NFL Draft Linebacker Rankings 2021: From The College Perspective

Which linebackers will matter in the 2021 NFL Draft, and what’s the college perspective on all of the top prospects?

4. Jamin Davis, Kentucky

Size: 6-4, 234

The Good: He only did it for one year, but … wow.

He was okay as part of the rotation in his first two seasons, but last year he came up with 102 tackles with 1.5 sacks, four tackles for loss and three interceptions.

And he’s just getting started.

Very tall, very rangy, and very, very fast, he was hovering around the 4.4 mark at his pro day. He proved he’s a big-time playmaker at a high level, he can work inside and out – but will be a hybrid outside defender at the next level – and once he gets a little more experience he should end up being one of the top defenders to come out of the draft.

The Not-So-Good: The experience is going to be an issue for some. It’s going to take a little while to get through the various minor mistakes and things that only time logged in can fix.

At the moment, all of the problems appear to be due to overaggressiveness. He’ll make mistakes against the savvier route runners, and while he’s got power, he’ll get erased by anyone who can lock on to him. However …

NFL Draft College Perspective Thought: Can you get to him? He’s so fast, so smooth, and so athletic that he’ll work his way to the ball. There’s going to be a learning curve and several missed assignments along the way, but he’ll make his share of plays to make up for it. Give it a season, and then look out – the ceiling on what he can do is limitless.

Projected Round: Second

NEXT: 2021 NFL Draft Linebacker Rankings No. 3