Finding the Top Rookie LB

The IDP Roundtable Series

This summer, the Footballguys staff will discuss various topics to help you in your IDP leagues.

Nakobe Dean, Devin Lloyd, and Quay Walker are the consensus top three rookie linebackers. Are you shying away from any of these three? And after those guys, is there a rookie linebacker you think will have an immediate impact?

Christian Williams

I think it's worth it to consider shying away from all of these rookies. Nakobe Dean looks to have the best opportunity, but Devin Lloyd's versatility should keep him on the field on all three downs most of the year. The Packers have notably preferred to live in sub-packages, and with the re-signing of DeVondre Campbell, I worry about Quay's production for fantasy. My favorite potential immediate-impact rookie linebacker is Channing Tindall. His college production profile was lesser than his teammates at Georgia, but he certainly possessed the most range and burst of the group. He looks to be competing for starter snaps already in minicamp and his path is not a difficult one. I think he could stack up the tackles and be a really nice value pick.

Joseph Haggan

They are my top three as well. For redraft, I am shying away from Nakobe Dean, as he has T.J. Edwards and Kyzir White ahead of him, matched with a possible lingering pectoral injury. The Packers have mentioned playing more two linebacker sets which leads the way to a potential high-volume role for Walker, though he is still a better dynasty asset than redraft. Lloyd is a stud, and I honestly would not be surprised to see him at the least match Oluokun in Jacksonville. Lloyd is a smash in both redraft and dynasty in my opinion.

Channing Tindall is a rookie that I think will make an instant impact. He was drafted in the third round which is solid draft capital for a linebacker. His competition is thin as well. Jerome Baker is the top option in Miami, and even still, he has lost snaps in the starting lineup, falling out of favor during the middle of the 2020 season, though has reclaimed a 3-down role. Elandon Roberts is the starter next to Baker though he is a complete liability in coverage. He only averaged 55% of the team's defensive snaps per game. Outside of Roberts, the team has Duke Riley and Sam Eguavoen, both of whom could never hold onto a starting role.

Tindall offers true sideline-to-sideline athleticism. He graded a 9.69 Relative Athletic Score out of a possible 10. He had a 4.47 second 40 time, 42-inch vertical, and a 10-foot and 9-inch broad jump. He is easily the most explosive athlete of the group and should compete with Roberts right away for a starting shot.

Jeff Haseley

For me, it's Devin Lloyd over Quay Walker with Troy Anderson third and then maybe Nakobe Dean fourth. I don't dislike Walker, in fact, I like him a lot in Green Bay. He was hand-picked to be the perfect complement to Devondre Campbell. His coverage skills will keep him on the field and likely will result in him being a three-down linebacker. What's not to love? My first rookie backer is Devin Lloyd. He is a multiple-tool backer who can roam the field, rush the passer well when needed, and be a mainstay for the defense. There's a lot to like about Lloyd and he's in a perfect spot where he'll likely wear the green dot for the Jaguars from the beginning. At 5-foot-11 and 229 pounds, Nakobe Dean is on the smaller side which is generally a small yellow flag. He also has a shoulder injury that could be problematic. Combine that with Philadelphia's historically poor LB production numbers - it gives me pause.

Tripp Brebner

As is the case with Travon Walker, the fantasy community is too greatly discounting the results of the 2022 NFL draft. The narrative surrounding Dean's slide into the third round was a bum shoulder. Dean is nevertheless practicing at camp without limitations. His opportunity to play is also overstated. The Eagles entered into contracts with presumptive starters TJ Edwards and Kyzir White within the past 9 months. While neither is a star, Dean has work to do to overtake them. Three other linebackers drafted in the third round ahead of Dean - Minnesota's Brian Asamoah, Jacksonville's Chad Muma, and Houston's Christian Harris - face varying levels of competition for snaps and are likely only an injury away from one of two full-time roles on their respective teams.

Matt Montgomery

Nakobe Dean, Devin Lloyd, and Quay Walker all have the potential to be immediate contributors to your team and I would take all of them. Of the three, I’m the highest on Nakobe Dean. Dean surprisingly fell to a later point in the draft than his talent predicted, meaning he went to a better team. This can make all the difference in a rookie’s production. As mentioned previously, I believe in talent and its transition to IDP relevance. Dean also has the path of least resistance in competition. I’m also high on Troy Anderson who could be a sneaky addition to your team. With the uncertainty of Deion Jones partnered with the loss of Foye Oluokon, he has the opportunity to immediately play lots of snaps, and ultimately, that’s what you need from a rookie.

Kyle Bellefeuil

I am with consensus and have these three as my top-ranked rookie linebackers with a specific order of Devin Lloyd, Quay Walker, and Nakobe Dean. For redraft, Lloyd is the only one I'm comfortable enough projecting in a full-time role right away. However, I'm fine with drafting Walker later in redraft leagues with Green Bay giving us the impression they want to play more base and nickel this year. I'm currently less optimistic with Dean for redraft as the Eagles may lean on Kyzir White and T.J. Edwards early on. For dynasty, I like all three players long-term but will specifically spend up for Lloyd and Walker. They check all the boxes for me in regard to size, skill/talent, and draft capital.

Channing Tindall is another rookie linebacker who I could see making an immediate impact if things fall into place. He's a bit inexperienced but his speed, range, and blitzing prowess should translate well right away. Jerome Baker is the lead man in Miami, but the rest of the depth chart is pretty mediocre. Josh Boyer's defense didn't feature two full-time linebackers last year, but Tindall pushing for the spot next to Baker is a way for the rookie to get on the field and make an impact. If an injury were to strike in Jacksonville, Chad Muma would instantly be a priority waiver add in redraft. Talent is not the question with Muma, it's strictly opportunity.

Gary Davenport

Lloyd's the safest bet of the bunch, but Dean was my No. 1 linebacker prospect entering the draft, And I'm sticking to my guns. His size (or lack thereof) doesn't concern me, as we've already seen more than one smaller linebacker thrive in the pros. His range and athleticism are superb, and I expect he'll lead the Eagles in tackles as a rookie.

Of course, I also thought Rolando McClain was going to be a monster. So, um…yeah.

Of that trio, the one that makes me the most nervous (by a fair margin) is Walker. It's not a matter of talent with Dean's former teammate at Georgia. He has plenty. But the Packers have ranked near the top of the NFL in dime snaps the past couple of seasons, and the team already has a proven every-down linebacker in De'Vondre Campbell. Unless the Packers are planning a major shift in defensive philosophy, Walker quite possibly isn't going to be on the field as much as many think. If the Falcons do wind up parting ways with Deion Jones (as has been speculated), Troy Andersen could vault past Walker into that No. 3 spot.

John Norton

I’m not really shying away from Walker, I’m just not fully confident he’s going to be the next Blake Martinez. Green Bay has not used two inside linebackers in sub-packages for a long time. Maybe Walker will be good enough to make that happen, but I don’t see him displacing DeVondre Campbell, so the risk that he will be a two-down contributor is significant. I have Walker as my third rookie LB, but not on the same tier as Lloyd and Dean.

There are two other rookie backers I am high on. I love the potential of Troy Anderson, but he’s only been playing inside linebacker for a short time and his lack of experience has me concerned about his ability to win the starting job right away. That said, I will still take a shot on him in the later rounds because Atlanta is not going anywhere and a smart coach would speed up the development of a young linebacker by throwing him into the fire.

The other guy I am looking at is Detroit’s Malcolm Rodriguez. Going back to question one, I love the situation he landed in. Alex Anzalone does not impress me at all. He is the only thing standing between Rodriguez and a starting job at middle linebacker on a team that is not going to be very good in 2022.

Rodriguez passes the college production test as well, posting almost 400 combined tackles, 7.5 sacks, 13 forced fumbles, 4 recoveries, and 2 interceptions over four years at Oklahoma. He is a converted safety which means speed and cover skills that can keep him on the field in sub-packages and we are already seeing reports of how he is impressing the coaching staff.

Rodriguez passes the visual test when watching his tape, but fell to Round 6 because he lacks prototypical size and measurables. In many ways, he reminds me of a player you old guys might remember. The guy was a fifth-round pick of the Dolphins in 1996, names Zach Thomas. He turned out to be pretty good.

Evan Ronda

Each of these three linebackers has different factors that impact their range of outcomes.

The safest option seems to be Devin Lloyd, however. He plays in a defensive scheme that heavily features two linebackers, and his first-round draft capital makes it difficult to imagine him losing playing time.

Fellow first-round linebacker Quay Walker appears to have a clear path to snaps, but the Packers’ defensive scheme hasn’t been as friendly for linebacker production. There’s a chance things change to benefit him, but Walker looks to have a lower floor than Lloyd simply because of this scheme uncertainty.

Nakobe Dean is an exciting player for many, but his recent injury has left NFL teams - and fantasy managers - a bit more hesitant to invest in him. In addition to his injury, he also has some competition for snaps in TJ Edwards and Kyzir White. For that reason, his short-term floor looks to be the lowest of the three, but if he secures a full allotment of snaps and gets healthy, he could easily produce as well as Devin Lloyd if not better.

There are only three other rookie inside linebackers that appear to have a realistic chance to earn a full-time job this year and they are Houston’s Christian Harris, Atlanta’s Troy Anderson, and to a much lesser extent Miami’s Channing Tindall. Harris and Anderson play in a defensive scheme that allows for two highly-relevant IDP linebackers, but Miami likely will only have one 3-down player. All three rookies also have competition for starting snaps, so managers should temper their expectations if they’re hoping for a week 1 start.

Aaron Rudnicki

I’m most concerned about Nakobe Dean here given his fall all the way to the third round on draft day. He probably has less competition than the other two but figures to start out as a backup. While he has some health questions and may not profile as an elite athlete, he can make up for that with his intangibles and instincts.

Devin Lloyd and Quay Walker will likely have to compete with experienced veterans in the middle. While that limits their overall upside early on, they both seem likely to contribute in nickel packages as 3-down players from Day 1.

The player with the best combination of talent and opportunity after those top three is likely Troy Andersen. He’s a former college quarterback so he likely will need some time to develop, but the Falcons clearly have high hopes for him. This looks like a bad team with limited competition at linebacker, particularly if they decide to move on from Deion Jones in the near future.