Top Inside Linebackers In 2020 Draft

1. Clemson ILB Isaiah Simmons – Junior – 6-4, 230 – 4.39

Simmons is technically more of a position-less player that is dynamic in many areas, but since we have to put him somewhere among Pewter Report’s draft rankings, we’ll put him at linebacker. What you’re getting from Simmons is a freak athlete that has a ton of speed where you can put him anywhere on the field. He can anticipate plays well as a linebacker and is a sound tackler. In coverage, Simmons can stick with just about anyone. He’s extremely versatile that can play linebacker or safety, and he’s got the football IQ to handle multiple assignments. Simmon’s athleticism and ability to play multiple spots makes him a very intriguing option. Simmons won the Butkus Award his final year at school for most outstanding linebacker along with ACC Defensive Player Of The Year honors as a first-team All-American. 

2. LSU ILB Patrick Queen – Junior – 6-1, 227 – 4.50

Queen is the cream of the crop of the traditional inside linebackers in this year’s class. An impressive senior year catapulted him into the conversation for top linebacker after he recorded 85 tackles, 12 tackles for loss, three sacks and one interception along with winning the defensive MVP of the National Championship. He’s an instinctive linebacker that knows how to command the defense that he is running. Queen has the length in his arms to shed oncoming blockers while having very good lateral speed to catch runners trying to break it to the outside. Though he could afford to get a little stronger, Queen has great explosiveness and tracking skills to match it in coverage as well. 

3. Oklahoma LB Kenneth Murray – Junior – 6-2, 234 – 4.52

You might not think a player would be this high when you mention an Oklahoma defense, but Murray is an exception to the rule. Murray has an excellent combination of both speed and physicality with tackling ability. He’s as tough as they come, but one thing he can work on is his ability to read plays and formations. There’s no question that Murray is aggressive, but at times that makes him over run and miss a play. If you want to get things going for your team and change momentum, he’s your guy. Murray started all three seasons at school, making 325 tackles with 36.5 tackles for loss, 9.5 sacks, six passes defended, two fumble recoveries and one forced fumble. He had a hamstring injury at the Combine, but that shouldn’t be much of an issue moving forward. 

4. Ohio State LB Malik Harrison – Senior – 6-3, 246 – 4.66

When Harrison hits an opponent, you can hear it on the television from watching at home. He hits as hard as one possibly can on the football field and has a pure physicality to his game. Harrison is a very tough linebacker that sets the tone for the defense, helped by his capability of getting through blocks and making the big play. His coverage skills varies, as he is good with short routes, but gets hurt with the intermediate to longer routes as he’ll try to jump a route. Harrison at times tries to look more for the big hit then stay with his assignment, which has led to some blown plays. He had strong back-to-back seasons as a junior and senior and overall recorded 205 tackles, 29 tackles for loss, nine sacks, one interception, nine passes defended and three forced fumbles in four years. 

5. Oregon ILB Troy Dye – Senior – 6-4, 225 – N/A

Dye fought through injury towards the end of his senior season, toughing it out by playing with a cast on his hand to finish the year. You can’t question his willingness to play and win. As a four-year starter at middle linebacker, Dye has leadership qualities that you look for at the position. He’s gifted athletically, with great agility that lets him both hit the gaps that running backs and heading through and also matching sideline to sideline. He does struggle in coverage, taking longer to figure out what play is happening and Dye tends to be a step behind. Dye also needs to work on getting bigger and stronger in the NFL, but there are qualities that you like that teams would like to develop. Dye was a tackling machine at school, notching 391 tackles and 13.5 sacks. 

6. Appalachian State ILB Akeem Davis-Gaither – Senior – 6-2, 219 – N/A

He might play for a smaller school but don’t let that prevent you from paying attention to Davis-Gaither’s abilities. He’s got a good quickness to him that helps avoid blocks when lineman are trying to get after him at the second level. Davis-Gaither is able to catch up to most running backs that the game has to offer and is a competent blitzer with a good first step. The problem for him is he’s undersized, which will cause him big issues at the next level if he’s not able to get around blockers every single time. Davis-Gaither got over the 100-tackle mark his senior year with 101, and had a career-best five sacks along with his first interception. 

7. Mississippi State LB Willie Gay – Junior – 6-1, 243 – 4.46

Mississippi State ILB Willie Gay – Photo courtesy of Mississippi State

He’s a well-rounded player on the football field who can do a little bit of everything. Gay has speed, size, strong coverage skills, and is versatile as well. He has above average tackling skills and is very quick to get to the ball. What he needs to work on is his football IQ and how to figure what play is developing. His speed is good, he needs to make more tackles at the point of attack rather than chasing the play down the field. Gay missed eight games last year because he and nine other teammates were suspended for academic fraud and he also got into a fight with one of his teammates. His best came season as a sophomore when he recorded 48 tackles, 5.5 and two interceptions. Gay also had a pick-six for his lone interception during his last season. 

8. Utah State ILB David Woodward – Junior – 6-2, 235 – 4.79

The best trait for Woodward is that he’s a very intelligent player that is going to be in the right position. He doesn’t make mistakes often. Woodward does a great job of identifying a play and processing it before it’s actually run, which let’s him seek out ways to make adjustments for the defense. When the ball is snapped, Wooward brings the lumber when it comes to making hits. Something that holds him back, though, is that he isn’t the quickest of linebackers that you can find in the draft. And as we know, speed kills, so he does what he can by finding what the play is beforehand. He missed some time with injury during his freshman and junior year, but he had a highly impressive sophomore campaign, making 134 tackles with five sacks, two interceptions and two forced fumbles. Woodward is a hard nosed player. 

9. Wyoming ILB Logan Wilson – Senior, 6-2, 241 – 4.63

Wilson is a consistent player with a high football IQ and consistent tackling ability. He’s the type of player that you don’t have to worry about when he’s out on the field. Starting all four seasons at school, Wilson brings a great deal of experience when it comes to putting him in different situations. He was an All-American for his senior year, racking up totals of 105 tackles, one sack, four interceptions, and one forced fumble. You’d like to see him face a little better competition, and he could use a little more speed to help him with man-to-man coverage. This is lacking at time despite the four interceptions last year. 

10. Texas Tech ILB Jordyn Brooks – Senior – 6-1, 245 – 4.54

Brooks is a four-year starter that improved each season and capped it off on a great senior year where he had careers highs with 108 tackles, 20 tackles for loss and three sacks. Brooks is an aggressive defender that has a good deal of athleticism that helps him win at the point of attack against an opponent. He’ll be the first to make a move, but he needs to do that because he struggles with getting past blocks. But the athleticism is there for him to have an opportunity. 

Best Of The Rest

11. California ILB Evan Weaver – Senior – 6-2, 234 – 4.76

Weaver is another instinctive linebacker that knows what he’s doing and can identify a play from its formation. He wraps up well as a tackler and brings energy all the time. While he has a motor, Weaver isn’t as athletically gifted as others, so he struggles with staying with backs and receivers in the passing game. Weaver stacked up his tackles over his junior and senior seasons going for 155 and 181, respectively. He went from the edge to linebacker sophomore year, and overall had 407 tackles in his career. 

12. Purdue ILB Markus Bailey – Senior – 6-1, 240 – N/A

He wouldn’t be a Big Ten linebacker if he wasn’t a hard-nosed linebacker that lays out punishing hits. There’s more to Bailey’s game than that, though, as he’s a quick player that does well with reading defenses. He could use some more strength to remove himself from blockers, but he balances that out with his toughness and grasp on the game. Bailey played just two games in his senior year before tearing his ACL ending his season, so that’ll be something teams will have to keep a look for. In his junior year, Bailey had 115 tackles, six sacks, an interception and a forced fumble. 

13. Colorado ILB Davion Taylor – Senior – 6-1, 224 – 4.49

He’s got a lot of raw talent that needs to be developed, but does have a good skill set. One of the first things that stands out with Taylor is his speed, which was third among all linebackers at the NFL Scouting Combine. He can run all over the field and hits hard on the ball carrier. He needs to be able to read coverages and identify the point of attack, or a defense led by him will allow long chunks of plays. Taylor could not play in high school games due to his mother’s religious beliefs preventing him from playing in social events after sundown on Friday until Sundown on Saturday, so he played two years at a Coahoma Junior College before transferring to Colorado. In his two seasons with the Buffaloes, Taylor had 129 tackles, two sacks, three fumble recoveries and a defensive touchdown. 

14. LSU ILB Jacob Phillips – Junior – 6-4, 233 – 4.66

Phillips is a hard hitter that doesn’t hold back when taking down a ball carrier. He’s got great downhill speed when making a play, but not as strong going sideline to sideline. Phillips has instincts, but needs to do a better job of processing plays. He started as a sophomore and junior, recording 218 tackles, 13.5 tackles for loss, two sacks and a pick-six over his college football career. 

15. Miami ILB Shaquille Quarterman – Senior – 6-1, 241 – 4.74

Miami ILB Shaquille Quarterman – Photo courtesy of Miami

As a four-year starter, Quarterman brought consistency to Miami’s defense. He’s proactive in the run game, getting to the hole and stopping plays before they can develop. Quarterman is a physical linebacker that hits hard and blitzes even harder. He always brings a high motor when on the field and does a solid job defending against running backs and tight ends in the passing game. His speed is okay, but it’s lacking when it comes to moving side to side across the field. Quarterman made 356 tackles over his four-year career with 46.5 tackles for loss, 12 sacks and an interception. He’s got a good knowledge for the game as well.

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