Consensus board vs. draft day — the full LB class, charted.
The Steal
Harold Perkins Jr. was ranked LB8 on the consensus board — #122 overall — but lasted until pick 215, where the Atlanta Falcons took him in Round 6. A 93-spot fall, the largest gap between expectation and draft day of any LB in the class. Behind him, Kyle Louis (+60) and Aiden Fisher (+43) also outlasted their rankings.
The Conviction Pick
The Detroit Lions took Jimmy Rolder at pick 118 — 88 spots ahead of his #206 consensus rank. The league's biggest vote of confidence against the public board at the position. Teams showed similar conviction on Justin Jefferson (80 spots) and Kaleb Elarms-Orr (30 spots).
The Cliff
After Anthony Hill went at pick 60, the next LB didn't come off the board for 58 picks. The sharpest drop in the class — teams that waited paid for it.
The Spend
Teams spent 23 picks on LB — 6 in the first two rounds. That's below the position's average of 24 since 2018.
The Bet
The Washington Commanders spent more draft capital on LB than any other club — pick 7 — 49% of their total draft investment.
The One Who Slipped
Deontae Lawson, ranked #135 on the consensus board, heard 257 names called — and not his.
| Pick | Player | Pos Rank | Consensus | Δ | School | Team |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 | Sonny Styles | LB1 | #5 | +2 | Ohio State | Washington |
| 43 | Jacob Rodriguez | LB5 | #54 | −11 | Texas Tech | Miami |
| 46 | Josiah Trotter | LB6 | #62 | −16 | Missouri | Tampa Bay |
| 51 | Jake Golday | LB4 | #50 | +1 | Cincinnati | Minnesota |
| 53 | CJ Allen | LB2 | #34 | +19 | Georgia | Indianapolis |
| 60 | Anthony Hill | LB3 | #47 | +13 | Texas | Tennessee |
| 118 | Jimmy Rolder | LB15 | #206 | −88 | Michigan | Detroit |
| 123 | Wade Woodaz | LB20 | #269 | −146 | Clemson | Houston |
| 126 | Kaleb Elarms-Orr | LB13 | #156 | −30 | TCU | Buffalo |
| 134 | Kendal Daniels | LB21 | #277 | −143 | Oklahoma | Atlanta |
| 135 | Bryce Boettcher | LB11 | #153 | −18 | Oregon | Indianapolis |
| 138 | Kyle Louis | LB7 | #78 | +60 | Pittsburgh | Miami |
| 149 | Justin Jefferson | LB18 | #229 | −80 | Alabama | Cleveland |
| 154 | Jaden Dugger | LB32 | #433 | −279 | Louisiana | San Fransisco |
| 166 | Keyshaun Elliott | LB12 | #154 | +12 | Arizona State | Chicago |
| 183 | Karson Sharar | LB33 | #455 | −272 | Iowa | Arizona |
| 193 | Jack Kelly | LB17 | #223 | −30 | BYU | New York Giants |
| 212 | Namdi Obiazor | LB23 | #308 | −96 | TCU | New England |
| 215 | Harold Perkins Jr. | LB8 | #122 | +93 | LSU | Atlanta |
| 227 | Jackson Kuwatch | LB28 | #362 | −135 | Miami (OH) | Carolina |
| 240 | Parker Hughes | LB36 | #493 | −253 | Middle Tennessee State | Jacksonville |
| 243 | Aiden Fisher | LB14 | #200 | +43 | Indiana | Houston |
| 257 | Red Murdock | LB16 | #216 | +41 | Buffalo | Denver |
| Undrafted (UDFA) | ||||||
| — | Deontae Lawson | LB9 | #135 | — | Alabama | — |
| — | Taurean York | LB10 | #150 | — | Texas A&M | — |
| — | Lander Barton | LB19 | #237 | — | Utah | — |
| — | Eric Gentry | LB22 | #296 | — | USC | — |
| — | Xavian Sorey | LB24 | #318 | — | Arkansas | — |
| — | Scooby Williams | LB25 | #340 | — | Texas A&M | — |
| — | Owen Heinecke | LB26 | #345 | — | Oklahoma | — |
| — | Ernest Hausmann | LB27 | #357 | — | Michigan | — |
| — | Khalil Jacobs | LB29 | #387 | — | Missouri | — |
| — | Shad Banks Jr. | LB30 | #411 | — | UTSA | — |
| — | Jack Dingle | LB31 | #421 | — | Cincinnati | — |
| — | Wesley Bissainthe | LB34 | #456 | — | Miami | — |
| — | Quinn Urwiler | LB35 | #481 | — | Northern Illinois | — |
| — | West Weeks | LB | — | — | LSU | — |
| — | Javin Wright | LB | — | — | Nebraska | — |
| — | TJ Quinn | LB | — | — | Louisville | — |
| — | Dominic DeLuca | LB | — | — | Penn State | — |