The 2026 East-West Shrine Bowl is here and the Panini Senior Bowl is just days away. Draft season is fully upon us even if the NFL playoffs are still headed to their pinnacle. With the Bucs needing to address their linebacker room, I am trying to go deep on scouting both potential free agents as well as draft eligible inside linebackers.

A quick rundown of evals already completed:

Draft: Sonny Styles, Owen Heinecke, Kyle Louis, Arvell Reese

Free Agents: Nakobe Dean, Devin Bush

Continuing my focus on linebackers who have accepted invites to the Senior Bowl we now move to TCU inside linebacker Kaleb Elarms-Orr.

Kaleb Elarms-Orr Background

Kaleb Elarms-Orr was a four-star prospect out of Moreau Catholic School in California according to 247sports. He was ranked No. 217 overall in the country, No. 18 in the state of California, and No. 16 among edge players.

He transferred to TCU ahead of the 2024 season and improved his recruiting status moving up to No. 91 overall and 12th among linebackers.

College Career

Kaleb Elarms-Orr played two seasons at Cal, combining for 92 tackles and a sack as a starter in his sophomore season in 2023 before transferring to TCU. Over his junior and senior seasons, he tallied 184 tackles, 15.5 tackles for loss and 6.0 sacks. He posted 130 tackles as a senior and led the Big XII in assisted tackles his senior year with 70 per sports-reference.com.

Scouting Report

Games Watched: Iowa State (2025), Baylor (2025), USC (2025)

Athleticism

Kaleb Elarms-Orr is mechanical in his movements, and he lacks the smooth hips that separate the elite athletes from the pack. He has functional speed, but it’s not quite plus. He is slow to change direction which limits his tackling radius and he is much more of a vertical player than one who excels moving across multiple planes. He looks to be a slightly below average athlete in the ways it counts on the field.

Run Fitting

His physicality taking on pullers is sporadic and when he does display the desired technique, he still struggles to make the tackle off those blocks. He can get sucked into a single gap when he should be sifting across multiple gaps to find the ball carrier. And too often he just gets pushed out of his gap or is too far from the play.

TCU ILB Kaleb Elarms-Orr – Photo by: IMAGN Images – Patrick Breen

He is a sound tackler who uses good form and wraps up tight. But he has a shorter wingspan that reduces his radius though. He will make the occasional strong hit, but it’s not his calling card.

Coverage

Kaleb Elarms-Orr is a smart player who shows an advanced feel for route development and zone awareness. He understands assignments and excels at getting hands on receivers to re-route early in the play. He plays his zones well, taking advantageous positions. Elarms-Orr displays great eye-discipline, looking for routes developing in his zone and isn’t shy to get to them. He understands the goal is to cover players and not grass.

TCU ILB Kaleb Elarms-Orr – Photo by: IMAGN Images – Jerome Miron

Elarms-Orr is one of the better technicians in this class when it comes to executing coverage assignments. And he doesn’t look lost deep down the field as he carries seams. Yet he loses intermediate windows as he passes routes off to the next level.

In pursuit to the flat he can come in unbalanced and over-pursue leading to missed tackles.

Pass Rush

Value-add to the pass rush. Elarms-Orr has a knack for timing his rushes well and works downhill with urgency. He also understands how to find the best path to the quarterback. Often can set things up for teammates and understands when the plan is to set him free and when he needs to move a lineman to set up a teammate.

One of Kaleb Elarms-Orr’s best skills imo is as a blitzer. Not just looking at his personal production, but how he helps set things up for teammates. Timing, urgency, smart paths to create for others, and can run over backs trying to stop him. pic.twitter.com/3UKzV93SI7

— Josh Queipo (@JoshQueipo_NFL) January 22, 2026

Much of this can be related back to Elarms-Orr’s high school days where he played primarily on the edge. His mentality as a former pass rusher shines through as he assaults the pocket.

Best Traits

• IQ – Elarms-Orr displays a high understanding of route developments, and his eyes are rarely caught in the wrong place
• Operates a Pro scheme – TCU put a hefty load on his plate, asking him to execute assignments similar to what an NFL defense would ask of him. He should have a lower learning curve than his draft class peers
• Communication – Elarms-Orr was constantly instructing players
• Pass rush – shows zero hesitation and a high-level understanding of how to create chaos and pressure

How Does He Fit The Bucs System And Best Role

Kaleb Elarms-Orr’s high football I.Q. and excellent communication skills would make him the ideal candidate to wear the green dot in Todd Bowles’ expansive and complicated multiple front defense. But given his inconsistency in maintaining his gap integrity and limited athleticism, I struggle to see a reality where he can thrive as a starter.

However, he makes for an ideal depth linebacker who can play assignment-sound football.

The more I watch of TCU’s Kaleb Elarms-Orr, the more I am excited to see him in Mobile.

TCU asked him to do a lot in their scheme – more NFL-level stuff than most college programs. The IQ looks to be a real plus in his game. pic.twitter.com/YUTmGhV9ZH

— Josh Queipo (@JoshQueipo_NFL) January 21, 2026

Hear Kaleb Elarms-Orr Speak

NFL Draft evaluations are as much about the person as the player. Teams want to understand the person as much as the player. How do they think? How do they interpret the game? Who are they as someone who must integrate into a locker room? We can’t see nearly as much of this as teams do in their in-person interviews, but this year I want to help all of us hear more from the players that we evaluate.

There isn’t a lot of material available of Elarms-Orr talking ball, but I did find a media availability from his time at Cal when he first transitioned into a starting role.

A player’s answers are usually going to match the questions presented and the majority of these focused on his preparation and thoughts on teammates. I did appreciate him taking accountability for not being where he needed to be his first year in the program leading him to playing primarily on the scout team.