BEST RATED LINEBACKERS IN COVERAGE 2025 NFL Draft

2025 BEST RATED LINEBACKERS IN COVERAGE

As the pass-heavy era of football continues to evolve, linebackers such as Luke Kuechly (Boston College) and Manti Te'o (Notre Dame) have historically set a high standard in pass coverage, demonstrating that effective linebacking isn’t merely about tackling and run defense, but also about thwarting passing lanes and neutralizing middle-field threats.

Dive into the data below, uncovering the current college linebackers emerging as proficient coverage specialists. Key metrics like pass breakups, coverage grades, and yards allowed per coverage snap will facilitate a deeper understanding of their ability to safeguard the middle of the field, limit tight end production, and occasionally, match up against slot receivers with notable efficacy.

2025 Linebackers ranked by COVERAGE

RANK Player Pos Team TACKLING PASS RUSH RUN DEFENSE COVERAGE Rating
1

Jay
Higgins

LB
Iowa   Mascot
Iowa Mascot
90 65 86 94
81.9
2

Harold
Perkins Jr.

LB
LSU   Mascot
LSU Mascot
73 86 70 86
89.0
3

Jack
Kiser

LB
Notre Dame   Mascot
Notre Dame Mascot
91 79 90 86
79.4
4

Dasan
McCullough

LB
Oklahoma   Mascot
Oklahoma Mascot
75 59 79 82
84.6
5

Lander
Barton

LB
Utah   Mascot
Utah Mascot
64 69 68 80
78.0
6

J.J.
Weaver

LB
/ED
Kentucky   Mascot
Kentucky Mascot
63 64 72 78
78.0
7

Collin
Oliver

LB
Oklahoma State   Mascot
Oklahoma State Mascot
48 85 63 78
83.5
8

Cody
Simon

LB
Ohio State   Mascot
Ohio State Mascot
87 89 78 76
76.5
9

Gabe
Jacas

LB
/ED
Illinois   Mascot
Illinois Mascot
75 68 68 76
83.6
10

Power
Echols

LB
North Carolina   Mascot
North Carolina Mascot
72 74 73 74
76.2
11

Barrett
Carter

LB
Clemson   Mascot
Clemson Mascot
60 76 72 73
86.7
12

Keaten
Wade

LB
/ED
Colorado   Mascot
Colorado Mascot
70 63 78 73
72.2
13

Jason
Henderson

LB
Old Dominion   Mascot
Old Dominion Mascot
87 69 83 72
82.8
14

Khordae
Sydnor

LB
/ED
Vanderbilt   Mascot
Vanderbilt Mascot
59 65 61 72
70.5
15

Smael
Mondon Jr.

LB
Georgia   Mascot
Georgia Mascot
89 66 65 72
84.2
16

Steve
Linton

LB
/ED
Baylor   Mascot
Baylor Mascot
70 86 59 70
77.5
17

Jacob
Dobbs

LB
James Madison   Mascot
James Madison Mascot
76 74 73 70
59.1
18

Xavian
Sorey Jr.

LB
Arkansas   Mascot
Arkansas Mascot
80 57 56 69
75.5
19

Jamon
Dumas-Johnso...

LB
Kentucky   Mascot
Kentucky Mascot
61 75 79 67
84.5
20

Stefon
Thompson

OLB
/ED
Nebraska   Mascot
Nebraska Mascot
78 56 67 66
50.5