Linebacker play at the NFL level isn’t what it once was. The days of Ray Lewis, Brian Urlacher, and especially Zach Thomas, are over. Now, the best linebackers in the NFL resemble Darren Woodson more than Dick Butkus.

Fewer and fewer linebackers see the field in 2023. Teams are seeing three or even four safeties play more snaps than the third linebacker if they aren’t an OLB that rushes the passer. And rushing the passer as a blitzer or being an impressive coverage player is a necessity and no longer simply an added bonus.

But while defending the run is no longer the primary focus in the modern passing league, an LB will still look like a fish out of water if they can’t process blocking schemes, get downhill, and finish tackles.

Players who are good at all three find themselves at the top of the list. But with the devaluation of the position over the past few years, even those who are more specialized players find themselves on the list.

Who’s the Best Linebacker in the NFL?

San Francisco 49ers LB Fred Warner has the top argument for being the best linebacker in the NFL. Immediately, Warner made an impact on the San Francisco 49ers. The BYU product was pegged as a phenomenal coverage defender but underwhelming against the run.

Warner is a trump card. His ability in coverage is unparalleled. The 49ers’ defense is multiple on the back end, and Warner can wear every hat. Nobody “runs the pole” like him when they play Tampa 2. His range was on full display as he ran stride for stride with CeeDee Lamb up the seam in Tampa 2.

But while other linebackers are safety converts who are outstanding in coverage, none meet Warner’s talents on the back end, and they don’t hold a candle to his ability against the run.

While he’d rather slip-and-slide his way around climbing linemen than take them on face-to-face, he’s able to stack and shed at a level no other defender of his ilk can.

Rest of the Top 10 Linebackers Ranked

2) Lavonte David, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Most of the linebackers near the top of the list find themselves on the wrong end of 30. But there’s a very good reason for that. Because of the responsibilities levied to linebackers, their processing ability gives them an edge.

Running a 4.40 and having insane explosion is never a bad thing, but the difference between a 4.4 and a 4.8 is just four-tenths of a second. If a linebacker is unable to process the information in front of him in time to make up the difference, they won’t make it to their fit responsibility.

David and the next LB on the list don’t possess the same athleticism as Warner, but they are possibly even more satisfying to watch in coverage because of their mental trigger.

3) Demario Davis, New Orleans Saints

Some may knock Demario Davis because the New Orleans Saints defense has been so consistently good over the past half-decade, especially on the defensive front. But as we’ll see with the likes of a linebacker later on the list, competent DL play is imperative for LB success.

Earlier in his career, Davis had primarily been a run-stuffing, gap-shooting LB that had some trouble with landmarks in zones and overrunning plays. But now, he plays a more disciplined style of football that still allows him to make big hits in the running game, get to the hole quicker than the running back, and squeeze lanes to force ball carriers into other defenders.

Like David, Davis is an immediate processor when playing underneath zones. With match-zone concepts becoming the norm, reading and reacting to route combinations is key, and Davis is always in the right place at the right time.

4) Matt Milano, Buffalo Bills

Matt Milano is the best example of a former safety who transitioned to linebacker. He didn’t explode onto the scene with the run-defending chops he possesses now, but Milano’s become one of the best all-around linebackers in the NFL over the past few seasons.

He flew under the radar for a while because of the draft status and expectations for Tremaine Edmunds, but Milano’s ability has been undeniable over the past two seasons. Because of his background, he has always been a good coverage defender. He possesses great reactionary athleticism to mirror tight ends and running backs in man coverage while sacrificing very little physically against the run.

5) Bobby Wagner, Seattle Seahawks

It defies belief that Bobby Wagner could continue playing at this level at his age, but he’s finding ways to make a big impact, and not just as a run-stuffer or blitzer. Wagner remains a coverage machine and does a great job getting his hands on the ball.

In 2022, he added to the Rams’ formidable pass rush as an excellent blitzer and, along with Davis, was among the off-ball pressure leaders. Wagner has a good sense of how to attack guards as a blitzer and stimulate pressure well enough to enable other pass rushers on the defensive line.

6) Shaquille Leonard, Indianapolis Colts

Shaquille Leonard is the same animal and a different beast altogether from the rest of the list. Being consistent is obviously important to playing the position. However, being a playmaker can have as good of an analytical impact on a team as a consistent down-to-down player.

In short, Leonard is a Trevon Diggs/Marcus Peters-type of linebacker. He’s a high-risk, high-reward player that sacks the quarterback and makes plays on the ball in coverage. Bobby Okereke shined in Gus Bradley’s system a season ago, and if Leonard can return healthy, he could have a career year because, like Matt Eberflus’s defense, Bradley’s allows LBs to be playmakers.

7) Roquan Smith, Baltimore Ravens

Roquon Smith’s production was dipping in Chicago, and it just so happened to coincide with the Bears’ defensive depth chart dissolving into a shell of its former self.

Smith was selected eighth overall in the 2018 NFL Draft because he was like the missile playing the position at Georgia.

“The missile knows where it is at all times. It knows this because it knows where it isn’t. By subtracting where it is from where it isn’t, or where it isn’t from where it is (whichever is greater), it obtains a difference, or deviation. The guidance subsystem uses deviations to generate corrective commands to drive the missile from a position where it is to a position where it isn’t, and arriving at a position where it wasn’t, it now is.”

Like Leonard, Smith can be a bit more inconsistent because of his willingness to take chances slicing downhill against the run. But like Leonard, he’s a good coverage defender and has the playmaking chops to eventually round into a top-five LB because his mental trigger should continue to improve as time passes.

8) Dre Greenlaw, San Francisco 49ers

Rounding out the best LB duo in the NFL, Dre Greenlaw supplements Warner’s unreal coverage skills with his remarkable play against the pass. Another converted safety, Greenlaw adds even more speed to San Francisco’s defense with remarkable range.

They’re the best duo in the NFL because of the flexibility they allow the defense in coverage. They’re relatively interchangeable in coverage, and while Greenlaw isn’t as good in coverage or as a run defender, he’s good enough at both to give 49ers fans flashbacks of Patrick Willis and NaVorro Bowman, but in a bit of a different package.

9) Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, Cleveland Browns

Many pegged Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah as LB1 during the 2021 NFL Draft cycle. In case you forgot, former off-ball linebacker and built-in-a-lab defender Micah Parsons was also in that class.

“JOK” eventually ended up falling to the 20th pick of the second round because of size and knee concerns. But neither has proven concerning thus far as a pro.

The reason many preferred Owusu-Koramoah in that draft class was because he wasn’t really a linebacker at Notre Dame but a safety. He played quite a bit as the “apex” defender in the slot and consistently flashed elite coverage ability from that overhang position.

Owusu-Koramoah tends to avoid contact with players outweighing him by about 100 pounds more often than not, but he’s endlessly slippery and explosive.

10) T.J. Edwards, Chicago Bears

The Philadelphia Eagles’ defense was remarkable in 2022, and though one can give a lot of credit to the secondary and defensive line, the linebackers did good work keeping the team consistent from down to down.

T.J. Edwards’ production in 2022 is likely a product of an unbelievably talented Eagles defensive front. But there’s no denying that he’s a quick processor to click against the run. Edwards is a more traditional-version linebacker than most of the players on this list. He’s not an elite athlete or elite in coverage, but he was good in every aspect last year. Keeping the momentum in Chicago would cement his status.

Linebacker Rankings | 11-32

11) Nick Bolton, Kansas City Chiefs

Nick Bolton is a magnet. He lacked the athletic testing necessary to make him a first-round pick, but he had first-round tape. Like Creed Humphrey in the same draft, the NFL made a mistake in letting Bolton fall to the best team in the league. He immediately played good football for them, which shouldn’t be a surprise given how he played mentally in college.

12) Tremaine Edmunds, Chicago Bears

If you were to build a linebacker in a lab, they would look like Tremaine Edmunds. It’s amazing to think that he’s played five NFL seasons and is only 25.

Edmunds is still improving his trigger, but he’s been a plus coverage LB for some time now and has the physical upside to be a truly unfair piece on the Bears’ second level.

13) Eric Kendricks, Los Angeles Chargers

There’s a very real chance that Eric Kendricks has lost a few steps in his age-31 season. But there’s no reason to believe that he’ll be unable to return to his former self in Los Angeles, given the best in the business are all older than him. Before Warner, Kendricks was the standard for middle-of-the-field coverage defenders.

14) Bobby Okereke, New York Giants

Bobby Okereke had already begun to shine alongside Leonard before breaking out without him on the field in 2022. Okereke was outstanding in coverage for the Colts’ defense and was already a tackle magnet before playing the lead role.

15) De’Vondre Campbell, Green Bay Packers

De’Vondre Campbell missed some time in 2022 after being a first-team All-Pro the season before. While he wasn’t as productive against the run in 2023, he remained outstanding in coverage, something he had drastically improved throughout the course of his career.

16) C.J. Mosley, New York Jets

C.J. Mosley is a bit of a throwback to a previous generation of linebackers, even though he’s listed at only 230 pounds. Mosley’s 51 defensive stops in 2022 tied for 15th in the league. The year before, his 60 stops ranked third.

17) Frankie Luvu, Carolina Panthers

The Carolina Panthers lack outside-pass-rush productivity other than Brian Burns. Luckily for them, Frankie Luvu produced 23 defensive pressures in 2022 and notched seven sacks onto his bedpost in his first season as a starter. Luvu also finished second in the NFL for defensive stops. What keeps him from ascending higher on the list is his inconsistent coverage chops.

18) Patrick Queen, Baltimore Ravens

Patrick Queen has been on the receiving end of abuse from NFL and Ravens fans since entering the league in 2020 at 21 years old. But he’s been a good young player for Baltimore, despite having the learning curve of all young linebackers at the NFL level.

Additionally, Queen’s proved to be a serviceable blitzer. However, there have been reports that Baltimore could look to trade the young LB.

19) Shaq Thompson, Carolina Panthers

Shaq Thompson may be a bit antiquated, but that doesn’t make him any less entertaining to watch. It’s a crime to see such an incredible run-defender wearing No. 7 instead of a number in the 50s, but it almost makes him flash brighter.

Thompson sticks out like a sore thumb, but a sore thumb to a sadomasochist. The pain is actually a pleasure. No. 7 flies to the football, making a difference as a pure run defender that few can do at the NFL level. If you blink for a second, you’d think he’s a Bill Belichick linebacker.

20) Germaine Pratt, Cincinnati Bengals

Germaine Pratt is another safety-to-linebacker convert. But unlike most who change positions after high school or in college, Pratt is not undersized for the position in the slightest, at least for the modern game. He was playing safety for the Wolfpack as a 230-pound freshman.

While Pratt and Logan Wilson have gone back and forth regarding who the “alpha” LB is on the Bengals’ roster over the past few seasons, Pratt had an outstanding campaign in 2022, proving himself an improved run defender while maintaining his ability in coverage.

21) Foyesade Oluokun, Jacksonville Jaguars

The Yale Bulldog is a lot like an old-school chase-and-tackle LB in a more modern package. Tackles don’t make a good linebacker, but Foyesade Oluokun is the league’s foremost tackle-getter. Nobody has more over the past two seasons, and he’s actually led the league in tackles in each of them.

22) Leighton Vander Esch, Dallas Cowboys

Leighton Vander Esch has now played two incredible seasons as a professional linebacker, with injury-riddled or underwhelming play stacked in between like a sandwich.

LVE really rounded into form as a coverage player a season ago in Dan Quinn’s defense, showing the heady signs some of the top veterans consistently show. The problem is, Vander Esch’s neck will always be a worry, as has his inconsistent production and inability to be a downhill playmaker.

23) Willie Gay Jr., Kansas City Chiefs

Willie Gay Jr. and Bolton are probably the most underrated LB duo in the NFL, and it’s likely because they’re simply overshadowed by the other star power on the Super Bowl championship roster.

Gay received disciplinary action for a misdemeanor offense last offseason that cost him four games in 2022. But, in Year 3, he proved to be an athletic playmaker against the run and pass.

24) Logan Wilson, Cincinnati Bengals

Logan Wilson isn’t a safety-turned-linebacker like his Cincinnati teammate, but he’s an outstanding coverage defender and has been so in each of his two seasons as one of the Bengals’ primary LB starters. Wilson flashes as a coverage defender in spite of his 245-pound frame and old-school take-on ability.

25) David Long Jr., Miami Dolphins

A downhill, gap-penetrating run defender, David Long Jr. is a throwback. In one-gap situations, few are able to process the run quicker and get downhill faster to make plays at the line. Long provides a proper yang to the yin of his new teammate, who’s more of an undersized coverage linebacker.

26) Jerome Baker, Miami Dolphins

Despite Jerome Baker’s diminutive stature for the position, he’s been incredibly reliable for the Miami Dolphins over the course of his five-year career. Baker also continuously improved as a run defender throughout that time, becoming savvier in the way he takes on (or avoids) blocks and how quickly he triggers into his fit responsibility.

27) Ja’Whaun Bentley, New England Patriots

Ja’Whaun Bentley was born to be a New England Patriots linebacker. Belichick has made a career of zigging while the rest of the NFL zags, and that continues today. The rest of the league has gone to the modern undersized coverage LB, while Belichick wants his to be big, strong run defenders. Bentley was born to play that role, and he does it well.

28) Quincy Williams, New York Jets

About now is where we see the quality of LB play begin to dip.

There won’t be many Quincy Williams jerseys coming off the shelves at MetLife Stadium during home games, but he’s turned things around since coming from Jacksonville to New York to play in Robert Saleh’s defense behind his younger brother on the defensive line.

29) Devin White, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Devin White is more of a blitzer than he is a true linebacker, but he has value because of his ability to affect opposing passers. Although the uber-athletic former RB was drafted in the top five, he’s never rounded into the kind of linebacker the Buccaneers have needed him to be.

White’s contract situation has become a story, but he doesn’t have a ton of leverage because of his underwhelming play relative to expectations.

30) Cole Holcomb, Washington Commanders

The goatee. The jawline. The mullet. Cole Holcomb looks more like a linebacker than Vander Esch, and he’s practically a clone of Alan Ritchson’s portrayal of Thad Castle, the most talented LB of all time.

Holcomb underwent season-ending foot surgery after Week 7 but had already proven his value as a three-down player over the two prior seasons when he outshined first-round pick, Jamin Davis.

31) Alex Singleton, Denver Broncos

As we’ve moved further down the list, we’ve started seeing more specialized players. While Holcomb is more of a “master of none” type, Alex Singleton is a run defender down to his core. However, he’s not physically gifted enough to be a consistent difference-maker in zone or man coverage.

32) Malcolm Rodriguez, Detroit Lions

Last year, there were several linebackers drafted before Malcolm Rodriguez. But none of them gained the fanfare the fifth-round pick did, and it’s all because of how he was portrayed on Hard Knocks. 

Oh, and then he went out and played well as a rookie. The best way to describe Rodriguez is to liken him to a bowling ball. He’s a compact run defender with a tenacious attitude. He’ll likely never become one of the best NFL linebackers, but he could maintain his status on the back half of this list for a long time if he continues thriving behind the Lions’ stout defensive front.