The 2023 NFL Scouting Combine kicked off as the linebackers, along with defensive linemen, opened the action on the first day of workouts. The linebacker position has arguably the best pass-rusher coming out of college (Alabama's Will Anderson Jr.) since at least 2022 NFL Defensive Player of the Year Nick Bosa (second-overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft) and 2020 NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year Chase Youg.
There's also a couple of other projected first-round picks in Arkansas' Drew Sanders and Clemson's Trenton Simpson. Outside of this trio, there could be a couple others who could generate some first-round or second-round buzz after today's combine showing.
Below are all the official measurements for the linebackers at the combine, in alphabetical order.
LB measurements
| Player | Height | Weight | Hand Size | Arm Length | 40-yard dash |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Will Anderson Jr. (Alabama) | 6' 3 1/2'' | 253 | 9 7/8'' | 33 7/8'' | 4.60 |
Yasir Abdullah (Louisville) | 6'1 | 237 | 9 1/4" | 32 3/8" | 4.47 |
Jeremy Banks (Tennessee) | 6'1 | 232 | 9 1/2" | 32 | 4.53 |
| Micah Baskerville (LSU) | 6'0 1/2" | 221 | 9 5/8" | 31 1/4" | |
| Jack Campbell (Iowa) | 6'5 | 249 | 10 1/4" | 10 1/4" | 4.65 |
Andre Carter II (Army) | 6'6 1/2" | 256 | 9 3/8" | 9 3/8" | |
SirVocea Dennis (Pittsburgh) | 6'0 1/2" | 226 | 10 5/8" | 32 7/8" | |
Jalen Graham (Purdue) | 6'2 | 220 | 9 7/8" | 33" | 4.64 |
Derick Hall (Auburn) | 6'3 | 254 | 10" | 34 1/2" | 4.55 |
| Daiyan Henley (Washington State) | 6'2 | 225 | 9 1/2" | 33" | 4.54 |
Nick Herbig (Wisconsin) | 6'2 | 240 | 9 1/4" | 31 1/4" | 4.65 |
| Shaka Heyward (Duke) | 6'3 | 235 | 9 1/2" | 34" | 4.53 |
DJ Johnson (Oregon) | 6'4 | 260 | 9" | 33 1/4" | 4.49 |
| Andre Jones Jr. (Louisiana) | 6'4 1/2" | 248 | 10" | 34 1/4" | |
| Cam Jones (Indiana) | 6'1 | 226 | 9 1/2" | 31 1/4" | 4.69 |
| Eku Leota (Auburn) | 6'3 | 244 | 9 1/2" | 33 1/2" | |
Ochaun Mathis (Nebraska) | 6'5 | 250 | 10 3/4" | 35 1/4" | 4.74 |
| Ventrell Miller (Florida) | 6' | 232 | 9 1/8" | 32 1/2" | |
| Isaiah Moore (N.C. State) | 6'2 | 233 | 9 1/8" | 31 3/4" | |
BJ Ojulari (LSU) | 6'2 | 248 | 10 1/2" | 34 1/4" | |
| Anfernee Orji (Vanderbilt) | 6'1 | 230 | 10 1/4" | 32" | 4.53 |
| DeMarvion Overshown (Texas) | 6'3 | 229 | 9 1/2" | 32 1/4" | 4.56 |
| Ivan Pace Jr. (Cincinnati) | 5'10 1/2" | 231 | 9 1/2" | 30 1/4" | |
| Owen Pappoe (Auburn) | 6' | 225 | 9 1/8" | 31 3/4" | 4.39 |
Lonnie Phelps (Kansas) | 6'2 | 244 | 9 1/4" | 9 1/4" | 4.55 |
Drew Sanders (Arkansas) | 6'4 | 235 | 9 3/4" | 32 1/8" | |
| Noah Sewell (Oregon) | 6'1 1/2" | 246 | 10" | 31 5/8" | 4.64 |
| Trenton Simpson (Clemson) | 6'2 | 235 | 10 1/4" | 32 3/8" | 4.43 |
Noah Taylor (North Carolina) | 6'4 | 238 | 8 5/8" | 32 5/8" | |
Charlie Thomas (Georgia Tech) | 6'3 | 216 | 8 1/2" | 31 1/2" | 4.52 |
Henry To'oTo'o (Alabama) | 6'1 | 227 | 10 1/4" | 32 3/4" | 4.62 |
Tyrus Wheat (Mississippi State) | 6'2 | 263 | 9" | 32 7/8" | 4.65 |
Dorian Williams (Tulane) | 6'1 | 228 | 10 1/4" | 33 3/4" | 4.49 |
Dee Winters (TCU) | 5'11 | 227 | 8 5/8" | 31 5/8" | 4.49 |
Linebacker winners
Alabama LB Will Anderson Jr: Surprise, the nation's leader in sacks (34.5), tackles for loss (58.5), quarterback hits (71), and quarterback pressures (207) from 2020-2022 had a strong day at the combine. All he did was measure up to Chargers linebacker Khalil Mack, the 2016 NFL Defensive Player of the Year, seven-time Pro Bowl selection, and Hall of Fame 2010's All-Decade Team member. Mack went fifth overall in the 2014 Draft, and like him, Anderson will also be a top-five selection.
Quite the comparison for @AlabamaFTBL's Will Anderson Jr. 👀
— NFL (@NFL) March 3, 2023
📺: #NFLCombine on @nflnetwork
📱: Stream on NFL+ pic.twitter.com/iinycEr6E4
Iowa LB Jack Campbell: The 2022 Dick Butkus Award Winner as the nation's best linebacker put plenty on tape playing Big Ten football. However, his combine solidified his status as no lower than a likely second-round pick and as a fringe first-round pick. Campbell measured at 6-foot-5, 249 pounds and then he showed incredible explosiveness with a 37.5" vertical jump and 10'8" broad jump. Not bad at all.
Army LB Andre Carter II: Only Anderson Jr. (17.5) had more sacks than Carter II's (15.5) in 2021, and Carter measured up nicely alongside Anderson on Thursday. Coming in at 6-foot-6 1/2 at 256 pounds, the Army linebacker displayed a decent amount of athleticism at for his size clocking a 30" vertical leap and a 9'1" broad jump. Carter II is attempting to become the first service academy player to be taken in the first three rounds in the Common Draft Era (since 1967). Nothing he did today hurt his cause.
Washington State LB Daiyan Henley: The former Nevada wide receiver came in at 6-foot-2, 225 pounds -- decent size for the position considering linebackers are essentially like safeties in terms of some of their responsibilities in coverage in 2022. His unofficial 4.54 40-yard dash highlighted an ability to move fluidly. His stock continues to climb amid the possibility that he's just scratching the surface at the position.
Linebacker losers
TCU LB Dee Winters: The Defensive MVP in TCU's Fiesta Bowl win over the previously undefeated, Big Ten Champion Michigan Wolverines had one of the more disappointing measurements at his position, coming in noticeably smaller than what he was listed at as a member of the Horned Frogs. TCU said listed him at 6-foot-1 and 230 pounds, but when he went through testing in Indianapolis on Thursday, he came out at 5-foot-11 and 227 pounds. Winters will probably be a Day 3 pick (Rounds 4-7), but he could still carve out a role in the NFL if the right team can deploy him as a linebacker-safety hybrid.
Cincinnati LB Ivan Pace Jr.: Like Winters, Pace had a clear-cut discrepancy between his collegiate measurables as a member of the Bearcats and what he was listed at when going through the testing at the combine. Cincinnati listed Pace at 6-foot-0 and 235 pounds, but at the combine he measured in at 5-foot-10 1/2 and 231 pounds. He still has a Senior Bowl Defensive MVP performance that he can lean on in which he totaled a game-high 10 tackles, but Pace Jr. didn't boost his stock Thursday in the way many hoped.
Georgia Tech LB Charlie Thomas: The Yellow Jackets linebacker isn't lacking in athleticism; running a 4.52 40-yard dash is a pretty solid time. However, he weighed win at a slim 216 pounds, which is worrisome for an NFL linebacker. Thomas stood at 6-foot-3, so maybe he has a future as a taller, lengthier hybrid linebacker-safety, but even to have that role he'll need to bulk up by at least 10-20 pounds.
