2027 NFL Draft Linebackers
Updated October 17, 2026. No. 1 among linebackers is Missouri linebacker Nicholas Rodriguez, who 63 tackles and 1.5 sacks this season. Tony Rojas of Penn State is next.
Top 7 linebackers
Updated October 17, 2026. Grades on 2026 production.
| Rk | Prospect | School | 2026 line | Grade | Mock |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nicholas Rodriguez LB6' 0", 225 lbsJRDraft-eligible if he declares | Missouri | 63 tackles and 1.5 sacks | 89.0 | 15th |
| 2 | Tony Rojas LB6' 2", 236 lbsJRDraft-eligible if he declares | Penn State | 43 tackles and 4 sacks | 84.8 | 19th |
| 3 | Jared Lloyd LB6' 3", 240 lbsSR | Missouri State | 71 tackles and 1 sack | 82.4 | Round 2+ |
| 4 | Grant Godfrey LB6' 3", 240 lbsSR | Kentucky | 52 tackles and 2 sacks | 80.7 | Round 2+ |
| 5 | Cam Buffington LB6' 3", 238 lbsJRDraft-eligible if he declares | Iowa | 52 tackles and 2 sacks | 79.3 | Round 2+ |
| 6 | EJ Smith LB6' 0", 243 lbsSR | Nevada | 59 tackles and 2.5 sacks | 78.2 | Round 2+ |
| 7 | Dylan Lee LB6' 1", 220 lbsJRDraft-eligible if he declares | San José State | 53 tackles and 2 sacks | 77.3 | Round 2+ |
How the board is graded
The Parlae Desk's mock draft: our projection, updated every Tuesday.
- The order is the standings as they stand today, worst record first.
- Each team's needs come from its own numbers: passer rating, yards a carry, sacks for and against, run and pass defense, takeaways, and the snap shares on our depth charts.
- The board ranks every draft-eligible junior and senior in major college football by this season's production at his position, with credit for a Power Four schedule; each position starts from a ceiling that reflects how early the league drafts it.
- Each team takes the prospect with the best grade once its biggest needs are counted. Offensive linemen leave no individual line in a box score, so they are not on the board.
Nothing here is a scouting report. Every stat is from the games played; the order of the board and the fit of a prospect to a team are our projection and change as the season does.
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NFL Draft rankings by position
Each position board is the same grade in its own order, so the first quarterback off our board can be compared with the first at any other spot.
By the Parlae deskBig board updated Oct 17, 2026 at 11:20 AM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number