{"id":174309,"date":"2026-02-21T14:04:13","date_gmt":"2026-02-21T14:04:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/174309\/"},"modified":"2026-02-21T14:04:13","modified_gmt":"2026-02-21T14:04:13","slug":"linebacker-rankings-and-fit-inside-the-star","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/174309\/","title":{"rendered":"Linebacker Rankings and Fit \u00bb Inside The Star"},"content":{"rendered":"

I\u2019ve spent the last few days digging through every major 2026 linebacker board I could find \u2014 Bucky Brooks<\/a>, ESPN<\/a>, NFL Draft Buzz<\/a> \u2014 and one thing is clear.<\/p>\n

This linebacker class could be one of the strongest positions in the entire draft.<\/p>\n

If I\u2019m the Dallas Cowboys and even thinking about addressing the position in the 2026 NFL Draft, there will be options. Not just depth pieces, but impact players.<\/p>\n

\"Dallas<\/p>\n

Why Linebacker Still Matters<\/p>\n

I don\u2019t care how pass-heavy this league gets, if your linebackers can\u2019t run and cover, you\u2019re cooked<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Offenses attack the middle of the field relentlessly. Tight ends run like receivers, running backs split out wide, and quarterbacks force linebackers to think and move at the same time.<\/p>\n

And with new defensive coordinator Christian Parker<\/a> taking over, I expect that position to matter more.<\/p>\n

Parker\u2019s background tells me he is going to emphasize speed, communication, and versatility in the second level. That doesn\u2019t work if your linebacker room is average.<\/p>\n

If I\u2019m building this Cowboys\u2019 defense for 2026, I want an above-average linebacker corps. Not just one guy, a unit that can handle modern offenses without constantly needing safety help.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s how I would stack them.<\/p>\n

\"Ohio<\/p>\n

1. Arvell Reese \u2013 Ohio State<\/p>\n

Every major board agrees here, and honestly, so do I. The only issue is the Cowboys are not going to be high enough to draft this man unless they trade up.<\/p>\n

Arvell Reese looks like a modern NFL linebacker. He can run, cover, blitz, and he plays in space without looking uncomfortable<\/a>.<\/p>\n

When I watched him play, I didn\u2019t see a situational player. He looked like a three down linebacker.<\/p>\n

If Dallas wants a linebacker that doesn\u2019t come off the field, Reese is my LB1.<\/p>\n

\"Ohio<\/p>\n

2. Sonny Styles \u2013 Ohio State<\/p>\n

Two Buckeyes at the top? I\u2019m fine with that because these two deserve to be the top two linebackers.<\/p>\n

Sonny Styles moves like a safety and that stands out immediately<\/a>. He doesn\u2019t look stiff changing directions and there is no panic in coverage.<\/p>\n

We all know in today\u2019s NFL, that matters more than being able to stack and shed every snap.<\/p>\n

If I\u2019m thinking about matching up with athletic tight ends and space-heavy offenses, Styles makes a ton of sense for Dallas.<\/p>\n

\"Georgia<\/p>\n

3. CJ Allen \u2013 Georgia<\/p>\n

The Georgia Bulldog on this list brings a different type of energy than the first two young men.<\/p>\n

CJ Allen is more old school. He\u2019s physical, plays downhill, and is comfortable in the box<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t let that old school play fool you, he doesn\u2019t come unprepared. Allen has seen pro-style offenses and has some skill in the coverage department.<\/p>\n

If I want someone who can come in and anchor against the run immediately, Allen will be in the Dallas Cowboys range. It doesn\u2019t hurt the Cowboys have a former Georgia coach on staff now.<\/p>\n

\"Texas<\/p>\n

4. Jacob Rodriguez \u2013 Texas Tech<\/p>\n

This young man is one of the most productive linebackers<\/a> I have ever seen. Not only has he won just about every linebacker award, he was also a Heisman finalist.<\/p>\n

He may not get as much hype as the more athletic backers, but if I had to choose a linebacker to start in the middle of my defense, it would be Jacob Rodriguez.<\/p>\n

Rodriguez doesn\u2019t have the speed, but that doesn\u2019t stop him from ranking near the top in coverage, run defense, and production.<\/p>\n

This guy just makes plays.<\/p>\n

If I\u2019m looking for value beyond the obvious names, Rodriguez is a guy I\u2019m circling twice.<\/p>\n

\"Oregon<\/p>\n

5. Bryce Boettcher \u2013 Oregon<\/p>\n

The Oregon Duck isn\u2019t getting much love in draft circles, but he is a gamer.<\/p>\n

Boettcher isn\u2019t loud or flashy, but he is smooth in space.<\/p>\n

He takes clean angles, doesn\u2019t overrun plays, and he looks comfortable in coverage. That\u2019s not something you can say about every linebacker in this class.<\/p>\n

If Dallas misses the top tier, Bryce Boettcher feels like the kind of value pick that ends up playing meaningful snaps early<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s Get a Linebacker<\/p>\n

After blending national rankings with grading data, this is what I keep coming back to:<\/p>\n

Reese and Styles are the top tier.<\/p>\n

Allen and Rodriguez are the names that could end up being serious value picks and possibly the best linebackers in this draft. <\/p>\n

Boettcher could be right there with Allen and Rodriguez<\/a>, but with much less fan fair. <\/p>\n

This isn\u2019t a thin linebacker class<\/a>, it\u2019s deep. And with Christian Parker likely pushing for a faster, more complete second level, the Cowboys can\u2019t afford to treat linebacker like an afterthought. <\/p>\n

If they address it in 2026, they\u2019ll have real options in this draft. <\/p>\n

The only question is how aggressive they\u2019re willing to be. <\/p>\n

Was this helpful?<\/p>\n

Thanks for your feedback!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"I\u2019ve spent the last few days digging through every major 2026 linebacker board I could find \u2014 Bucky…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":174310,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[21872,18315,48203,57210,27620,102,104,103,782,3785,21830,6183,781,769,34587,1769],"class_list":{"0":"post-174309","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-dallas","8":"tag-2026-nfl-draft","9":"tag-arvell-reese","10":"tag-bryce-boettcher","11":"tag-christian-parker","12":"tag-cj-allen","13":"tag-dallas","14":"tag-dallas-headlines","15":"tag-dallas-news","16":"tag-georgia-bulldogs","17":"tag-jacob-rodriguez","18":"tag-linebacker","19":"tag-nfl-draft","20":"tag-ohio-state-buckeyes","21":"tag-oregon-ducks","22":"tag-sonny-styles","23":"tag-texas-tech"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/174309","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=174309"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/174309\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/174310"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=174309"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=174309"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=174309"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}