Next week marks an important date in the 2026 NFL Draft cycle. The NFL Scouting Combine will commence in Indianapolis, and teams and draft experts alike will be able to confirm or refute their athleticism priors as draft-eligible players from across the nation will show off their speed, power and agility. It also presents an opportunity for teams to interview players who they previously have not had an opportunity to speak to.

I have been focusing on the defensive side of the ball in my early preparation, specifically on the linebacker position, and I’ve got another profile – this time on Cincinnati linebacker Jake Golday. The Bucs’ current linebacker room is very thin and did not perform particularly well last year.

Here is a quick recap of the linebacker profiles I have completed to this point:

Draft: Sonny Styles, Owen Heinecke, Kyle Louis, Arvell Reese, Kaleb Elarms-Orr, Jacob Rodriguez, Justin Jefferson, C.J. Allen, Anthony Hill, Jr.

Free Agents: Nakobe Dean, Devin Bush

Another linebacker I have heard good things about is Jake Golday out of Cincinnati.

Jake Golday Background and College Career

Jake Golday was a zero-star prospect in the 2021 recruiting class out of Arlington High School in Tennessee. He was a two-sport athlete, playing power forward for the basketball team in addition to tight end and outside linebacker for the football team. He averaged 15.5 minutes and 2.5 points per game.

On the football field he totaled 27 catches for 571 yards (21.1 yards per catch) and five touchdowns in his senior season on offense. On defense he had 70 tackles, 6 tackles for loss, 1 interception and 2 fumbles recovered.

He enrolled at Central Arkansas where he played from 2021 to 2023. He played 26 games over three seasons, totaling 125 tackles, 12.5 tackles for loss, 5.5 sacks and 2 forced fumbles. His final year there he transitioned from an edge rusher to an off-ball linebacker.

In 2024 Golday entered the transfer portal as a three-star prospect (716 overall) and committed to Cincinnati. In two seasons in the Big 12 he posted 163 tackles, 13 tackles for loss, 5.0 sacks, 5 passes defensed and three forced fumbles.

2025 Production Percentiles

Among all linebackers with at least 300 snaps, here are Golday’s percentiles in various rate metrics I look at:

Tackle Rate – 77th percentile
Missed Tackle Rate – 79th percentile
Stop Rate – 79th percentile
Pressure Rate – 67th percentile
Tackle-Stop Rate – 41st percentile
Impact Play Rate – 35th percentile
Passer Rating Allowed – 59th percentile
Yards/coverage snap – 31st percentile
Coverage snaps/target – 74th percentile

Scouting Report

Games watched: 2025 UCF, 2025 Iowa State, 2025 TCU

Athleticism

Height: 6-4

Weight: 240 pounds

Jake Golday’s fluidity is best in large spaces (coverage). He has good long and closing speed to finish plays. His long arms help him close spaces in coverage. But he takes large strides which hurt his ability to change direction in the box. Those change of directions skills can get exposed when ball carriers have space to work across his face laterally and out-leverage him. He does make up for it a bit on the back end where his speed helps him catch up in pursuit.

Golday doesn’t have elite acceleration, but he does find his stride on longer runs. He is more of a speed gatherer than an explosive accelerator. And Golday is strong for his position and can hold up at the point of attack.

Cincinnati ILB Jake Golday – Photo by: IMAGN Images – Rob Gray

Run Fitting

Golday, a former edge rusher, sets a hard edge and uses his big frame to absorb blockers. His long arms come in handy to keep climbers and pullers off of his frame. Golday’s fluidity shrinks in smaller spaces – his long levers move slower and more deliberately.

He’s willing to drop his shoulder and absorb pulling/climbing offensive linemen with a strong anchor. But Golday doesn’t shed blockers as much as you want from a player of his size. Once again, his long arms help him consistently wrap up and tackle with very few misses. But there isn’t much violence in Golday’s hits. It’s rare for him to create real pop on his take downs. And his angles are solid, but not a plus. But every so often you get a glimpse of what can be when he sees it.

Hello Jake Golday!

1. Smooth backpedal
2. Gains late depth to close the window to the cross behind him
3. Quick close and strong finish to punish for the TFL pic.twitter.com/g4fdQeCNAe

— Josh Queipo (@JoshQueipo_NFL) February 15, 2026

Golday’s not great at sifting and Cincinnati used him more in the slot than as a true box backer. He can get walled off too easily. When he does play downhill, it is most common against toss or outside zone plays. This is where Golday’s pursuit angles can get him in trouble as he will end up behind the back playing catchup.

When he sees the flow of the play, he plays strong and confidently downhill and can deliver some pops. He just doesn’t always see it fast enough.

Pass Rushing

Golday has great closing speed and real strength at the point of attack to bully blockers when he has a head of steam and can take on two blockers setting up games for teammates. More importantly, he has a willingness to execute those assignments and sacrifice himself for the scheme.

Golday has an edge rusher background, and you can see his prowess in this area of the game with some bend, power, ability to cross face and hand usage to win one-on-one battles. And his size makes him an overwhelming force against backs trying to stone him in the backfield.

Cincinnati ILB Jake Golday – Photo by: IMAGN Images – Michael Trigg

Coverage

Golday’s straight zone drops are fast and fluid. But when he has to change directions or rotate his hips, the movements become more herky-jerky and mechanical. He has a natural feel for getting late depth on his drops and close windows on intermediate routes over the middle of the field. And his long arms help him create disruption on passing windows.

Golday works well to the perimeter where he can duck blocks, beat guys to spots and use his arms to get flat receivers to the ground.

He was given limited assignments in college (hooks/flats), but he was rarely asked to get vertical running the Tampa-2 pole or carry seams deep. In the couple of reps where he tried a vertical cry on a hook, he got left behind.

IQ/Instincts/Communication

Shows strong communication skills late pre-snap but post snap processing in run diagnostics are late/slow. This puts him behind the play too often.

Best Traits

Coverage instincts

Athletic traits

Pass rushing experience and skills

Arm length and tackle security

Best Role and Bucs Fit

Jake Golday offers plus skills in the two superfluous areas of the linebacker position (coverage and pass rushing), but he struggles in the basic areas a linebacker has to be expected to perform in (fitting the run). He’s a project who shouldn’t be expected to start right away. He played more snaps in the nickel this year than he did in the box.

But Golday’s physical and athletic traits paired with his coverage chops and ability as a pass rusher make him a fantastic upside play at weakside linebacker for a team that can add him as a depth/developmental player or a team that doesn’t need to win this year and can use 2026 as a learning year.

For those reasons I wouldn’t have him as an obvious fit for the Bucs because he should be taken in a range – on Day 2 likely in the second round – where Tampa Bay would want a player who can provide more immediate impact.

If the Bucs wanted to bet on his upside and see him as a year 2/3 starter, he could be a fantastic fit as a weakside linebacker in their mug-and-drop system.

Hear Jake Golday Speak

Part of NFL Draft evaluations are about more than the tape. Teams want to understand the person as much as the player — how he thinks, how he processes the game, and how he integrates into a locker room. While we don’t have access to the full depth of team interviews, I found a post-game press conference he did after a loss to Nebraska this past season.

The thoughtfulness in Golday’s answers, especially pushing back on crowd noise having a major impact on the defense and how he laid out his specific reasoning came across to me. His answers had specifics and reasoning. It’s a short interaction, but one that strikes me more than most and makes me want to hear from him more. He’s one I will be looking forward to hearing Combine interviews.

Final Thoughts

I don’t see Jake Golday as a Day 1 starter. His tools are some of the best in the class, but he still has work to do as a box player before I think defensive coordinators will trust him on the field. But I could see him developing in 2-3 years into potentially one of the best players in this linebacker class. For those reasons I have a tier four grade on him and he’s currently seventh on my linebacker board.

Because of the tools I expect him to get drafted long before I’d be comfortable taking him for the Bucs as they need players in the range he will go that can contribute more year one.