As I continue a series of potential Bucs draft profiles leading up to the 2026 NFL Draft, you will notice two things with these first few evals. One, there will be a heavy focus on players who have accepted Panini Senior Bowl invites. Two the first position I am focusing heavily on is linebacker. The first eval I put together was on Ohio State linebacker Sonny Styles.

Today I’ll be covering Oklahoma linebacker Owen Heinecke.

Owen Heinecke Background

Heinecke was a zero-star recruit coming out of high school. He initially played lacrosse his freshman season at Ohio State before transferring to Oklahoma. He is currently a redshirt junior. He has accepted an invite to the Senior Bowl in case his application for an additional year of football eligibility is denied by the NCAA.

College Career

Heinecke started his football journey in 2023 after transferring to Oklahoma. He played 26 games between 2023 and 2024 as a special teamer before becoming a starter in 2025. This past season he racked up 74 tackles, including 12 for a loss, three sacks, four passes defensed and a forced fumble. Here are his stats from sports-reference.com.

Scouting Report

Games Watched

2025 – Texas
2025 – Ole Miss
2025 – Alabama (Wk 16)

Measurables

Height – 6-1
Weight – 227 pounds

Both listings come directly from Oklahoma’s website. I would be surprised if he meets either of those. My guess is he is closer to 5-11.5 and 220 pounds.

Athleticism

Heinecke has great straight-line speed reaching a top-speed over 20 MPH. He spools up quickly showing plus burst in small spaces. But he lacks flexibility to change direction without decelerating considerably. His size, or lack thereof, also causes him to struggle when opponents match his physicality and strength. I don’t think he has much room to add mass as I think it would further reduce his joint flexion.

That lack of play strength also shows when he fails to beat offensive linemen to spots. When a blocker is ready for him, they can absorb his mass easily. When this happens, he almost always ends up on the ground.

He has short arms that give him a small tackling radius. That small tackling radius is one of several reasons he has a high missed tackle rate (20.5% in 2025). That was in the 11th percentile for all qualifying linebackers last year.

Oklahoma linebacker Owen Heinecke – Photo by: IMAGN Images – Angelina Alcantar

Run Fitting

Heinecke is a point-and-shoot linebacker. His speed helps him play downhill with authority. He is at his best when he’s being used as a run blitzer. He profiles best in a dent system where he can attack specific gaps and doesn’t have to move laterally. When he’s asked to scrape his processor runs slower than his legs and he ends up out of position, and his lack of size makes it easier for linemen to box him out of his gap.

Oklahoma ILB Owen Heinecke – Photo by: IMAGN Images – Bryan Terry

The lack of arm length and smaller stature causes him to struggle to detach from blocks. He might be best served by moving to safety. He has minus instincts often guessing wrong when he’s asked to read and react – reinforcing that he is best utilized in point-and-shoot manner. But he makes up for it with sheer will power. He finished in the 85th percentile for stop rate in 2025.

Coverage

Heniecke was rarely used outside of flat follows with backs or the occasional hook flat. His angles are direct, which means when he’s late to the party he’s prone to overrunning because he also struggles to break down as he closes. He can move well while dropping but his hip flips lack fluidity.

I didn’t observe many reps where he was in man coverage. From what I did see, he doesn’t show a feel for coverage that would make me think he can hold up well for very long in that environment. From mugged up looks he can drop quickly to close initial windows. Where he does excel in coverage is limiting yards after catch with a quick trigger to close on catches made underneath.

Statistical measurements show Heinecke in a positive light as he finished with one of the better quarterback rating allowed and yards per coverage rep marks among all linebackers, but I chalk this up more to Oklahoma limiting his role as a pass defender.

Pass Rush

Despite being used as a pass rusher often, Heinecke isn’t skilled beyond his exceptional speed. He struggles to adjust his balance when he gets re-routed and doesn’t win 1v1 against backs or tight ends as much as he should given his usage. More often than not he’s covered and knocked to the ground. His pressure rate finished in the 48th percentile for all qualifying linebackers last year.

Oklahoma used Owen Heinecke as a part of their pass rush at a very high rate ty. He was at his best working like a bullet downhill. His best reps were working as a 2nd wave rusher from depth rather than as a mugged-up backer where his lack of size could get him in trouble. pic.twitter.com/RHGQfIq7ob

— Josh Queipo (@JoshQueipo_NFL) January 11, 2026

Best Traits

His acceleration and speed make him ideally suited for a special teams role where he can fly down field attacking smaller players. As a linebacker he would work best as a specialist on long and late downs matched up against less athletic tight ends.

OklahomaÕs Owen Heinecke (38) sacks Alabama’s Ty Simpson (15) in the second half of the College Football Playoff game between the University of Oklahoma Sooners (OU) and the Alabama Crimson Tide at the Gaylord Family – Oklahoma Memorial Stadium in Norman, Okla., Friday Dec. 19, 2025.

He plays with a violent tenacity that will endear him to personnel departments and coaches alike. The effort he shows on tape make him an ideal candidate for a back-of-the-roster spot as a core special teamer.

How Does He Fit The Bucs’ System

Heinecke would feel at home in Todd Bowles’ mugged-up attacking system. He was used in Oklahoma’s pass rush at one of the highest rates in the NCAA last year, racking up plenty of rushes through the A gap where he showed no fear banging inside with interior offensive linemen. He has the requisite speed and quickness to be at his best in a mug and drop system. 

I worry about his lack of instincts and whether he would be able to process all of the assignments asked in Bowles’ system.