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2024 IDP Rookie Review: Off-Ball Linebackers, Part One

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Edgerrin Cooper | © Mark Hoffman/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
Jason King Posted On April 1, 2025
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Rookie off-ball linebackers are often a rough watch, and hard to evaluate for future fantasy value. Sometimes the talent, scheme fit and path to production jumps off the page – ahem, see No. 1 below – but in most cases it’s as Yoda would describe: “Difficult to see. Always in motion is the future.”

Fortunately for the 2024 rookie linebacker class we have a lot of interesting prospects, and after digging into their first professional seasons, I found new hope of an abundance of IDP assets. Part one of the linebacker review will examine those rookies who I consider to be either elite assets, or current or future starters.

Because we’re all about dynasty – and since many of you are in larger leagues with lots of roster spots and big taxi squads – I don’t want to ignore those rookies who deserve to be rostered, or garner roster consideration. So part two is for you, IDP degenerates, and will run down the rookie off-balls I’d rank Nos. 8-26.

About the Series and Statistics

If you missed the first two articles in this series, part one focused on interior defensive linemen, and part two examined the edge rushers. The final article will hit on the defensive backs of consequence.

Before getting into the rankings and brief reviews, credit goes to Pro Football Reference (PFR) for all statistics except for pressures, which come via Pro Football Focus (PFF).

Tier One: Elite Assets

It’s a stretch for me to rank any linebacker with elite pass rushers (Aidan Hutchinson, Will Anderson Jr., Micah Parsons, Jared Verse, Maxx Crosby, Nick Bosa, Myles Garrett and T.J. Watt), but we still have a good pool of 15 linebackers you could consider elite given the abundance of league settings that require three linebacker starters and scoring systems that overemphasize tackles.

1. Edgerrin Cooper, GB

  • Drafted: second round, No. 45 overall pick (Texas A&M)
  • Listed height and weight: 6-2, 229
  • Age prior to kickoff of 2025 season: 23 (turns 24 on November 17)

Stats to know:

  • played in 14 games; 491 defensive snaps (55 percent snap share)
  • 57 solo tackles, 30 assists; 13 tackles for loss; 11 missed tackles (11.2 percent missed tackle rate)
  • 24 completions on 37 targets (64.9 percent completion percentage); four passes defensed; one interception
  • 32 blitzes; 11 pressures; three-and-a-half sacks; seven quarterback hits
  • one forced fumble; two fumble recoveries

Tackles aren’t an accurate measure of linebacker quality, for sure. But tackles for loss – or tackles in the offensive backfield – require closing speed, agility to match the ball carrier’s movements, force and balance to get through the line, and strength to wrap up. These are all traits that Cooper possesses, and his 13 TFLs ranked second only to the Jets’ Quincy Williams – who played 647 more snaps! Among off-ball linebackers playing more than 400 snaps, Cooper led the league in backfield disruption with 13 tackles for loss and seven hits on the quarterback. At 491 snaps, that’s a rate of a little more than 4 percent – a good bit higher than the second-highest off-ball, Ivan Pace (3.4 percent).

Cooper’s promising rookie campaign was enough for me to push him to No. 1 in my dynasty linebacker rankings. Yes, it’s an aggressive ranking even for dynasty, but the upside is that high.

“I think he’s got superstar potential,” said Packers Coach Matt LaFleur on his end-of-season podcast. “You saw the more he played, the better he got. And the more consistent he got. It’s going to be a great off-season for him. … Hopefully we can get him bigger, stronger, faster.”

 

Tier Two: Current or Future Fantasy Starters

The linebackers in this tier are already considered weekly starters in “start three” or “start four” setups, or have weekly starting fantasy upside as early as 2025. Depending on your depth they may be matchup-based starts, but they certainly have value as dynasty IDP assets.

2. Payton Wilson, PIT

  • Drafted: third round, No. 98 overall pick (N.C. State)
  • Listed height and weight: 6-4, 242
  • Age prior to kickoff of 2025 season: 25

Stats to know:

  • played in all 17 games; 492 defensive snaps (45 percent snap share)
  • 49 solo tackles, 29 assists; three tackles for loss; seven missed tackles (8.2 percent missed tackle rate)
  • 31 completions on 39 targets (79.5 percent completion percentage); two passes defensed; one interception
  • 22 blitzes; four pressures; zero sacks; two quarterback hits
  • one forced fumbles; two fumble recoveries

Multiple knee and shoulder surgeries caused Wilson – a borderline first-round talent – to tumble to the end of day two of the 2024 NFL Draft. There, the Steelers got a steal – or so it looks for now. Wilson had a top-three season among rookie off-balls and other than Cooper, has the highest every-down potential. So given the elite athletic profile (a 9.81 RAS) you could consider him an elite asset, but there are four factors keeping him from that level:

  1. His extensive injury history. The shoulder surgeries on their own are concerning enough. He reportedly is missing an ACL in one of his knees – likely his right – although that’s never been publicly confirmed.
  2. His age. It’s not a major issue, but it’s one that is amplified by his past: if the injuries cut short his career, we could see just three to four seasons of LB1-2 production.
  3. Patrick Queen. Speaking of age, Queen, entering his sixth NFL season, is just 16 months older than Wilson. One of Wilson’s precious prime seasons is probably going to come as a second, non-full-time linebacker, since Queen is going to be “that guy” for Pittsburgh for at least one more season.
  4. Malik Harrison. I don’t see it or understand it, but the Steelers apparently think very highly of the former Raven after giving him a two-year, $10 million contract in free agency. As per the Steeler Way, the only guaranteed money is in year one, but that’s still a little more than $4 million. Meanwhile Elandon Roberts, who capably played an early down role for Pittsburgh the past two seasons, got just $1.25 million in guarantees from Las Vegas. So Harrison could hold back Wilson from a higher snap share.

In the grand scheme of fantasy, these are moderate concerns, and I think we can look at Wilson as a back-end starter with upside for 2025. If he can stay healthy, the Steelers could certainly view Wilson as a full-time linebacker as early as 2026 – and the N.C. State legend has the size and athletic profile to excel in the role.

3. Junior Colson, LAC

  • Drafted: third round, No. 69 overall pick (Michigan)
  • Listed height and weight: 6-3, 247
  • Age prior to kickoff of 2025 season: 22 (turns 23 on December 6)

Stats to know:

  • played in 11 games; 218 defensive snaps (32 percent snap share)
  • 29 solo tackles, 15 assists; zero tackles for loss; two missed tackles (6.5 percent missed tackle rate)
  • 11 completions on 18 targets (61.1 percent completion percentage); one pass defensed; zero interceptions
  • nine blitzes; five pressures; zero sacks; one quarterback hit

There were plenty of reasons to be excited about Colson entering his first year considering he was reunited with his college coach, Jim Harbaugh, and his main competition for snaps was veteran Denzel Perryman and disappointing second-year pro Daiyan Henley – a draft pick of a previous regime.

Henley of course erupted, becoming a top 15 dynasty IDP asset in the process, and Colson missed four games after suffering an ankle injury in week nine. Even after returning – with Perryman unable to play most weeks with a groin injury – Colson never saw more than 36 defensive snaps in a game. Still, he’s extremely young (just 22) and Perryman, re-signed to a one-year deal, is a short-term obstacle if that. Colson is pretty good in coverage when dropping into zone, meaning he and Henley should be the preferred tandem on passing downs.

One concern I have – and it carried over from his college tape to the NFL – is that Colson is a high tackler, wrapping up ball carriers around the shoulder pads too often. It can be a recipe for a high missed tackle rate.

4. Tyrice Knight, SEA

  • Drafted: fourth round, No. 118 overall pick (UTEP)
  • Listed height and weight: 6-0, 233
  • Age prior to kickoff of 2025 season: 24

Stats to know:

  • played in 16 games; 551 defensive snaps (52 percent snap share)
  • 41 solo tackles, 47 assists; three tackles for loss; four missed tackles (4.3 percent missed tackle rate)
  • 32 completions on 45 targets (71.1 percent completion percentage); two passes defensed; zero interceptions
  • 22 blitzes; ten pressures; one-and-a-half sacks; four quarterback hits
  • zero forced fumbles; one fumble recovery

Knight proved to be better in coverage than anticipated and is a strong tackler in a great scheme in Seattle. (If you’re wondering why Mike Macdonald’s scheme is good for linebacker production, read this article – never mind the names!) He settled in as the No. 2 linebacker next to Ernest Jones in week 11, and from that point forward gave us LB3 production. I think that’s the floor we’re looking at, making Knight an underrated commodity at the moment.

Knight was impressive enough in week four to earn the breakdown treatment from the great Brian Baldinger:

 

And here’s a good look at Knight scraping the line and keeping himself free to make the tackle on Christian McCaffrey in week 11:

 

5. Trevin Wallace, CAR

  • Drafted: third round, No. 72 overall pick (Kentucky)
  • Listed height and weight: 6-1, 244
  • Age prior to kickoff of 2025 season: 22

Stats to know:

  • played in 13 games; 583 defensive snaps (63 percent snap share)
  • 36 solo tackles, 28 assists; two tackles for loss; seven missed tackles (9.9 percent missed tackle rate)
  • 20 completions on 23 targets (87 percent completion percentage); zero passes defensed; zero interceptions
  • 17 blitzes; five pressures; one sack; one quarterback hit
  • two forced fumbles; one fumble recovery

Wallace suffered a season-ending shoulder injury in week 14 that required surgery and cast a pall over his first full off-season as a pro. It’s a setback that shouldn’t be ignored short-term, but also shouldn’t have an impact on his dynasty outlook as the youngest linebacker in the class. I’d guess, when healthy, Wallace will continue to serve as the second linebacker next to Josey Jewell for the next couple of seasons. He’s already decent enough in coverage, and just needs to speed up the reads in front of him in order to unleash his athletic potential (his 9.34 RAS was fourth-best in the class). The hope is he’s ready at that point to play the lead role – and he’ll only be 24

Here are some looks at Wallace showcasing physicality as the MIKE in his most productive game of the year in week five vs. Chicago. In the first clip, Wallace destroys the second-level block from the left tackle, and cleans up the tackle on D’Andre Swift.

 

6. Jaylon Carlies, IND

  • Drafted: fifth round, No. 151 overall pick (Missouri)
  • Listed height and weight: 6-3, 227
  • Age prior to kickoff of 2025 season: 23 (turns 24 on September 13)

Stats to know:

  • played in ten games; 242 defensive snaps (36 percent snap share)
  • 24 solo tackles, 12 assists; two tackles for loss; two missed tackles (5.3 percent missed tackle rate)
  • 12 completions on 13 targets (92.3 percent completion percentage); one pass defensed; zero interceptions
  • seven blitzes; one pressure; one sack; one quarterback hit

You can make a good argument that Carlies is the off-season’s biggest IDP winner – at least so far. With Lou Anarumo coming in as defensive coordinator, the Colts seem likely to play two linebackers on passing downs, and with E.J. Speed still hanging out in free agency, Carlies appears to be next man up next to Zaire Franklin. A lot can change between now and the beginning of the season of course, as there are still a handful of capable free agent veterans (Kyzir White, Ja’Whaun Bentley, C.J. Mosley and Shaq Thompson) who could be added to this linebacker unit. Cincinnati is also sitting on an outstanding trade request from Germaine Pratt, who intimately knows Anarumo’s defense.

Carlies, for his part, showed enough over his 242 defensive snaps to merit strong consideration for a full-time job. A safety convert, Carlies graded out as a very good coverage linebacker (with an 83.1 coverage grade on 86 snaps in coverage, per PFF). He missed weeks eight through 15 with fibula and shoulder injuries, but came back strong: in the one week in which he played a full snap share (week 16, 60 of 61 snaps), he provided low-end LB1 production with ten total tackles.

Entering year two, Carlies is a big upside swing. You may end up with a repeat of his rookie season, where Carlies was only worthy of lineup consideration when one of the starters was out. But you very well may end up with E.J. Speed production!

7. Omar Speights, LAR

  • Undrafted (LSU via Oregon State)
  • Listed height and weight: 6-1, 228
  • Age prior to kickoff of 2025 season: 24

Stats to know:

  • played in all 17 games; 419 defensive snaps (38 percent snap share)
  • 37 solo tackles, 30 assists; two tackles for loss; three missed tackles (4.3 percent missed tackle rate)
  • 25 completions on 30 targets (85.3 percent completion percentage); two passes defensed; zero interceptions
  • five blitzes; four pressures; zero sacks; zero quarterback hits

Speights quickly rose from the ranks of undrafted afterthought to pre-season star after impressing the Rams’ coaches so much that he was being considered a lock to be active on game days. Soon thereafter, the Rams shipped defensive leader Ernest Jones off to Tennessee, and the Speights hype train was off and running.

Speights never became the full-time linebacker that Jones was – in fact, he never overtook Christian Rozeboom as the primary ‘backer. Speights was at least serviceable from week ten onward after he moved into the No. 2 spot with Troy Reeder sidelined. The way the Rams value the position I’m assuming they won’t make any major additions to the room, which for now includes Speights, former Falcon Nate Landman and former Brown Tony Fields II. I like Speights’ chances of at least playing enough to garner weekly LB4 starts in 2025.

He does a nice job on this play in week 13 of stacking and shedding the left guard in order to make the tackle:

 

Jason King
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