NFL Draft prospects: Ranking OLB heading into the 2023 NFL Combine

The 2023 NFL Draft will run from April 27 to 29 in Kansas City, Missouri. As prospects prepare to see what their future holds, they will go through the Combine and Pro Days to impress NFL scouts, coaches and execs. The 2023 NFL Combine will be held from Thursday, March 2 to Sunday, March 5. The outside linebackers will join defensive linemen and other linebackers to kick off the events on Thursday.

Alabama’s Will Anderson Jr. leads the outside linebackers, and it isn’t particularly close. There is a chance that he could find himself going No. 1 overall to the Chicago bears if they retain Justin Fields and choose not to trade their pick. Anderson spent three years playing for Alabama. He played in a career 41 games and had 204 tackles with 34.5 sacks and a pick-six.

Anderson is in the top tier of OLBs in this draft, but he isn’t alone. Army’s Andre Carter II is projected to sneak into the back part of the first round. He played in 31 career games, and his best year was his second season in 2021. He played in 12 games and had 41 total tackles, 14.5 sacks, an interception and four forced fumbles. Carter wasn’t able to capture that success in his senior year but remains one of the best outside linebacker prospects in this class.

The second tier of OLBs includes Georgia Tech’s Keion White, Georgia’s Nolan Smith, and LSU’s BJ Ojulari. These are all players that could put forth great combine performances and could use them to be a high draft pick in the second round. White is likely the only one that could sneak into the first round but would need some help from other players’ combine not going well.

Most other outside linebackers will fill the middle rounds having legitimate chances to either make a team’s 53-man roster or fill out a practice squad. It is one of the deeper positions in this class, and it wouldn’t be shocking to see 25 OLBs getting drafted.