2025 Draft: ILBs seek relevance, respect

Over the past few draft cycles, there has been a lack of a bonafide, blue-chip prospect at the interior linebacker position. In recent memory, we have heard differing opinions on who is the top linebacker and what is his value in a draft.

The position of inside linebacker continues to be under stress from the evolution to pass-crazy offenses that dictate the need for pass defenders on defense. This is why the nickel defense—with five defensive backs and only one inside linebacker at most—dominated alignments last year. The Nickel was used more than 67 percent of the time. 

But NFL teams still run the ball 42 percent of the time, so the need for inside linebackers remains. 

The past few drafts have included inside linebacker names such as:

—Jack Campbell (Iowa to Lions, 2023)

—Quay Walker (Georgia to Packers, 2022)

—Nakobe Dean (Georgia to Eagles, 2022)

—Drew Sanders (Arkansas to Broncos, 2022)

—Devin Lloyd (Utah to Jaguars, 2022)

—Trenton Simpson (Clemson to Ravens, 2023)

—Jeremiah Trotter (Clemson to Eagles, 2024)

—Payton Wilson (N. Carolina State to Steeler, 2024)

Each had his own unique talent and traits. However, concerns remained or expanded about their ability to translate to the next level.

The same optimism and concerns, are now on deck for this list of 2025 ILB draft prospects:

—Barrett Carter, Clemson

—Smael Mondon Jr., Georgia

—Kobe King, Penn State

—Jay Higgins, Iowa. 

I see these names at the top of the list of linebackers to best make the jump to the NFL in the next draft.

Carter is viewed as the best of the class with his size and leadership abilities, but Mondon and King are uber-athletic and fit the mold of today’s game. We could see them rise up the boards during the next year’s draft process. Higgins is more of the gap-plugging linebacker we don’t see much of anymore, but he has a nose for the ball and can rack up tackles at will.

So, if they all declare for next year’s draft, who should be the first one off the board? Let’s give them each a closer look.

Barrett Carter, Clemson 

Barrett Carter — LB, Clemson, 6002, 230, Sr, 4.52 40 (est). (1st-ranked LB and 22nd overall player on Hall Of Football)

OVERVIEW

Barrett Carter is a fourth-year senior at the University of Clemson. In 2023, he finished with 37 solo tackles (62 total), 9.5 tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks, one interception, five pass deflections, and a fumble recovery in 12 games. 

Carter attended North Gwinnett High School in Georgia, where he was a five-star recruit before committing to Clemson. He also earned Defensive National Player of the Year for the Maxwell Football Club. During his first three years at Clemson, Carter earned the following accolades:

• Three-time ACC Honor Roll Selection

• 2022-2023 All-Academic Team Honoree

• 2022 Fourth-Team All-America Honoree (Phil Steele)

• 2022 First-Team All-ACC (Phil Steele & PFF)

• 2023 Lott IMPACT Trophy quarterfinalist

• 2023 Second-Team All-ACC selection

• 2023 ACC Honor Roll

• 2023 Third-Team All-ACC Honors (CFN)

Strengths

Carter has a quality frame and physical strength to succeed on the interior and is able to work through and even around blocks in close quarters. He is an acceptable athlete for the position, with fair lateral agility and click-close speed to get downhill. He shows a good ability to leverage interior gaps in run support with positive play recognition, as well as an ability to stack and shed to get a ball carrier. He moves smoothly in space and shows plus ability to match/mirror in both man and zone. Carter is able to stick with most backs and tight ends in man and gets good depth when dropping in zone. His ball skills are underrated in coverage, as he shows soft hands to secure the ball when in position to make a turnover. 

He shows exceptional awareness and overall instinct or IQ to locate backs when they release late, and Carter is good at staying home and protecting the edge against misdirection. When in pursuit, he takes quality angles to the ball carrier, putting him in position to make open-field tackles. With his combination of athleticism and production in run support and coverage, Carter has the versatility to line up in multiple positions when needed, including nickel in zone concepts.

Weaknesses

He displays subpar sideline-to-sideline speed and often struggles to cover ground to leverage perimeter runs effectively. Because of this limited speed, he sometimes struggles to stay with faster backs on extended coverage. He lacks recognition in coverage to anticipate routes but does not overplay a situation by baiting a quarterback. So he seems to know his limitations. Tackling can be inconsistent both around the LOS and in space. Like too many others, Carter has a tendency to get lazy with technique and not wrap up and finish. While, on one hand, he is a smart player, Carter does not seem to play with a chip on his shoulder—that special intensity and aggressiveness you expect to see in a top-tier linebacker.

SUMMARY

Barrett Carter is a very solid football player overall. He can contribute in both facets of defense. His speed may not be special, but he shows instincts in run support and versatility in coverage at multiple positions. If Carter can put together an impressive college season in 2024, he could set himself apart from the pack going into the 2025 NFL Draft.

Smael Mondon Jr., Georgia

Smael Mondon Jr. — LB, Georgia, 6031, 225, Sr, 4.50 40 (est). (2nd-ranked LB and 49th overall player on Hall Of Football)

OVERVIEW

Smael Mondon is a fourth year senior at the University of Georgia, serving as the starting LB for the past two years. In 2023, he tallied 42 solo tackles (68 total), five tackles for loss, three sacks, and one pass deflection in 13 games. 

Mondon attended Paulding County High School in Georgia, where he played quarterback, running back and wideout and was rated a five-star recruit before committing to the University of Georgia. In his three seasons at Georgia, some awards he has earned include:

• 2023 Coaches All-SEC Second-Team Selection

• 2023 Defensive Player of the Week vs Auburn

• Preseason Media Days All-SEC Second Team

• 2023 Butkus Award watch list

Strengths

Mondon is a rangy linebacker with plus sideline-to-sideline speed that allows him to leverage perimeter runs extremely well. He is a fluid athlete, which is especially obvious in space. He can change direction easily and work around blocks on the perimeter. Mondon shows impressive potential in coverage. He has the speed to run with backs and tight ends, and his elite length allows him to shrink throwing lanes and windows. He maximizes his speed to take quality angles when trailing a play, putting himself in position to secure downfield tackles. Mondon has solid tackling ability in space.

Weaknesses

Mondon has adequate ability to leverage interior runs. He lacks the strength to work through blocks and can get taken out of the play against bigger opponents. Struggles to mirror properly when in zone can be late getting depth as well as passing off zones. He shows substandard route recognition in both man and zone, and does not feel leverage well enough to anticipate routes and jump them. His ability to play with his back to the ball in coverage is poor, and Mondon struggles to turn his head and locate the ball. This is why his ball production has been limited thus far. He is inconsistent tackling between the tackles, gets out of position evading blocks and can struggle to finish. He loses sight on misdirection plays and often falls for play fakes instead of protecting the backside. He gets lost as a blitzer on the interior and does not yet have the strength to push through. 

SUMMARY

Smael Mondon is a tweener at the linebacker position. He is long and rangy, like a modern-day linebacker, but can lose his way when supporting the run between the tackles. And he is a marginal contributor in coverage. If he does not show growth this upcoming season, it is realistic that he might change positions as he makes the jump to the next level. But where would he line up in a modern-day NFL defense? He doesn’t have the speed to be a safety and lacks the size to be a lineman. It is a common purgatory for good, but not great, inside linebackers. 

Kobe King, Penn State

Kobe King — LB, Penn State, 6005, 242, rJr, 4.67 40 (est). (3rd-ranked LB and 54th player overall on Hall Of Football)

OVERVIEW

Kobe King is a fourth-year redshirt junior at Penn State. He served as more of a rotational linebacker most of his career but made 11 starts in 13 games in 2023. He finished the season with 39 solo tackles (59 total), 6 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks, and one fumble recovery.

He played high school ball at Cass Technical High School in Michigan, where he was a two-time captain and earned Division 1 All-Region Honors in 2020. In 2019, he was named Detroit Public School League Linebacker of the Year and earned an All-City selection. This past season at Penn State, King earned All-Big Ten honorable mention from the coaches and media.

Strengths

King is an exceptional athlete with lateral agility and has great blink-quick speed to plant and change direction in space. He has an overall solid ability to leverage interior runs; he is able to get around blocks on the interior with his agility and shows good technique and ability to finish around the LOS. King has very good speed and can cover ground sideline to sideline and is able to leverage perimeter runs well because of it. All that speed and athleticism shows in man coverage against backs where he shows a quality ability to match/mirror. He maintains proper juxtaposition in zone and gets good depth over the middle while also communicating well when passing off within zones. When the play is working away from him, he takes satisfactory angles when pursuing the ball carrier. When one on one in space he is a solid tackler, capable of properly squaring up and wrapping up. 

Weaknesses

King is a bit short for the position, with not much length to his frame, and I could see struggles in coverage against bigger, more athletic tight ends. He is still finding his comfort level in both man and zone when it comes to route recognition, and he does not anticipate or feel leverage very well. He has a tendency to get overaggressive in run support and can be fooled by misdirection and play-action bootlegs. 

SUMMARY

Kobe King is ~250 pounds of clay that teams will look to mold. He has the athletic traits evaluators covet but has yet to put together a really productive season. The 2024 campaign will be a big one for him in terms of his growth. If he has a great year, King will be a fun name to watch come next year. 

Jay Higgins, Iowa

Jay Higgins — LB, Iowa, 6010, 233, rSr, 4.76 40 (est). (4th-ranked LB and 77th pllayer overall on Hall Of Football).

OVERVIEW

Jay Higgins is a fifth-year redshirt senior at the University of Iowa. Throughout most of his college career, he struggled to show much production until last season. In 2023, Higgins recorded 79 solo tackles (171 total), five tackles for loss, two sacks, one INT, four pass deflections, one forced fumble, and two fumble recoveries in 14 games. 

Higgins attended Brebeuf Jesuit Prep in Indiana where he was named to the All-State Top 50 and was First-Team All-State and All-Conference as a junior and senior. He has earned a plethora of honors during his time at Iowa that including:

• Names to Players Council in 2023

• 2023 Duke Slater Golden Gavel Award honoree

• Hayden Fry “Extra Heartbeat” Award in 2023

• Permanent Team Captain in 2023

• Roy Carver Most Valuable Player in 2023

• 2023 Butkus Award semifinalist

• 2023 First-Team All-America by FWAA, Phil Steele and SI

• First-Team All-Big 10 by coaches and media in 2023

• Phil Steele First-Team All-Big 10 in 2023

• 2024 Phil Steele Preseason Defensive Player of the Year

• 2024 Preseason First-Team All-America

• 2024 Athlon and Phil Steele Preseason First-Team All-Big 10

Strengths

Higgins shows exceptional pre-snap recognition. He diagnoses plays quickly in run support. He shows outstanding ability to leverage interior runs, has excellent physical strength to take on blocks and a knack at shedding blocks to find the ball. Higgins is a fantastic tackler both between the tackles and on the perimeter. He displays advanced techniques to square up, wrap up and finish the play. He shows solid match/mirror ability in zone coverage as he understands his assignments and how to communicate to pass receivers off properly. Higgins seems to have a high IQ on misdirection plays, does a good job staying home and protecting his assignment. He takes quality angles to the ball carrier when the play is working away from him. He also has a favorable motor for a man his size, he always hustles when on the field and does not stop his pursuit until the whistle blows. 

Weaknesses

Range and overall speed is the biggest weakness for Higgins. He lacks the ability to cover sideline to sideline against opponents with speed. He is a pest, but his ball skills in coverage are only adequate. He often keeps his head on the opponent instead of turning to locate the ball, limiting opportunities to make a play. Because of his lack of speed and ball skills, Higgins can struggle to stay with quicker backs out of the backfield or athletic/tall tight ends.

SUMMARY

Jay Higgins has the build of an old-school linebacker who does the dirty work in the trenches. Because he is a bigger linebacker and not as fluid in space, teams will devalue and look past him, but he is a guy who will rack up tackles and anchor a defense in run support. 

Class Summary

This linebacker class appears similar to those in the recent past in several ways. While it does seem that Barrett Carter will be the consensus number one, there is a lot of time between now and the 2025 Draft. One of these players can raise his stock and make a bid for the best in the class. There is a varied and unique talent in this group, so it will be interesting to see which names pick up steam heading into next year and which ones will fail to improve their stock.