• Jihaad Campbell is the best athlete: The consensus top linebacker in the draft is a projected first-round pick because of his elite athletic traits.
• Carson Schwesinger is the best blitzer: UCLA’s star defender is the best at getting after the quarterback at the position.
• 2025 NFL Draft season is here: Try PFF’s best-in-class Mock Draft Simulator and learn about 2025’s top prospects while trading and drafting for your favorite NFL team.

Estimated reading time: 5 minutes

With just a month before the 2025 NFL Draft, we continue wrapping up our class preview with prospect superlatives.

Here are the top linebackers in the class in various categories. 

Best Athlete: Jihaad Campbell, Alabama

Campbell is the consensus top linebacker in this draft and a projected top-20 pick largely due to his outstanding athletic gifts. The junior scored above the 98th percentile in PFF’s game athleticism score metric, hitting over 21 miles per hour in our player tracking. He backed that speed up at the NFL combine by running a 4.52-second 40-yard dash, placing him in the 92nd percentile of his position. Campbell also showed off really good explosiveness with a 94th percentile broad jump (10-foot-7). 

Best Field General: Chris Paul Jr., Ole Miss

Paul enjoyed a breakout season at Ole Miss after transferring in from Arkansas and served as the quarterback of the Rebels’ defense. He communicates very well with his teammates both pre- and post-snap. Paul’s 87.2 PFF grade was seventh among all FBS linebackers this past season, and he was one of only five in the nation with 75.0-plus grades as a run defender, pass-rusher and in coverage.

Best Pass-Rusher: Carson Schwesinger, UCLA

Schwesinger is an absolute weapon as a blitzer, leading all Power Four linebackers with a 90.0 pass-rush grade in 2024. He tallied four sacks and 15 pressures on just 59 pass-rushing snaps this past season while leading the Power Four with a 27.4% pass-rush win rate. Schwesinger has a high motor with very good bend at his size and may even see some snaps at edge defender at the next level.

Best Tackler: Jack Kiser, Notre Dame

Kiser is as sure as they come as a tackler. On 285 career tackle attempts, he’s only missed 13 times. His 4.6% career missed tackle rate is second among all qualifying linebackers since 2019. Kiser combines excellent instincts and positioning to always be in the right place at the right time to bring down the ball-carrier. 

Best in Coverage: Demetrius Knight Jr., South Carolina

Knight has been fantastic in coverage across the last two seasons. His 92.1 coverage grade since 2023 is tied for fourth among all linebackers in the nation, and he has had four interceptions and five forced incompletions in that span. Knight is a very quick processor with good movement ability. 

Hardest Hitter: Jay Higgins, Iowa

Whatever athletic limitations Higgins has, he makes up for with violence. He’s built like a powerful running back at 6-feet, 224 pounds and hits like one, too. His four forced fumbles since 2023 are tied for third among Power Four linebackers.