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The Tennessee Titans need plenty of help at linebacker, both in the middle of the defense and off the edge, and the 2025 NFL Draft is a place where the Titans should be expected to be active in those markets.
The Titans own eight picks, including the No. 1 selection in the first round, of this year's draft, which begins April 24. After adding short-term investments at outside linebacker like Dre'Mont Jones and Lorenzo Carter in free agency, the Titans will need a long-term solution to their edge rusher issues at some point in this draft. And it would hardly be a surprise if the Titans look for an inside linebacker as well, given the lack of experience on roster heading into the summer.
Here are The Tennessean's rankings for the top 10 inside and outside linebackers from the 2025 NFL Draft who can help the Titans.
DRAFT HISTORY: Want to know why 2025 NFL Draft means so much for Tennessee Titans? Start at the beginning
Carter's one of the few players who the Titans have flirted with beyond QB Cam Ward for the No. 1 pick. It's starting to feel less likely that the Titans will make that move, but Carter showed in his one year as a pass rush specialist that he has as high of a ceiling as an prospect in the last three or four drafts.
A bigger, more power-first rusher than Carter, Williams was in contention to be a top-five pick prior to the 2024 college season. But Williams' 2024 season was derailed by injuries that limited him. If he can live up to his potential and stay healthy, there's no reason to think Williams isn't a talent worthy of going in the top 10.
Green graded out not only as one of the best pass rushers in college football last season, but also as one of the most successful run stoppers off the edge. He'll have a bigger adjustment that most of the other players on this list making the jump from Marshall to the NFL, but he'll also come into the league with some of the most obvious and impressive athletic traits too.
The team that drafts Walker will have a choice to make about whether to stick him in the middle of the defense or line him up on the outside. It's probably better to make an either/or proposition than to rotate Walker between both spots, but he has the sort of athletic skills and savvy to do so if needed.
WHERE'S WALKER GOING? NFL mock draft 2025: Is Shedeur Sanders falling? How many QBs after Cam Ward in Round 1?
Put Campbell in a similar boat as Walker, even if he's a little more likely to stick at inside linebacker. Campbell is an all-over-the-field kind of defender who has the range and instincts to make plays wherever he lines up. He might present more value on the outside, but he's got the chops to thrive on the inside as well.
No one aced combine workouts quite like Stewart, and there's going to be a team that falls in love with his athleticism in the first round, and probably in the early first round at that. His production has never matched his skill, though.
Ezeiruaku resembles Harold Landry III in so many ways that Titans fans almost need to brace themselves for his availability in the early second round. He's a quick-footed and productive rusher off the edge who might not win with physicality but has the results to back up the idea that his talents can translate.
If anyone has the potential and upside to make these rankings look foolish, it's Pearce. He's always been productive and the talent is obvious enough that Pearce got consideration as a potential No. 1 pick back in the fall. Murmurs about off-field concerns have marred his stock a bit, but there's no questioning the ability.
Tuimoloau's name is familiar to college football fans, as he's been one of the Buckeyes' standouts for three-plus seasons. He doesn't enter the league with the same kind of high-end upside of some of the other players on this list, but there's a baseline consistency to Tuimoloau's game that merits some serious consideration in the early second round.
Scourton wasn't able to live up to his transfer billing at Texas A&M in 2024, struggling to produce at the level expected of him after a big season at Purdue in 2023. This doesn't mean the big, rangy Scourton can't produce in the NFL. It could limit whether teams view him as a future No. 1 edge rusher or as a No. 2 piece, though.
KEEP READING: How the heck was Cam Ward a zero-star recruit? Inside NFL draft star's frustrating story
Nick Suss is the Titans beat writer for The Tennessean. Contact Nick at [email protected]. Follow Nick on X, the platform formerly called Twitter, @nicksuss.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Ranking top 10 NFL draft LBs/EDGEs, from Abdul Carter to James Pearce Jr.
Continue reading...
The Titans own eight picks, including the No. 1 selection in the first round, of this year's draft, which begins April 24. After adding short-term investments at outside linebacker like Dre'Mont Jones and Lorenzo Carter in free agency, the Titans will need a long-term solution to their edge rusher issues at some point in this draft. And it would hardly be a surprise if the Titans look for an inside linebacker as well, given the lack of experience on roster heading into the summer.
Here are The Tennessean's rankings for the top 10 inside and outside linebackers from the 2025 NFL Draft who can help the Titans.
DRAFT HISTORY: Want to know why 2025 NFL Draft means so much for Tennessee Titans? Start at the beginning
2025 NFL Draft linebacker rankings: Best players available
1. Abdul Carter (Penn State)
Carter's one of the few players who the Titans have flirted with beyond QB Cam Ward for the No. 1 pick. It's starting to feel less likely that the Titans will make that move, but Carter showed in his one year as a pass rush specialist that he has as high of a ceiling as an prospect in the last three or four drafts.
2. Mykel Williams (Georgia)
A bigger, more power-first rusher than Carter, Williams was in contention to be a top-five pick prior to the 2024 college season. But Williams' 2024 season was derailed by injuries that limited him. If he can live up to his potential and stay healthy, there's no reason to think Williams isn't a talent worthy of going in the top 10.
3. Mike Green (Marshall)
Green graded out not only as one of the best pass rushers in college football last season, but also as one of the most successful run stoppers off the edge. He'll have a bigger adjustment that most of the other players on this list making the jump from Marshall to the NFL, but he'll also come into the league with some of the most obvious and impressive athletic traits too.
4. Jalon Walker (Georgia)
The team that drafts Walker will have a choice to make about whether to stick him in the middle of the defense or line him up on the outside. It's probably better to make an either/or proposition than to rotate Walker between both spots, but he has the sort of athletic skills and savvy to do so if needed.
WHERE'S WALKER GOING? NFL mock draft 2025: Is Shedeur Sanders falling? How many QBs after Cam Ward in Round 1?
5. Jihaad Campbell (Alabama)
Put Campbell in a similar boat as Walker, even if he's a little more likely to stick at inside linebacker. Campbell is an all-over-the-field kind of defender who has the range and instincts to make plays wherever he lines up. He might present more value on the outside, but he's got the chops to thrive on the inside as well.
6. Shemar Stewart (Texas A&M)
No one aced combine workouts quite like Stewart, and there's going to be a team that falls in love with his athleticism in the first round, and probably in the early first round at that. His production has never matched his skill, though.
7. Donovan Ezeiruaku (Boston College)
Ezeiruaku resembles Harold Landry III in so many ways that Titans fans almost need to brace themselves for his availability in the early second round. He's a quick-footed and productive rusher off the edge who might not win with physicality but has the results to back up the idea that his talents can translate.
8. James Pearce Jr. (Tennessee)
If anyone has the potential and upside to make these rankings look foolish, it's Pearce. He's always been productive and the talent is obvious enough that Pearce got consideration as a potential No. 1 pick back in the fall. Murmurs about off-field concerns have marred his stock a bit, but there's no questioning the ability.
9. JT Tuimoloau (Ohio State)
Tuimoloau's name is familiar to college football fans, as he's been one of the Buckeyes' standouts for three-plus seasons. He doesn't enter the league with the same kind of high-end upside of some of the other players on this list, but there's a baseline consistency to Tuimoloau's game that merits some serious consideration in the early second round.
10. Nic Scourton (Texas A&M)
Scourton wasn't able to live up to his transfer billing at Texas A&M in 2024, struggling to produce at the level expected of him after a big season at Purdue in 2023. This doesn't mean the big, rangy Scourton can't produce in the NFL. It could limit whether teams view him as a future No. 1 edge rusher or as a No. 2 piece, though.
KEEP READING: How the heck was Cam Ward a zero-star recruit? Inside NFL draft star's frustrating story
Nick Suss is the Titans beat writer for The Tennessean. Contact Nick at [email protected]. Follow Nick on X, the platform formerly called Twitter, @nicksuss.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Ranking top 10 NFL draft LBs/EDGEs, from Abdul Carter to James Pearce Jr.
Continue reading...
