The 2025 NFL Draft is expected to have some reaches at the top of the draft when it comes to the quarterbacks and other offensive positions. But we are switching gears to the parts of the defense that don’t get as much attention but can still be quite impactful: Linebacker and safety.
Not to belabor the point, but a key piece of the 2024 Eagles turning into an elite defense that won a championship was the development of inside linebacker Zack Baun, who had a big interception in Super Bowl 59’s blowout win. The Eagles made sure to keep Baun by signing him to a 3-year deal worth $51 million.
That’s still relatively cheap for a very good linebacker, as this position, as well as safety, just do not generate the same kind of salary and draft capital that you get with defensive linemen (emphasis on edge rushers) and cornerbacks. But that’s not to say you will get by easily without having good players at these positions, and the bonus is you usually don’t have to spend a high draft pick or spend $20 million per year on them.
With that in mind, let’s look at this year’s class of top linebackers and safeties. Using the prospect rankings from NFL Mock Draft Database, we are going to look at the two linebackers and three safeties expected to go in the first two rounds, and we’ll decide which team is the best fit for them in the 2025 NFL Draft.
Table of Contents
1. LB Jihaad Campbell (Alabama) – No. 19 Overall Prospect
Jihaad Campbell has a great shot to be the highest-drafted linebacker in this draft class, and naturally he’s an Alabama prospect from a school that has produced so much NFL talent during the Nick Saban era that ended in 2024.
But Campbell became a starter under Saban in 2023 when he notched 66 combined tackles, recovered two fumbles, and returned one for a touchdown. He was in on 117 tackles last year, registered 5.0 sacks, and made his second career interception.
Campbell has the ideal size (6’3”, 235 pounds) and speed (4.52 40-yard dash) to handle the position in the NFL. But there is a raging debate on whether he’ll be better served in the NFL as an off-ball linebacker or a 3-4 edge rusher. One clip has circulated where Will Campbell, LSU’s top-ranked left tackle prospect in this class, hands Campbell (no relation) his ass on a edge rush.
But the athleticism may be there to sometimes use Jihaad off the edge. In fact, his RAS (Relative Athletic Score) is absurd as it ranks 41st out of 3,182 linebackers (!) since 1987.
After the scouting combine, Campbell had surgery to repair a torn labrum, so he may not be available until July or August. Still, that shouldn’t impact his draft stock.
Best Fit – San Francisco 49ers (No. 11 Pick)
One could argue it’s a luxury pick to take a player like Campbell as he is unlikely to fill any of the “big roles” in the NFL that you’d like to use a top 15 pick on. The earliest you should possibly look at him going is No. 8 to Carolina, a team that employed an off-ball linebacker for a long time in Shaq Thompson, who was released after 10 seasons in February.
In fact, the NFL.com comparison for Campbell is Trevin Wallace, who the Panthers just drafted in the third round in 2024. Some have said they see a little Patrick Willis in Campbell, too, and the 49ers hold the No. 11 pick and have lost some players recently, like Dre Greenlaw.
It wouldn’t be the sexiest pick on draft night, but it’s hard to argue there’s an offensive player the 49ers should take at No. 11. It’s arguable they could go corner or defensive end, but sticking Campbell next to Fred Warner just makes a lot of sense for this team, and it’s the kind of move (when it works out) that makes them one of the best front sevens in the NFL. They need to get back to that level if they’re going to compete for a Super Bowl again.
2. SAF Malaki Starks (Georgia) – No. 21 Overall Prospect
For most experts, Georgia safety Malaki Starks is the best at his position in this class. He was part of that epic 2022 Georgia defense that won a repeat national championship, and Georgia was still strong defensively the last two years as well.
Starks led the Bulldogs with 77 tackles last year. He intercepted seven passes in his 3-year career. He’ll have the versatility to play multiple positions in the NFL, a solid tackler, and he can track the deep balls.
The concern over Starks seems to stem from his weak athletic testing, but at a position like safety, he can overcome this and be a productive starter.
Best Fit – Washington Commanders (No. 29 Pick)
It would be absurd if Starks fell out of the first round, and don’t be surprised if both Super Bowl teams take an interest. The Eagles (No. 32) could further solidify their revamped secondary by adding Starks, and the Chiefs (No. 31) lost Justin Reid in free agency.
But don’t let the rich get richer. The Washington Commanders hold the No. 29 pick and were a game away from the Super Bowl last year. It’s up to them to dethrone the Eagles in the NFC East, and they should feel confident that Jayden Daniels can elevate the offense around him. The right move is to build up Dan Quinn’s defense, and giving him a potential stud safety in Starks makes the most sense here.
He just may be off the board already at No. 29. But letting Starks go to the Eagles at No. 32 would be a gut punch for Washington here.
3. SAF Nick Emmanwori (South Carolina) – No. 25 Overall Prospect
We have a very interesting battle here for the top safety between Malaki Starks and Nick Emmanwori. If you’re on Team Malaki, you’re saying to trust the tape, the pedigree, and don’t get caught up with the athletic testing. If you’re Team Nick, you’re banking on his incredible athleticism winning out in the pros and saying to ignore that he didn’t have an all-star cast around him at South Carolina like Starks had in Georgia.
It’s setting up to be a pretty classic case of high floor (Malaki) vs. high ceiling (Emmanwori). It feels like the safer floor pick is usually the better pro, but I don’t currently have any data to support or disprove that.
But Emmanwori is an impressive prospect at 6’3”. He had the best vertical (43”) by anyone weighing over 200 pounds in the history of the combine, and his athletic testing is off the charts:
Is there a catch? Yeah, he’s been criticized for not playing with urgency and sometimes guessing on his angles with disastrous results. But that feels like a coachable fix. Someone is probably going to take a chance on him in the first 40 picks.
Best Fit – Las Vegas Raiders (No. 37 Pick)
Honestly, you could see the Arizona Cardinals taking an interest in this pick at No. 16 or the Buccaneers giving Todd Bowles a big piece for his secondary at No. 19. It just depends on how much you want to value the safety position. We went through the playoff teams that could be interested in a safety with Malaki above.
But if Emmanwori falls to the second round, he shouldn’t last past the Raiders at No. 37. Give Pete Carroll his big weapon in the secondary and someone fast enough to take away an old Travis Kelce or the next tight end the Chiefs find for Patrick Mahomes in that division.
4. LB Carson Schwesinger (UCLA) – No. 48 Overall Prospect
We have not covered a linebacker since the first prospect with Jihaad Campbell. But the consensus agrees that UCLA’s Carson Schwesinger is the second-best off-ball linebacker prospect in this draft class.
He was a walk-on at UCLA, which isn’t easy to do even in a down period for the school. He worked his way up to be a team captain and starter in 2024, and it was by far his best season with 90 solo tackles (led FBS), 136 total tackles, and he had some splash plays with 4 sacks, 2 interceptions, 3 passes defensed, and a forced fumble.
If you don’t have the picture painted yet, it should be clear what you’re likely getting here. Schwesinger is a hard-working “lunch-pail guy” who won’t wow you with his athleticism, but he can diagnose plays at a high level and is a sure tackler and stud on special teams.
Best Fit – Atlanta Falcons (No. 46 Pick)
Thirty teams were checking out Schwesinger’s pro day. It feels like he could go just about anywhere in the second round. He shouldn’t go past the Chargers at No. 55 as he feels like the kind of prospect Jim Harbaugh would be smitten for.
But I keep getting an NFC North vibe out of this one as it’d be easy to picture Schwesinger in that Detroit locker room ready to eat a kneecap for Dan Campbell. But the Lions don’t pick until No. 60, so he’ll likely be gone already, and the Bears and Packers have already made some investments at linebacker.
That’s why I landed on the Falcons using the No. 46 pick to give Raheem Morris’ defense a good tackler. If you play in the NFC South, your path to a Super Bowl involves slowing down the running game of the Eagles, Commanders, Buccaneers, Rams, etc.
5. SAF Xavier Watts (Notre Dame) – No. 54 Overall Prospect
Our last safety is Notre Dame’s Xavier Watts, a second-round projection. After COVID, he switched from the wide receiver position he was recruited at to a linebacker/safety hybrid role. By 2023, he was playing safety and led the nation with seven interceptions.
Despite losing to Ohio State in the national championship game, Watts was still successful as a senior and was named the Defensive MVP in the Sugar Bowl win over Georgia.
He had 13 interceptions in his final two seasons of college football, so the ball skills and instincts are there. It’s the tackling that needs work, and he’s not going to wow anyone with his speed.
Scouts are mixed on Watts, but he has the potential to be a starter.
Best Fit – Cincinnati Bengals (No. 49 Pick)
The Bengals need to be in the business of offensive linemen and defenders on the first two nights of the draft. If you look at their Super Bowl run in 2021, they were getting turnovers from the secondary in critical spots to advance. They lost some of that in the years since, and we know the defense really fell off in 2024.
If you add someone like Watts, you get the potential for picks in a conference where the best quarterbacks in the league play, but it’s not like Patrick Mahomes, Lamar Jackson, and Josh Allen have never been known to put the ball in dangerous spots at times.
Keep making those picks, Xavier.
Related Articles:
- 2025 NFL Draft Preview: The Top 10 Offensive Line Prospects
- 2025 NFL Draft Preview: Ashton Jeanty to Lead the Rebirth of the Running Back?
- 2025 NFL Draft Preview: Meet the Best Wide Receivers Not Named Travis Hunter
- Julio Jones Retires: More Proof Jerry Rice’s NFL Records Look Unbeatable in 2025
- 2025 NFL Draft Preview: Tyler Warren and the Value of a Great Tight End
- 2025 NFL Draft Preview: Don’t Expect a Deep Quarterback Class Like 2024
- Where Every NFL Team Stands After Free Agency: Super Bowl 60 Odds Update
- Bengals Bungle Team Building 101: Your Franchise QB Shouldn’t Need the Most Expensive Wide Receiver Duo in NFL History
- 2025 NFL Free Agency Update: Still Waiting on Aaron Rodgers to Decide
- 2025 NFL Free Agency: The Moves Already Made and Those Still to Come
- Will the NFL See Turnover Regression in 2025, And What Does It Mean for Teams Like the Bills and Eagles?
- The NFL Should Ban the Tush Push for 2025
- Do NFL Teams Have a Great Blueprint to Beat Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs in 2025?
- 2025 NFL Season: Predicting the New Starting Quarterbacks from Aaron Rodgers to Cameron Ward
- Anatomy of a Super Bowl Blowout: Where the Chiefs and Eagles Go from Here and Super Bowl 60 Odds
