Renner's 2027 NFL Draft scouting series: Ranking top 10 linebackers, with Clemson's Sammy Brown leading way

The 2027 linebacker draft class comes with some injury and role concerns, but make no mistake there's a lot of talent to be had at the position. Cutting this one down to only 10 prospects was not an easy task as there were nearly a half-dozen prospects that I could have feasibly slotted into the back of this top 10.

The strength of the class is obviously the rising juniors, but there are also a couple of fourth-year linebackers in this top 10 who would have been in the league already if it weren't for injuries suffered last season. The No. 1 prospect in the class I don't see changing, though, as he could play his way into a top half of Round 1 selection.

Positional rankings: IOL • S • LB • DT • TE • OT • RB • CB • EDGE • WR • QB

Note: ⭐️ represents each player's 247Sports star rating as a high school recruit

Brown has all the makings of a first-round linebacker and if it weren't for the loaded 2027 class he could end up in the top 10. Brown started by the end of his true freshman season in 2023 and became an All-ACC selection as a sophomore. He ticks every box you want to see for the position at a high level. He's fast, agile, strong, physical, and the surest tackler in the class. To have such a well-rounded game as a true sophomore on tape is a rarity.

Play of the Day No. 270: Sophomore linebacker Sammy Brown gets across the line of scrimmage before the ball leaves the quarterback's hands (Clemson vs. Georgia Tech, 2025). #POTD pic.twitter.com/LugVKGKSVK

His athletic background is the stuff of legend. Alongside linebacker in high school he also rushed for 2,289 yards at running back and averaged 44.5 yards per attempt as a punter. His freshman year he won the Georgia class 1A 400m state championship (50.5 seconds) and he has a 100m PR of 10.7. He was also a two-time state champion wrestler. That's the kind of athletic profile that's very easy to bet on.

To get by as a sub-220 pound linebacker you better be both a high-end athlete as well as overtly physical and Atkins fits both descriptions. Watching his explosiveness and short-area quicks on tape is breathtaking. It's like watching a cornerback move in the box. The physicality, however, is not like most corners. That shows especially as a blitzer where he finished with an eye-popping nine sacks last season. Atkins is coming into contact with bad intentions even if he's rarely the larger party involved.

Auburn LB Xavier Atkins flies everywhere pic.twitter.com/FG5wQ7twSl

Obviously, you'd rather Atkins come into the NFL in the 230-pound range, but there's not much I see on tape that makes me think he won't translate. He'll thrive in space and is a perfect weakside linebacker in today's NFL.

He was one of many Longhorns who could have been a top-100 pick last spring but opted to return for a potential national title run this season.

KVA has already shown a modern hybrid linebacker skill set and would have been in real contention for the top spot on this list if it weren't for a torn ACL he suffered last November. What really separates him is his ability to take on blocks. So much so that he got legitimate reps rushing the passer off the edge in Notre Dame's defense and was effective. His ability to rush at a high level on one play then cover a tight end in man coverage on the next will be invaluable in the NFL.

I think Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa (LB/EDGE) could be the guy in 2027 that isn’t getting discussed like the top rushers, but ends up in the top 10 like Arvell Reese is this year. pic.twitter.com/YwDyJ8lfDm

I wouldn't worry too much about him being part of a linebacker rotation also at Notre Dame as teammates Drayk Bowen and Jaylen Sneed at the position are both draftable prospects as well with seniority over the rising junior.

It's a shame that Rojas tore his ACL in practice last September or else we might be talking about him at his first NFL training camp. Rojas looked like a top 75 pick through four games before the injury with incredible playmaking range for a prototypically sized linebacker. On-campus testing at Penn State clocked him running a 4.37 40-yard dash in the spring of his sophomore year. Rojas is yet another linebacker on this list with a high school-impressive resume on the flip side of the ball. He ran for 2,239 yards and 35 scores his final season at Fairfax High School in Virginia where he was the Gatorade Player of the Year. When he's gotten the ball in his hands in college, it's shown.

Tony Rojas with one of the best run backs on an interception I've ever seen pic.twitter.com/sV7YGEtRGD

There's always an unknown coming back from such a big injury, but if he's even the same guy he was last year you can put him down safely as a Day 2 pick.

Perkins remains one of the weirdest evaluations I can remember, but he simply flashes too many impressive traits for me to have him any lower. He's a 216-pound edge rusher. And not a "run around unathletic tackles" edge rusher, but rather a "full bore set the edge in the run game" edge rusher. I can't remember seeing anything quite like it since I started scouting over a decade ago.

Suntarine Perkins (6’2 220) Ole Miss ✅ Physicality of a bigger player ✅ Pursuit speed ✅ 74 pressures and 15 sacks over the past two seasons ✅ Comfortable dropping into coverage with an 87.6 coverage grade ✅ Quickness off the snap pic.twitter.com/EbeuZjz5J0

I don't want you to think his pass-rush ability is the only reason he's No. 5 on this list, though. Perkins' role changed significantly this past fall and he finally dropped into coverage more than he rushed the passer (248 snaps vs. 213). What I saw on those snaps was one of the best athletes in the entire linebacker class in space. He has speed to run with slot receivers and can easily develop into a plus coverage linebacker in the NFL with some seasoning. It will take some squinting and creativity to get his role right in the NFL, but there's no doubt in my mind he can be an impact player.

Graham is my kind of undersized lineb...

Indexed and credited by AIPROPX. Originating outlet: CBS Sports. Open at source →