2022 NFL Draft – Linebacker Rankings

Complete NFL Draft Rankings – LB:

You are currently viewing the best linebackers in the 2022 NFL Draft. Our top linebacker prospects are selected after thousands of hours carefully scouting the best middle linebackers in college football. Even though only about 20-25 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 2022 linebacker prospects at all levels of college football. To view other positions, follow the links below.

(Last Updated: April 19, 2022)

2022:  | QB | WR | RB | FB | TE | OT | G | C | DT | EDGE | LB | S | CB | K | P | LS | OVERALL |

Devin Lloyd is a low risk, high reward linebacker who does everything you could want from the position. At 6’3" 235 pounds with long arms, Lloyd has ideal size and a powerful frame. After a dominant 2020 campaign, he topped himself big time in 2021 despite additional attention. Lloyd eclipsed 100 tackles, with over 20 tackles for loss and 4 interceptions. His rare versatility helps him dominate in pass coverage, as a run stopper, and as a pass rusher. He diagnoses plays at an advanced level, has a quick first step, and accelerates into his hits, rarely missing tackles while occasionally delivering massive hits. His length helps him cover against the spread offenses in the PAC12, and he projects as an ideal tight end stopper at the next level. With his impressive versatility and complete lack of red flags, Lloyd should be firmly in the top 10 discussion.

2021 Stats

14 games: 111 tackles, 22.0 tackles for loss, 7.0 sacks, 4 interceptions, 10 passes defended, 1 fumble forced

Nakobe Dean was the leader of Georgia’s touted defense, displaying exceptional leadership, football IQ, and an infectious love for the game. While he’s an elite athlete with a versatile skillset, he is smaller than ideal for the NFL at 6’0" 225 pounds. Still, Dean plays with so much speed and power that most teams will be able to easily overlook that. He shows an advanced understanding of positioning in coverage, and is able to read a QB’s eyes to break up passes. His bend around the edge is impressive, helping him get below offensive linemen and make plays in the backfield. Most notably, his play recognition and closing speed are next level. Dean is able to get to the ball carrier in a flash, and seems to be one step ahead of most linebackers mentally. While his size might limit his ceiling a bit in some people’s eyes, I don’t see any reason why it should prevent him from becoming a routine pro bowler, and even a culture changer for an NFL defense.

2021 Stats

15 games: 72 tackles, 10.5 tackles for loss, 6.0 sacks, 2 interceptions, 7 passes defended, 2 fumbles forced

Channing Tindall is an elite athlete who excels at stopping the run and shooting gaps. His burst jumps off the tape, with a strong first step and an acceleration into his hits which should help him be a consistent tackler at the next level. He’s got good size for the position at 6’2" 230, and plays stronger than his size. His length and power have helped him rarely miss tackles, and his football IQ led him to diagnose run plays quickly. There’s still work to do in pass defense, but his length and athleticism suggest he could become a good tight end stopper in the future. Tindall has also shown some productivity as a blitzer, getting small through holes and timing his blitz well.

2021 Stats

15 games: 67 tackles, 7.5 tackles for loss, 5.5 sacks, 1 fumble forced

I’ve had a draft crush on Troy Andersen for a while, but after his absurd testing numbers at the combine and pro day, I’m ready to consider him a potential 1st round talent. Andersen has generational athleticism at the LB position, with 4.42 speed, a sub-4.00 shuttle, and a 128" broad jump at 6’4" 245 pounds. Translation: That’s as good as any linebacker ever. Andersen started his Montana State career as an all-conference QB before switching to linebacker and impressing in both coverage and run support. After not having a 2020 season, Andersen’s second year on defense saw him become an All-American for the FCS runner up. He needs to identify plays faster and square up his hits cleaner, but those can easily come with time. The size, athleticism, mental game, early productivity, and desire to be great are all there.

2021 Stats

15 games: 147 tackles, 14.0 tackles for loss, 2.0 sacks, 2 interceptions, 9 passes defended

Leo Chenal is an extra big (6’2" 255) yet fast linebacker who was insanely productive for Wisconsin this past year, eclipsing 100 tackles while totaling 18.5 tackles for loss. While he was nothing short of dominant in college, some scouts will question how translatable his skillset is. His short area quickness is nothing special (but better than many claim), and he’s shown very little in pass coverage. Obviously this matters, but people have said this about Wisconsin linebackers plenty of times before. They always end up exceeding expectations. Chenal is as hard of a hitter as you’ll find, exploding run plays at the line of scrimmage and routinely blowing up plays by pushing a lineman deep into the backfield. His straight line power is exceptional, and he has great low leverage tackling form that is consistent and hard to recover from. Chenal processes plays very fast, and is a dominant run stopper and competitor with a lot of room to improve as only a 3rd year player.

2021 Stats

11 games: 115 tackles, 18.5 tackles for loss, 8.0 sacks, 2 fumbles forced

Complete 2022 LB draft rankings

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2022:  | QB | WR | RB | FB | TE | OT | G | C | DT | EDGE | LB | S | CB | K | P | LS | OVERALL |

Two star linebackers have been at the top for some time now, but the strength behind them with guys like Tindall, Andersen, Chenal, and others has turned this into a very solid class. Once you get into the final rounds, it continues to be a really good class with great depth of high caliber athletes, productive off-ball linebackers, and big bodies. I originally thought this class looked average, but they’ve moved themselves up in my eyes. Thanks to the large number of 5th and 6th year seniors, there could be a large number of late round and undrafted prospects who end up contributing early.