Deontae Lawson LB Alabama |
NFL Draft Profile & Scouting Report
| Jersey: #0 PLAY STYLE: BOX LB | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Last Updated: 03/23/2026 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Draft Year: 2026 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| FORTY time: 4.60 seconds (79%*) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Age: 23.6 DOB: 02/11/2003 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Bowl Invite: Senior Bowl | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Jersey: #0 | |
| PLAY STYLE: BOX LB | |
| Last Updated: 03/23/2026 | |
| Draft Year: 2026 | |
| Forty time: 4.60 seconds (79%*) | |
| Age: 23.6 DOB: 02/11/2003 | |
| Bowl Invite: Senior Bowl | |
| Overall Rating: | 84.8 / 100 | |
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| Average rating of opposition Offense player has faced | ||
| Offense Rating: |
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76% |
| Click the links below to view how player ranks vs other prospects. | ||
| Tackling: |
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65% |
| Pass Rush: |
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65% |
| Run Defense: |
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92% |
| Coverage: |
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74% |
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DRAFT PROJECTION:
3rd
Overall Rank:
#72
Position rank:
#10 (LB)
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| College Games: 49 College Snaps: 2408 | ||
ESPN RATING: 84/100
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247 RATING: 98/100
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RIVALS RATING: 5.9 (97%)
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| Player Comparison* (Similarity level) | ||
|---|---|---|
| Chad Muma - Wyoming |
|
89% |
| Oluwafemi Oladejo - UCLA |
|
79% |
| Henry To'oTo'o - Alabama |
|
79% |
Draft Profile: Bio
By the time Deontae Lawson finished his junior season at Mobile Christian School with 101 solo tackles and 33 assists, every major recruiting service in the country knew his name. He led his team to the Class 3A title game and earned Alabama Sports Writers Association Class 3A Lineman of the Year honors in 2019. That kind of production, combined with a frame that measured 6'2" and 228 pounds heading into college, made him a consensus top-tier recruit. 247Sports rated him a five-star prospect and the No. 45 player in the country, while ESPN slotted him as a four-star at No. 118 on their ESPN300 list. Rivals gave him four stars and a 5.9 grade. He chose Alabama over Georgia Tech and Texas A&M, and was selected to the All-American Bowl roster before ever stepping foot on campus in Tuscaloosa.Lawson redshirted in 2021 before earning rotational reps and four starts as a sophomore in 2022, finishing that year with 51 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, and four pass breakups across 439 defensive snaps. He took full ownership of the middle linebacker spot in 2023, starting 11 games and posting 67 tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss, and three sacks despite missing three contests with injury. His 2024 campaign was his most complete: 76 tackles, 6.5 tackles for loss, two sacks, an interception, and four pass breakups through 11 games before a torn ACL at Oklahoma ended his season. He earned third-team All-SEC honors from the conference coaches that year and was named a semifinalist for the Butkus Award for the second consecutive season.
Lawson returned for a fifth year in 2025 and captained the defense once again, becoming just one of 16 two-time team captains in Alabama history. He led the Tide with 89 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss, and 1.5 sacks across 15 games, adding four pass breakups, two forced fumbles, and two fumble recoveries. His late-game forced fumble at South Carolina set up Alabama's game-winning touchdown, and his 10-tackle, one-sack performance against Oklahoma in the postseason underscored his ability to show up when the lights are brightest. He finished his career with 283 tackles, good for 10th on Alabama's all-time list, and collected semifinalist nods for the Butkus Award, the Bednarik Award, and the Nagurski Trophy along the way.
Scouting Report: Strengths
- His best work shows up against the run, where he consistently reads his keys, stays square, and uses his length to keep blockers off his frame. His tape in 2024 and 2025 is full of clean, decisive fits.
- Covers serious ground sideline to sideline with a 4.60 forty. When he has a clear lane to the ball carrier, he closes in a hurry and rarely gets outrun to the edge.
- Long arms and a 6'2" frame give him a wider tackling radius than most linebackers. He can reach out and corral runners who try to slip past his initial angle of pursuit.
- Displays a natural feel for zone coverage that improved markedly in 2025. Gets depth on his drops, tracks the quarterback's eyes well, and has 13 career pass breakups plus an interception to show for it.
- Legitimate blitz threat who disguises his rush timing and finds creative paths to the quarterback. Generated 52 career pressures, including 21 in 2023 when he had four sacks and three quarterback hits.
- Battle-tested leadership credentials are hard to ignore. Two-time team captain at Alabama, one of just 16 players in program history to earn that distinction twice. That carries weight in every locker room.
- Proven durability in terms of workload, logging over 2,400 career defensive snaps and 49 games. Came back from a torn ACL and performed at a high level in 2025 without any visible drop in athleticism.
- Fluid mover who slips past blockers at the second level with quickness and body control. More of a finesse block-avoider than a block-destroyer, but it works often enough to create disruptive plays behind the line.
Scouting Report: Weaknesses
- At 228 pounds, he is undersized for the position and lacks the functional mass to consistently anchor against pulling guards and climbing centers in the run game.
- Tackling reliability is a genuine concern. He has missed too many tackles throughout his career, and the problem actually got worse in 2025, suggesting the issue has not corrected with more experience.
- Coverage numbers tell a troubling story when you dig deeper. Receivers completed a high percentage of passes thrown his direction in both 2024 and 2025, and the yards allowed in those windows add up quickly.
- Recognition against zone and misdirection schemes remains inconsistent. He can freeze momentarily against motion, losing a half-step that puts him out of position when gap assignments shift.
- The injury history is real and cannot be waved away. A torn ACL in late 2024, a quad issue that cost him three games in 2023, and several other in-game exits add up to a pattern that will concern medical staffs.
Scouting Report: Summary
Lawson is a long, rangey linebacker with legitimate coverage tools and excellent run-defense instincts who needs to get stronger and tighten up his finishing. His best football on film comes when he is playing downhill with a clean read, staying square in his flow and using his length to stack blockers rather than absorbing them. The run defense across his final three seasons at Alabama was consistently strong, and his ability to scrape across the formation and arrive at the ball with enough speed to make a play is what separates him from the pack of mid-round linebacker prospects.The coverage upside is real but comes with caveats. Lawson improved his zone drops and eye discipline noticeably in 2025, and his athleticism absolutely profiles for a defender who can carry tight ends and match running backs out of the backfield at the next level. The ball production is there with 13 pass breakups and an interception. But the volume of completions allowed against him, particularly in 2024 and 2025, suggests that while he can influence windows, he is not yet consistently winning those matchups. He fits best in a scheme that asks him to play off the ball in a Will or weak-side role, where his range and coverage ability can be maximized while he is protected from having to absorb double teams and anchor at the point of attack.
The weight and the tackling are the two items that will keep defensive coordinators up at night. At 228 pounds, NFL offensive linemen will move him around, and his missed tackle rate trending in the wrong direction over his final season is not the trajectory you want to see from a guy entering his age-23 rookie year. Lawson has the tools and the pedigree to become a solid three-down contributor, and the leadership intangibles from his time at Alabama will help him earn trust in a new building quickly. But he is going to need time in an NFL strength program and some coaching refinement on his tackling fundamentals before he can be counted on as a reliable starter. The upside and the floor are both reasonable for a player in this range of the draft.
Written By:
Bill Miller (SEC)
Deontae Lawson percentiles vs other Linebackers (NFL Combine historically - higher value represents better perfomance)
How other scouting services rate Deontae Lawson (Overall Rank)
All Scouts AverageOverall Rank
81.8
All Scouts AveragePosition Rank
11.0
*Percentile Ranking in Player's Position Group (NFL Combine Historical Data): This percentile reflects how a player's specific statistics rank
in comparison to historical performances at the NFL Combine, specifically within their position group. A higher percentile indicates a better performance.
For instance, being in the 90th percentile for a particular stat means the player outperformed 90% of their peers in that category.
*Similarity Percentage: This percentage is calculated based on a comprehensive analysis of various factors, including height, weight, 40-yard dash times, on-field performance statistics, and overall player rating. The analysis is conducted against our database of draft prospects from 2021 to 2023. This similarity score helps in evaluating how closely a current prospect aligns with past prospects. It is important to note, however, that this score reflects similarities based on college production and attributes, and does not account for eventual success or performance in the NFL.
*Similarity Percentage: This percentage is calculated based on a comprehensive analysis of various factors, including height, weight, 40-yard dash times, on-field performance statistics, and overall player rating. The analysis is conducted against our database of draft prospects from 2021 to 2023. This similarity score helps in evaluating how closely a current prospect aligns with past prospects. It is important to note, however, that this score reflects similarities based on college production and attributes, and does not account for eventual success or performance in the NFL.