’11" speedster known for getting sideline to sideline. He has to prove he’s more than just a name.
2018 Stats
12 games: 66 tackles, 8.5 tackles for loss, 4.5 sacks, 4 passes defended
3. Cody Barton, SR, Utah
Cody Barton is one of two incredibly productive linebackers at Utah. While he was overshadowed by OLB Chase Hansen throughout the season, Barton has surpassed him as a prospect. After a great combine performance where he ran a solid 4.64 and put up 30 reps, Barton also impressed in on field workouts. The powerful linebacker can hit hard and has great timing. He was great in pass coverage this past year, showing great strides in the regard. Whether he plays close to the line or drops back in coverage, Barton is athletic enough to do anything asked of him.
2018 Stats
14 games: 117 tackles, 11.5 tackles for loss, 4 sacks, 7 passes defended, 1 interception
4. Mack Wilson, JR, Alabama
Mack Wilson is a good coverage corner who has been incredibly well coached. Wilson is a hard worker with a high football IQ who has gotten better each year. His lack of productivity against the run is concerning given his size and athleticism, but his pedigree and extremely hard-hitting reputation make up for the question marks. While Wilson wasn’t as dominate as he could have been at Alabama, he plays with the intensity needed and possesses the physical tools to excel.
2018 Stats
14 games: 65 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss, 1 sack, 7 passes defended, 2 interceptions
5. Blake Cashman, SR, Minnesota
Blake Cashman is a former walk on who dominated the combine to put himself on the map. A late bloomer, Cashman didn’t play too much until his senior year. This past year, Cashman exceeded 100 tackles and 15 tackles for loss. He was also really efficient in pass coverage, and rarely ever missed tackles. On top of that, he weighs 237 pounds and ran a 4.50 along with other impressive measurements. His closing speed and pursuit is elite, and his ability to read plays is impressive.
2018 Stats
132 games: 104 tackles, 15.0 tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks, 5 passes defended
Complete draft rankings for 2019 – Inside Linebackers
| RANK | NAME | SCHOOL | AGE | HT | WT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Devin White | LSU | JR | 6'0" | 237 |
| 2 | Devin Bush | Michigan | JR | 5'11" | 234 |
| 3 | Cody Barton | Utah | SR | 6'2.5" | 237 |
| 4 | Mack Wilson | Alabama | JR | 6'1" | 240 |
| 5 | Blake Cashman | Minnesota | SR | 6'1" | 237 |
| 6 | Bobby Okereke | Stanford | rSR | 6'1.5" | 239 |
| 7 | Te'Von Coney | Notre Dame | SR | 6'1" | 234 |
| 8 | David Long Jr. | West Virginia | rJR | 5'11.5" | 227 |
| 9 | Vosean Joseph | Florida | JR | 6'1.5" | 230 |
| 10 | TJ Edwards | Wisconsin | rSR | 6'0.5" | 240 |
| 11 | Cameron Smith | USC | SR | 6'2" | 238 |
| 12 | Ben Burr-Kirven | Washington | SR | 6'0" | 230 |
| 13 | Deshaun Davis | Auburn | rSR | 5'11.5" | 234 |
| 14 | Jahlani Tavai | Hawaii | rSR | 6'2.5" | 250 |
| 15 | Joe Dineen Jr. | Kansas | rSR | 6'2.5" | 231 |
| 16 | Tre Lamar | Clemson | JR | 6'3.5" | 253 |
| 17 | Ryan Connelly | Wisconsin | rSR | 6'2" | 242 |
| 18 | Troy Reeder | Delaware | rSR | 6'1" | 235 |
| 19 | Jordan Kunaszyk | California | SR | 6'3" | 234 |
| 20 | Otaro Alaka | Texas A&M | rSR | 6'3" | 239 |
| 21 | Tre Watson | Maryland | rSR | 6'2" | 242 |
| 22 | Joe Giles-Harris | Duke | rJR | 6'2" | 234 |
| 23 | Quincy Williams | Murray State | rSR | 5'10.5" | 225 |
| 24 | Khalil Hodge | Buffalo | rSR | 6'1.5" | 234 |
| 25 | Jeff Allison | Fresno State | JR | 5'11" | 228 |
| 26 | Malik Fountain | Central Michigan | rSR | 6'2" | 230 |
| 27 | Anthony Wheeler | Texas | SR | 6'2" | 235 |
| 28 | Jordan Griffin | Vanderbilt | SR | 5'10.5" | 222 |
| 29 | Austin Robinson | Houston | rSR | 6'2.5" | 230 |
| 30 | Darius Harris | Mid Tenn State | rSR | 6'2.5" | 232 |
| 31 | Ryan Guthrie | Syracuse | SR | 6'2" | 227 |
| 32 | Kendall Joseph | Clemson | rSR | 5'11.5" | 233 |
| 33 | Dakota Allen | Texas Tech | SR | 6'1" | 232 |
| 34 | Natrez Patrick | Georgia | rSR | 6'3" | 240 |
| 35 | Bryton Barr | Massachusetts | rSR | 6'0" | 225 |
| 36 | Josh Watson | Colorado State | rSR | 6'1" | 231 |
| 37 | Drew Lewis | Colorado | rSR | 6'2" | 225 |
| 38 | Connor Strachan | Boston College | rSR | 6'0" | 230 |
| 39 | Chris Woolbright | UAB | SR | 6'3" | 235 |
| 40 | Dedrick Young | Nebraska | SR | 6'0" | 233 |
| 41 | Azeez Al-Shaair | Florida Atlantic | SR | 6'0.5" | 234 |
| 42 | Junior McMullen | Miami (OH) | SR | 6'1" | 245 |
| 43 | TJ Holl | Colgate | SR | 6'1" | 230 |
| 44 | Chase Christiansen | Utah State | rSR | 6'1" | 230 |
| 45 | Rick Gamboa | Colorado | SR | 6'0" | 230 |
| 46 | Justin Phillips | Oklahoma State | rSR | 6'0" | 230 |
| 47 | Pat Jasinski | UCF | SR | 6'1" | 235 |
| 48 | Anthony Flory | Appalachian State | SR | 6'1" | 230 |
| 49 | Quentin Moon | Western Illinois | SR | 6'2" | 230 |
| 50 | Quintin Wirginis | Pittsburgh | rSR | 6'2" | 250 |
| 51 | Quart'e Sapp | Tennessee | rJR | 6'2" | 227 |
| 52 | Peyton Pelluer | Washington State | rSR | 6'0" | 230 |
| 53 | Deonte Roberts | Rutgers | SR | 6'1" | 235 |
| 54 | Roman Brown | Houston | rSR | 6'2" | 230 |
| 55 | Brandon Garner | North Texas | rSR | 5'11" | 225 |
| 56 | Brant Mitchell | Georgia Tech | SR | 6'2" | 235 |
| 57 | Aaron Berry | Azusa Pacific | SR | 6'2" | 225 |
| 58 | Shayne Lawless | Stony Brook | rSR | 6'1" | 225 |
| 59 | Frankie Hernandez | Marshall | SR | 6'2" | 225 |
| 60 | Juwan Taylor | Georgia | SR | 6'1" | 220 |
| 61 | Landon Stice | Weber State | SR | 6'3" | 225 |
| 62 | Brandon Payer | CSU-Pueblo | rSR | 6'2" | 229 |
| 63 | Taylor Heflin | Navy | SR | 6'2" | 230 |
| 64 | Suli Tamaivena | Utah State | SR | 6'0" | 230 |
| 65 | Jack Hockaday | Iowa | SR | 6'1" | 235 |
| 66 | Kaulana Apelu | Oregon | SR | 5'10" | 210 |
| 67 | Anthony Stubbs | Prairie View A&M | SR | 6'0" | 225 |
| 68 | Arico Evans | TCU | SR | 6'2" | 205 |
| 69 | Ryan Brady | Holy Cross | SR | 6'1" | 220 |
| 70 | James Nachtigal | Army | SR | 6'0" | 235 |
| 71 | Ketner Kupp | Eastern Washington | SR | 5'11" | 225 |
| 72 | Gunnar Scholato | Austin Peay | rSR | 6'3" | 235 |
| 73 | Nick Miller | Penn | SR | 5'11" | 215 |
| 74 | Jack Ryan | Campbell | rSR | 6'3" | 230 |
| 75 | Evahelotu Tohi | New Mexico | rSR | 6'2" | 230 |
| 76 | Jordan Perez | Stanford | rSR | 6'2" | 230 |
| 77 | Jamar Smith | UTEP | SR | 5'10" | 230 |
| 78 | Les Maruo | UTSA | SR | 6'0" | 230 |
| 79 | Sherrod Ruff | Southern Miss | rSR | 5'10" | 215 |
| 80 | Jeremy Sangster | Southern Miss | rSR | 6'0" | 235 |
| 81 | Chase Middleton | Georgia State | SR | 6'2" | 235 |
| 82 | Tony Lashley | Boise State | rSR | 6'1" | 240 |
| 83 | Jaylen Pickett | Eastern Michigan | SR | 6'0" | 225 |
| 84 | Diondre Wallace | Towson | SR | 6'0" | 235 |
| 85 | Cannon Gibbs | East Carolina | SR | 6'2" | 230 |
| 86 | Christian Holland | Idaho State | rSR | 6'0" | 230 |
| 87 | Detric Bing-Dukes | Ole Miss | SR | 6'1" | 255 |
| 88 | Sam Sizelove | Kansas State | rSR | 6'3" | 230 |
| 89 | Armand Dellovade | Youngstown State | SR | 6'0" | 215 |
| 90 | Cody Leonard | Quincy | SR | 5'11" | 220 |
| 91 | Jalen Williams | Clemson | rSR | 5'9" | 220 |
| 92 | De'Arius Christmas | Grambling State | SR | 5'10" | 220 |
| 93 | Brody Bagnall | Air Force | SR | 6'2" | 225 |
| 94 | Tomarcio Reese | Georgia Southern | SR | 5'11" | 230 |
| 95 | Michael Alexander | Saginaw Valley State | SR | 5'11" | 240 |
| 96 | Chinedu Ahanonu | Southern Utah | rSR | 5'11" | 250 |
| 97 | Tyler Taafe | Toledo | SR | 6'1" | 230 |
| 98 | Anthony Pittman | Wayne State | rSR | 6'2.5" | 236 |
| 99 | Mustafa Branch | Stanford | SR | 5'11" | 210 |
| 100 | Ross Thompson | Ohio Dominican | rSR | 6'1.5" | 237 |
| 101 | Dae'Von Washington | Louisiana Tech | rSR | 5'10" | 220 |
| 102 | Dan Marlette | North Dakota State | rSR | 6'1" | 225 |
| 103 | Trevor Apsey | Central Michigan | rSR | 6'0" | 220 |
| 104 | Charles Bell | Delaware | rSR | 6'0" | 230 |
| 105 | Jonathan Willis | Oregon State | rSR | 6'1" | 225 |
| 106 | Warren Messer | Elon | SR | 5'11" | 225 |
| 107 | Bull Barge | South Alabama | SR | 5'10" | 225 |
| 108 | Corey Horne | Gardner-Webb | SR | 6'1" | 225 |
| 109 | Ray Tillman | East Carolina | rSR | 6'1" | 215 |
| 110 | Butch Pau'u | BYU | rSR | 6'0" | 225 |
| 111 | Kirby Hora | Augustana | rSR | 6'2" | 225 |
| 112 | Dylan Weigel | ETSU | rSR | 6'0" | 220 |
| 113 | Adam Wollet | Robert Morris | SR | 6'0" | 220 |
| 114 | Drew Snouffer | Valparaiso | SR | 6'0" | 230 |
| 115 | Noah McGinty | Stony Brook | rSR | 5'11" | 220 |
| 116 | Ben Bruni | St. Francis | SR | 6'0" | 225 |
| 117 | Aaron Harris | Samford | rSR | 6'0" | 220 |
| 118 | Christian Jacobs | McNeese State | rSR | 5'11" | 215 |
| 119 | Willie Barrett | Marist | rSR | 5'11" | 225 |
| 120 | Michael Root | Lafayette | rSR | 6'1" | 230 |
| 121 | Tamarcus Russell | SE Louisiana | SR | 5'10" | 210 |
| 122 | Adam Pilapil | Wyoming | rSR | 6'1" | 220 |
| 123 | Billy Nipp | New Mexico State | rSR | 5'11" | 225 |
| 124 | Isaia Rosten | Adams State | SR | 6'0" | 230 |
| 125 | Kieran Severa | Drake | rSR | 6'0" | 215 |
| 126 | Isaac Claiborne | Prairie View A&M | SR | 5'10" | 210 |
| 127 | Tom Johnson | Princeton | SR | 6'0" | 225 |
| 128 | Jose Delgado | Fort Hays State | rSR | 5'11" | 205 |
| 129 | Kedrick Bradley | Liberty | rSR | 5'11" | 230 |
Overall Opinion of the Inside Linebackers
I always love the inside linebackers because they make big plays. This year is no different, as a number of stat-sheet-stuffers lead the position group. The problem is always that there are many good players, and not enough roster spots for all of them, which lower their value. Regardless, I can’t help but like this group a little more than most years. Devin White is a can’t-miss prospect at the top, then you have players like Cody Barton, Blake Cashman, and Ben Burr-Kirven who are incredible all around football players who makes tackles in their sleep. There is always good depth with a lot of hardworking players that can be found late and be productive.