National Football League

2017 NFL draft rankings: Linebackers

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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Those dynamic tight ends this class appears to offer? A lot of times, these are the players responsible for them in coverage. Linebackers—at least quality, three-down linebackers—have to be able to take on 300-pound blockers, chase running backs sideline to sideline and drop in coverage. This year’s class has several prospects who have done that throughout their college careers, as well as a handful of sleepers.

Rank	Player	School	Measurables
1	Reuben Foster	Alabama	6' 1", 240 lbs.
2	Zach Cunningham	Vanderbilt	6' 4", 230 lbs.
3	Raekwon McMillan	Ohio State	6' 2", 243 lbs.
4	Jarrad Davis	Florida	6' 2", 238 lbs.
5	Kendell Beckwith	LSU	6' 3", 247 lbs.
6	Anthony Walker	Northwestern	6' 1", 235 lbs.
7	Jalen Reeves-Maybin	Tennessee	6' 0", 230 lbs.
8	Vince Biegel	Wisconsin	6' 4", 245 lbs.
9	Hardy Nickerson	Illinois	6' 0", 230 lbs.
10	Micah Kiser	Virginia	6' 2", 240 lbs.

If we’re playing the Alabama prospect comparison game again, Foster could go 20 (or more) picks higher than former teammate Reggie Ragland as a 2016 second-rounder. Cunningham may emerge as the best of the bunch once they all reach the NFL—he has 119 tackles for Vanderbilt this season. McMillan flies to the ball and punishes people, but he also does have that coverage ability in his back pocket. Davis and Walker are excellent in space, critical for NFL linebackers, while Beckwith is a bit more of the thumper type. Biegel’s my sleeper (much like ex-Badger and current Cleveland linebacker Joe Schobert was last year). He can bring pressure on the outside or slide inside and cover ground there.

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