BEST RATED LINEBACKERS IN COVERAGE 2026 NFL Draft

2026 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.

2026 Linebackers ranked by COVERAGE

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

David
Bailey

LB
/ED
Stanford   Mascot
Stanford Mascot
73 100 65 91
85.1
2

James
Williams

LB
Florida State   Mascot
Florida State Mascot
69 57 67 90
78.7
3

Kyle
Louis

LB
Pittsburgh   Mascot
Pittsburgh Mascot
76 68 84 87
82.9
4

Austin
Romaine

LB
Kansas State   Mascot
Kansas State Mascot
59 84 93 86
83.5
5

Trey
Moore

LB
/ED
Texas   Mascot
Texas Mascot
62 85 68 84
78.8
6

Suntarine
Perkins

LB
/ED
Ole Miss   Mascot
Ole Miss Mascot
73 68 63 80
85.5
7

Rasheem
Biles

LB
Pittsburgh   Mascot
Pittsburgh Mascot
78 87 76 79
82.0
8

Jacob
Rodriguez

LB
Texas Tech   Mascot
Texas Tech Mascot
61 87 76 78
82.9
9

Tony
Rojas

LB
Penn State   Mascot
Penn State Mascot
77 77 77 77
75.0
10

Reid
Carrico

LB
West Virginia   Mascot
West Virginia Mascot
77 77 77 77
75.0
11

Drayk
Bowen

LB
Notre Dame   Mascot
Notre Dame Mascot
92 68 77 76
85.5
12

Sonny
Styles

LB
Ohio State   Mascot
Ohio State Mascot
69 70 79 76
84.7
13

Troy
Bowles

LB
Michigan   Mascot
Michigan Mascot
75 75 75 75
75.0
14

Stefon
Thompson

LB
Florida State   Mascot
Florida State Mascot
89 65 75 75
70.0
15

Harold
Perkins Jr.

LB
LSU   Mascot
LSU Mascot
65 78 71 74
84.3
16

Anthony
Hill Jr.

LB
Texas   Mascot
Texas Mascot
77 74 86 74
88.3
17

Jason
Henderson

LB
Old Dominion   Mascot
Old Dominion Mascot
73 73 73 73
75.0
18

Amare
Campbell

LB
Penn State   Mascot
Penn State Mascot
90 93 82 73
84.3
19

Prince
Kollie

LB
Vanderbilt   Mascot
Vanderbilt Mascot
76 66 63 71
74.0
20

Keon
Wylie

LB
Penn State   Mascot
Penn State Mascot
69 77 67 71
63.6