NFL Future Watch: 2022 NFL Draft Linebackers to Collect, Part 7

by | Jun 30, 2022 | Football, Future Watch, Future Watch - Football, Leaf, Onyx, SAGE, Sports, Topps

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NFL Future Watch: 2022 NFL Draft Linebackers to Collect, Part 7 – The linebacker position has changed in the NFL. With fewer running plays being called, linebackers must drop back into pass coverage more than ever before. So being less bulky and having more speed fits the bill around the league. There will always be top-notch linebackers, and teams want them to make their defense hard to play against.

Here are the linebackers who can do that and to collect.

1. Quay Walker – This linebacker out of Georgia was taken 22nd overall by the Green Bay Packers. After having a slight confidence issue in OTA’s, the 6-foot-4 linebacker has figured it out and now understands the task at hand this year on the frozen tundra. Walker is an inside linebacker, which means he will be a run stopper and potential quarterback disrupter for the Packers.

2. Jermaine Johnson – The New York Jets traded with the Tennessee Titans at the bottom of the first round to get Johnson. They say he wasn’t supposed to be there at 26th overall. He starred at Florida State as an edge rusher at the linebacker position. They got this tremendous athlete to get sacks, tackles and occasionally drop back into pass coverage – let’s see if he figures that out!

3. Devin Lloyd – After the Jets made their selection of Johnson, the Jacksonville Jaguars quickly took Utah’s Devin Lloyd. At 6-foot-3, he can do it all at the position. Passes defended was one of his specialties. He won the Pat Tillman Award for the Defensive Player of the Year and was an All-American. Jacksonville certainly found a star in the making and he could start immediately. Lloyd has quick feet, the ability to provide good coverage and knows how to shed blockers. He may have the highest overall ceiling of the linebackers listed.

4. David Ojabo – A Scottish-Nigerian-born player who could be a force in the NFL, the 6-foot-5, 255-pound Ojabo starred and shined at Michigan. Ojabo, who tore is Achilles during Michigan’s Pro Day, fell to the Baltimore Ravens with 45th overall pick. Otherwise, he would have gone much sooner in the draft. Mel Kiper had him as the top-rated outside linebacker before the injury took place. Even if he sits out the season rehabbing, the Ravens believe in his ability to get after the quarterback and force fumbles. He’s a Ravens player through and through. While his career may be delayed due to injury, Ojabo’s cards won’t be.

 

NFL Future Watch: 2022 NFL Draft Linebackers to Collect, Part 7 – More Resources

 

Russ Cohen
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