2020 NFL Draft - First Linebacker Drafted Odds & Betting Predictions

The linebacker position is often considered one of the most important positions on the defensive side of the ball. The linebacker is typically considered to be the quarterback on the defensive side of the ball. Now, the draft normally produces some good prospects, but most take a year or two to get up to speed on how to run the NFL defense. So who will be the first linebacker picked in the NFL Draft this year? Let us explore the top 5 prospects at the linebacker position for the NFL Draft.

Isaiah Simmons is a junior coming out of Clemson this year. Simmons is one player that has a lot of the needed keys to be a big name player in the NFL. Simmons has lightning fast speed that allows him to run down the play at 4.39 in the 40. However, Clemson does have decent size as well that has him standing at 6’4” and 238 pounds, which is definitely big enough for the NFL.

Patrick Queen is coming out of LSU this year early, which should help his draft stock out quite a bit. Queen looked very impressive in his final 4 games with 6 tackles for losses, but also ended up getting a couple of sacks in the last 4 games as well. Queen does have great coverage ability in college and that may turn over here, but Queen did not really have a major breakout year until his junior year, which could call into question his ability of being able to continue to play at a high level.

Kenneth Murray is a player who is coming into the draft from Oklahoma. Oklahoma does have a good track record of producing some good linebackers. Murray is decent in his size at 6’3” and 241 pounds. To go along with his size Murray can easily run sideline to sideline. What else is great for Murray is he has a proven track record of being a good player with 100+ tackles per year in the last 2 years and has managed to get 17 tackles for losses this year.

Zack Baun is coming out of Wisconsin and coming out of the Big Ten will definitely help his draft value. Baun is one of the shorter high ranking linebacking prospects at 6’2”, but does weigh 238 pounds. Now, an interesting tid bit is the fact that the former Badger linebacker finished second in the Big Ten for tacklers for losses at 19.5 and that was only second to Chase Young from Ohio State.

Troy Dye is coming out of Oregon and oddly, his weight could be an issue at only 231 pounds. However, Dye is coming in sitting at 6’3” which could help him out. Now, Dye did complete all of his career at Oregon and that will definitely help the team out that picks Dye in the draft. What else can help Dye out is he is well known for being a great coverage linebacker and that is one skill that seems to be lacking in the NFL.