2023 NFL Draft 4-3 Outside Linebacker Rankings

John Vogel September 16, 2022 in 2023 Rankings - 11 Minutes

The 4-3 outside linebacker class isn’t very top-heavy in the 2023 NFL Draft class, but it’s loaded with depth. I think the rankings over the top 15 or so are interchangeable and completely based on preference.

1. Seth Benson, Iowa

HT: 6002
WT: 229
2-star (0.7953) Super Redshirt Junior from Washington (Sioux Falls, SD)
Seth Benson is a rangy half-field linebacker who is incredibly smart and typically in a position to make a play. While he does need to work on his wrap-up to more consistently finish tackles, Benson offers suitable upside and could be a star at the next level.

Pros:

Very stout upper body.
Pursuit angles are typically good, but sometimes will under pursue the play and miss a tackle. Excellent closing speed.
Zone coverage is adequate, but not great especially when working into the flats. Is no match against a slot receiver. Uses his hands well to disrupt passing lanes.
Overall does a good job of recognizing plays.
Understands how concepts work. Very smart player.

Cons:

More quick than fast. Has serious burst to disrupt the play. Good overall athleticism, it’s just not natural. Has to put a lot of effort in to move.
Lateral quickness is a little slow, looks a little heavy footed.
Struggles still to work off of blocks to be a run defender.
Serious hit power, but doesn’t like to wrap up. Has to be willing to wrap up! Misses tackles because of his lack of wrap up.
Not a great blitzer. Struggles to hit his gap before being engaged.
Shows good instincts but can get wrapped up in his assignment and struggles with the balance between the two.

2. Owen Pappoe, Auburn

HT: 6006
WT: 225
5-star (0.9879) Super Junior from Grayson (Lawrenceville, GA)
Owen Pappoe was once a highly heralded prospect, especially entering the 2021 season. While injuries have caused many national media members to forget about Pappoe, I haven’t. He’s an instinctual defender who is capable of playing in pass coverage. That’s valuable in the modern NFL.

Pros:

Has excellent speed for the position.
Shows good tackling ability inside the box. Works well off of blocks to make the play.
Shows good man coverage ability.
Recognizes plays and moves well to stop them.
Flashes good instincts to stay in the play.

Cons:

Struggles at times in pursuit with balance. Oftentimes over-pursues the play and doesn’t make it.
Doesn’t offer much pass-rushing ability. Struggles to get off of blocks as a pass rusher. Easily locked by blockers.
Really struggles to make tackles in space. Very concerning.
Struggles to get the necessary depth while reading the play. Size plays a huge factor here.

3. DeMarvion Overshown, Texas

HT: 6032
WT: 223
4-star (0.9737) Super Redshirt Junior from Arp (Arp, TX)
DeMarvion Overshown has the ability to take control of the game. Absolute game changer. Overshown doesn’t take a lot of plays off – instead, he plays almost every snap with relentless intensity. He was invited to the Senior Bowl last year, but elected to return to school. Overshown remains on their watchlist and has been placed on just about every award watchlist entering the season that he can be.

Pros:

Very quick. Excellent burst, very explosive.
Vicious tackler. Excellent wrap-up technique. So solid and constantly breaks on plays he isn’t normally expected to make.
Excellent blitz timing.
Smart, effective zone coverage.
Excellent instincts. Always seems to be in the right position to make a play.

Cons:

Doesn’t move well laterally.
Struggles to change direction effectively.
Pursuit angles are about average. He can get there but he’s inconsistent, especially when moving to the boundary.
No real pass-rushing ability. Struggles to get off of blocks even from tight ends.

4. Drake Thomas, North Carolina State

HT: 6002
WT: 238
3-star (0.8755) Super Junior from Heritage (Wake Forest, NC)
Drake Thomas is an intriguing athlete and is learning to be more instinctive. His play at North Carolina State has been admirable and he looks like a lock for a day-two pick. Thomas, however, is a little bit shorter in stature than many NFL linebackers and may have to prove his athletic ability at the Combine.

Pros:

Decent speed. Solid overall athlete.
Very solid lateral quickness. Moves really well laterally in coverage and in any other function.
Solid wrap up tackling technique.
Works downhill through gaps extremely well.
Very solid blitz timer. Understands how to work through blocking schemes undetected.
Solid space defender. Played well in spy roles against Louisville. Consistently makes the stops that he needs to by himself.

Cons:

Does struggle to keep his feet sometimes.
Capable in zone coverage. Not as instinctive as he could be but does a good job disrupting pass lanes. Just needs to understand what’s going on around him better.
Instincts are still developing.

5. Isaiah Land, Florida A&M

HT: 6026
WT: 215
Not Rated Super Junior from Grayson (Loganville, GA)
Isaiah Land is an edge rusher who probably won’t look at that position at the next level unless he adds some significant weight to his frame. Entered the transfer portal at the end of April for about 6 days before declaring he’d be back at Florida A&M despite fielding SEC and other big school offers.

Pros:

Very quick and fluid athlete.
Body control is decent.
Posted ridiculous numbers in 2021 as a pass rusher, registering 19 sacks and 30 hurries. Doesn’t show a lot of hand technique. Has good bend to work under blocks, balance could be better.
Very strong and stout prospect.

Cons:

Poor tackler, struggles to get hands on and properly wrap up. Destroyed smaller players when he had opportunities but struggled with bigger bodies.
Doesn’t show a lot of ability containing an edge.
Struggles to recognize the play, wondering if he can be a better run defender.
Concerned with his motor and how he gives up on a play so often. Has to play with better discipline.
Played more of a defensive end role at Florida A&M but would need to add a lot of weight to play that position at the next level.

6. Aaron Brule, Michigan State

HT: 6010
WT: 242
3-star (0.8816) Super Redshirt Junior from Archbishop Rummel (Mateirie, LA)
A transfer from Mississippi State, Aaron Brule transferred to Michigan State to be a part of this strong defense that Mel Tucker is building up there in East Lansing. His tape at Mississippi State show that he’s a capable 4-3 outside linebacker, and he wants to show that he can be more of an edge rusher at Michigan State.

Pros:

Good speed. Overall moves well, does struggle with his motor at times.
Good upper body strength. Will control the tackle with a clean wrap up.
Good tackler. Strong, powerful hit stick ability.
Capable of covering running backs out of the backfield.
Plays effective zone coverage. Get’s excellent depth. Watches the quarterback well and moves with this eyes. Picks up his assignment quickly.

Cons:

Decent body control. Changes direction above average, but struggles to be effective off of it.
Struggles to work through traffic at times, especially in the box. Does not work off of blocks well. Wants to limit gains and struggles to pursue properly.
Not a great blitzer at all. Struggles to get through the line.
Doesn’t offer much as a pass rusher. Struggles to get off of blocks and doesn’t time his work well to beat the protection.
Doesn’t contain the edge well. Not consistent enough to want him to be in space 1 on 1.
Tends to be too aggressive to fakes while in coverage, suggesting that he doubts his ability.
Flashes good instincts, but not enough to think that he studies a lot of tape.

7. Merlin Robertson, Arizona State

HT: 6022
WT: 240
4-star (0.9452) Super Senior from Juniper Serra (Gardena, CA)
Merlin Robertson has flashed incredible ability at times throughout his career, but consistency has been his downfall. He’s a good, not great athlete who has flashed greatness in pass coverage throughout his career. If Robertson can put together a consistent season, he could be a very early draft pick. If not, he’s going to be considered a project.

Pros:

Speed is good but not great.
Incredible body control! Hips are very fluid and allow him to change directions with ease.
Good upper body strength. Controls his tackle well.
Good tackler. Doesn’t allow many ball carriers to get by. Isn’t easily fooled by ball-carriers moves to make him miss.
Takes good pursuit angles to the football. Routinely is in place to make big plays.
Has good bend off of the edge that he uses well when he’s asked to rush or blitz.
Excellent man coverage player. Drops well, stays in the play. Fluid hips doesn’t allow him to get beat very often.
Has the ability to play effective zone coverage against tight ends and other such body types. Plays well in the curl flat.
Flashes very good instincts.

Cons:

Sometimes struggles to position to find the hole.
Struggles to work through traffic.
Shows some ability as a space defender. Really would like to see him more aggressive when pursuing the ball carrier to limit the gain better.
Will struggle against better route-runners out of the backfield.
Not consistent. Gets into streaks where he takes bad angles off of blocks routinely.

8. DeAndre Square, Kentucky

HT: 6005
WT: 224
3-star (0.8755) Super Senior from Cass Tech (Detroit, MI)
DeAndre Square has been a long-time starter in this Kentucky defense and he’s become a better player every year. The Super Senior from Detroit, Michigan, is gritty, tough, and plays with an impressive motor, not ever taking off plays.

Pros:

Has decent speed for the position. Tracked several plays from behind.
Upper body strength is tremendous.
Strong tackling form. Wraps up well and uses his strength well to take down the ball carrier. Consistent run defender.
Good pursuit angles. Has an excellent motor and stays involved in the play. Works well through traffic to position himself to make a play.
Times his blitz decently well. Works through traffic to get after the quarterback very well.
Flashes some special instincts. Does a good job tracking plays down from behind.

Cons:

A little bit slow to react in the zone.
Sometimes, a bit of a liability in pass coverage.
Still learning to recognize play concepts despite a ton of playing experience.

9. Cam Jones, Indiana

HT: 6021
WT: 228
3-star (0.8543) Super Senior from St. Benedict (Cordova, TN)
Cam Jones has been underrated most of his career, quietly producing and putting together good tape. This year, he was placed on both the Senior Bowl Watchlist and the Shrine Bowl 1000, solidifying the effort he’s put in over the last couple of years. I think Jones has a very high ceiling but it will take time and the right scheme for him to realize it.

Pros:

Good, not great, speed.
Solid lateral quickness.
Decent upper body strength.
Good tackling ability. Strong, clean tackling form. Absolutely a stud. Struggles with quicker backs to get a good angle to bring them down. Good hit power.
Does a great job taking the proper pursuit angles. Excellent closing speed.
Solid blitzer.
Quickly recognizes concepts. Clearly watches tape. Stays with the play extremely well.
Solid instincts. Makes a lot of plays with his natural feel of the play. Stays in position well.

Cons:

Doesn’t change direction well. Doesn’t show a lot of twitch.
Doesn’t offer much pass rushing ability once he gets caught in traffic.
Capable zone coverage defender. Needs to get more depth. Reactive but not as twitchy as he could be.

10. Jeremy Banks, Tennessee

HT: 6005
WT: 224
3-star (0.8883) Super Redshirt Junior from Cordova (Cordova, TN)
Jeremy Banks has a little bit of a history of red flag off-field issues that he will have to address, but he’s talented on the field. He doesn’t take a lot of snaps off – plays the majority of the game.

Pros:

Solid quickness and speed. Will be among the fastest linebackers in the class.
Solid wrap-up tackler. Works downhill with a lot of force. Holds bigger bodies in place.
Really decent job taking the pursuit angles that he does. Has very solid range. Great motor.
Shows the ability to play effectively in zone coverage. Does a great job impacting passing lanes with his hands.
Recognizes plays well.
Great instincts. Consistently in place to make plays.

Cons:

Blitz timing is average. He works through the line but will take some contact doing so.
A bit of a liability in man coverage. Has the athleticism, but has a lot to learn in terms of technique and positioning. Can stay with running backs well.
Doesn’t have the starting experience that most of these players in the positional group have.
Has some off-field red flags that will need to be addressed by the NFL.