The Mock Drafts have been running for months and most commonly predict the Vikings to use their first-round pick on the defensive side of the ball. But if there's one thing that's certain about the NFL Draft … it's that nothing is certain. So in leading up to this year's three-day event that begins with Round 1 on April 23, 2026, we're previewing prospects by position groups (all except quarterback, where the Vikings have four players on the roster, and specialists, where the Vikings have a trio of All-Pros). This draft prospect series will include rankings by national outlets, stats and background information for a bounty of prospects. Our first five installments delved into the running backs, wide receivers, tight ends, offensive linemen and defensive linemen. Inside linebackers, cornerbacks and safeties will come soon.
Next up is outside linebacker, a position that is seen by experts far and wide as the most macho in this class. David Bailey, Rueben Bain, Jr., and Arvell Reese have maintained steam as near locks for the Top 10, while Keldric Faulk, Cashius Howell, Malachi Lawrence, Akheem Mesidor, T.J. Parker, R Mason Thomas and Zion Young have been floated as possible first-rounders. There is strong depth at the position into Day 3, according to many draftniks, making it a good cycle to stock up on edge-setters and pass-rushers.
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Vikings status at outside linebacker
Minnesota believes it has three starters in its room with Jonathan Greenard, Dallas Turner and Andrew Van Ginkel. The Vikings also have three developmental players — Tyler Batty, Chaz Chambliss and Bo Richter — who joined the Vikings as undrafted free agents (Batty and Chambliss in '25; Richter in '24) and played 10-plus games as rookies.
Greenard and Van Ginkel each missed time with injuries in 2025 after being selected to the Pro Bowl for their 2024 seasons. Their impacts were reduced as a result — but not entirely gone. Both logged double-digit tackles for loss, and Van Ginkel tallied his fifth career interception and his most passes defended in a season (10).
Turner, the 17th overall pick two years ago, took an impressive sophomore year leap, posting 8.0 sacks, 11 tackles for loss, 15 quarterback hits and four forced fumbles across 17 games and 10 starts. While he enjoyed an uptick in splash plays and more than doubled his snaps on defense, Turner's largest strides in Year 2 related to his every-down consistency and improving his technique and awareness versus the run.
Uniquely, Turner has started games in place of Greenard and Van Ginkel, which means he's handled two vastly different roles. His athleticism and coverage feel gives the defense that rare Gink'-esque versatility.
Batty, Chambliss and Richter were featured minimally on defense last season but were frequent contributors in the third phase; Richter led the entire team with 372 snaps on special teams. Batty and Chambliss also were inactive for long stretches because of injuries. Richter signed a new deal in March.
View photos of Vikings linebackers from the 2025 season.
Addressing the rumors
There's been external speculation this offseason that Minnesota is open to trading away Greenard.
Head Coach Kevin O'Connell was asked about the rumor mill during the NFC Coaches Breakfast at the Annual League Meeting in Phoenix, Arizona, on March 30, and spoke highly of Greenard in his response.
"I would just say this, from my perspective, we, I, our coaching staff, the players, we love Jonathan Greenard," O'Connell said. "He clearly has meant so much to our team from a standpoint of what he's done on the field, but becoming a captain last year, and really being one of those driving factors behind a team that could somehow find themselves at 4-8 and finish at 9-8. Jonathan Greenard and his leadership and what he means on a daily basis to our team is absolutely something we don't take for granted.
"And J.G. knows how I feel about him. He knows the love we have for him," the coach continued, emphasizing his gratitude for J.G. "I would just say, I'm excited about Jonathan Greenard in Year 3 with us and excited about where our team's going to go with him as a big part of our defense. And the business side of the NFL sometimes gets talked about a lot, but my role and the importance of the relationship side of things will always be paramount with all our players, especially one of my captains like J.G."
Greenard is under contract with the team through 2027. He generated 80 pressures in 2024 via a 15.3 percent pass-rush win rate, and 47 in 2025, with a 16.6 percent win rate, according to Pro Football Focus.
Expert Rankings
Excluding the consensus Top 3 outside 'backers because trading into the Top 10 to acquire Bailey, Bain or Reese would require competitive compensation, we're going to highlight one dozen OLBs who could be available within a reasonable range of Minnesota's second-round pick (No. 49) or even later in the event.
This cohort of prospects is supported by positional and overall rankings from The Athletic's Dane Brugler — found in his comprehensive draft guide “The Beast” — as well as ESPN's Matt Miller and Jordan Reid.
Notes: Heights and weights are from each player's profile on NFL.com (linked for each player's name), and Miller and Reid listed Reese as a linebacker instead of an edge rusher, affecting their position ranks.
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School: Auburn | Age: 21 | Ht: 6-foot-6 | Wt: 276 pounds
2025 stats: 29 tackles (23 solo), 5.0 tackles for loss, 2.0 sacks, four pass breakups, one fumble recovery
Career: 109 tackles (73 solo), 19.5 tackles for loss, 10 sacks, six pass breakups, one forced fumble, two fumble recoveries
Dane Brugler edge rank: 4; overall: 15
Matt Miller edge rank: 6; overall: 29
Jordan Reid edge rank: 3; overall: 20
Little bro up next?: Faulk's stock is seriously heating up, and he may land in the sweet spot of the first round. He's considered pro-ready as a run defender and possesses tantalizing upside as a pass-rusher. He also might not even be the best athlete in his family. His younger brother, J.J., is a rising sophomore at Auburn, and he recently expressed his desire to outperform Keldric: “You’ve got to one-up your brother.”
School: Miami (after West Virginia) | Age: 25 | Ht: 6-foot-3 | Wt: 259 pounds
2025 stats: 63 tackles (38 solo), 17.5 tackles for loss, 12.5 sacks, four forced fumbles
Career: 208 tackles (123 solo), 52.5 tackles for loss, 35.5 sacks, five forced fumbles, four pass breakups
Dane Brugler edge rank: 5; overall: 28
Matt Miller edge rank: 4; overall: 26
Jordan Reid edge rank: 6; overall: 33
Podium finish: Mesidor, who by the way hails from Canada's capital city Ottawa, ranks tied for third in the FBS in career sacks since 2005. His 35.5 takedowns was bested by Louisiana Tech's Jaylon Ferguson (45.0) and Arkansas State's Ja'Von Rolland-Jones (43.5) and matched the career totals of UCF's Bruce Miller and Washington's Hau'oli Kikaha. Alabama's Will Anderson, Jr., who garnered a First-Team All-Pro nod for the Texans in 2025 and already has 30 NFL sacks, is sixth on the college chart with 34.5.
(Note: SportsReference has full individual defensive statistics for Division-I programs beginning in 2005.)
School: Clemson | Age: 21 | Ht: 6-foot-4 | Wt: 263 pounds
2025 stats: 37 tackles (19 solo), 9.5 tackles for loss, 5.0 sacks, one pass breakup, three fumble recoveries
Career: 126 tackles (71 solo), 41.5 tackles for loss, 21.5 sacks, four pass breakups, six forced fumbles, six fumble recoveries
Dane Brugler edge rank: 6; overall: 31
Matt Miller edge rank: 5; overall: 27
Jordan Reid edge rank: 4; overall: 28
Terrific Tiger: Parker wrapped his college career with the fifth-most TFLs at Clemson since at least 2005, behind Vic Beasley (52), Clelin Ferrell (50), Shaq Lawson (46.5) and Da'Quan Bowers (44.5). One other former Tiger, Christian Wilkins, eclipsed 40 (41). Four of those five were drafted in the Top 20; Bowers slid to Round 2, after he was hyped as the potential No. 1 overall pick, because of a knee injury. Parker also set a school record with six forced fumbles in 2024.
School: UCF | Age: 22 | Ht: 6-foot-4 | Wt: 253 pounds
2025 stats: 28 tackles (17 solo), 11 tackles for loss, 7.0 sacks, two forced fumbles, three pass breakups
Career: 72 tackles (47 solo), 28 tackles for loss, 20 sacks, three forced fumbles, one fumble recovery, five pass breakups
Dane Brugler edge rank: 7; overall: 36
Matt Miller edge rank: 9; overall: 49
Jordan Reid edge rank: 9; overall: 44
All-time Knight: Digging into UCF's almanac, we learned Lawrence cracked the Top 10 in program history for career sacks. His 20 (10th) is the most since Tre'mon Morris-Brash ledgered 26 from 2019-23, and fourth most this century after Miller's 35.5 (2007-10) and Elton Patterson's 30.5 (1999-2002). Miller's "comp player" for Lawrence is Greenard, by the way.
School: Missouri (after Michigan State) | Age: 22 | Ht: 6-foot-6 | Wt: 262 pounds
2025 stats: 42 tackles (20 solo), 16.5 tackles for loss, 6.5 sacks, two forced fumbles, two pass breakups
Career: 131 tackles (50 solo), 28.5 tackles for loss, 11.5 sacks, three forced fumbles, five pass breakups, one fumble recovery
Dane Brugler edge rank: 8; overall: 37
Matt Miller edge rank: 7; overall: 30
Jordan Reid edge rank: 8; overall: 41
Elite stomping grounds: A steady riser in the final months of the pre-draft process, Young was the American Team Player of the Game at the Senior Bowl in January. Well before then, he starred on the prep gridiron alongside Avieon Terrell, a top cornerback prospect this year, at Westlake High School in Atlanta. That program has produced five first-rounders already in CB Nate Wiggins ('24), CB A.J. Terrell (Avieon's bro; '20), OL Chance Warmack ('13), QB Cam Newton ('11) and CB Adam "Pacman" Jones ('05).
School: Texas A&M (after Bowling Green) | Age: 23 | Ht: 6-foot-2 1/2 | Wt: 253 pounds
2025 stats: 31 tackles (20 solo), 14.0 tackles for loss, 11.5 sacks, one forced fumble
Career: 127 tackles (73 solo), 35.5 tackles for loss, 27.0 sacks, three forced fumbles
Dane Brugler edge rank: 9; overall: 39
Matt Miller edge rank: 3; overall: 25
Jordan Reid edge rank: 7; overall: 36
Significance of No. 9: Howell figuratively chopped his Aggies jersey in half last season, switching from the No. 18 uniform he wore in 2024 after transferring from Bowling Green to No. 9 in 2025. The change in wardrobe preceded a permanent place in A&M history. Howell won the SEC Defensive Player of the Year Award along with unanimous All-American honors; he's the ninth Aggie to take home the latter, following Braden Mann in 2018, Jake Matthews in 2013, Dat Nguyen in 1998, Marcus Buckley in 1992, Robert Jackson in 1976, Ed Simonini in 1975, John David Crow in 1957 and John Kimbrough in 1940.
School: Oklahoma | Age: 21 | Ht: 6-foot-2 | Wt: 241 pounds
2025 stats: 26 tackles (18 solo), 9.5 tackles for loss, 6.5 sacks, two forced fumbles, one fumble recovery, one pass breakup
Career: 65 tackles (40 solo), 25.5 tackles for loss, 17 sacks, four forced fumbles, three fumble recoveries, three pass breakups
Dane Brugler edge rank: 10; overall: 44
Matt Miller edge rank: 8; overall: 44
Jordan Reid edge rank: 10; overall: 55
The more you know: Don't fret, the spelling is correct. Thomas went by Mason for most of his life until embracing his given name "R Mason" as a high school junior, per Brugler's profile of him in "The Beast." The uniqueness comes from Thomas's mother liking the name Mason but paying homage to a family lineage of male first names that begin with "R." It's not an abbreviation, nor is there a period after it.
School: Illinois | Age: 21 | Ht: 6-foot-4 | Wt: 260 pounds
2025 stats: 43 tackles (23 solo), 13.5 tackles for loss, 11 sacks, three forced fumbles, one pass breakup
Career: 183 tackles (97 solo), 35.5 tackles for loss, 27 sacks, seven forced fumbles, one fumble recovery, two pass breakups
Dane Brugler edge rank: 11; overall: 49
Matt Miller edge rank: 11; overall: 55
Jordan Reid edge rank: 5; overall: 31
Lonely at the top: No Illinois player has come remotely close to Jacas' sacks over the past 20-plus seasons. Although the Fighting Illini have boasted plenty of talent in the trenches, no one lies in the vicinity of Jacas' sack production. Jer'Zhan Newton of the Commanders notched 18, and so did 2012 first-round pick Whitney Mercilus. Other notables include nine-year NFL veteran Dawuane Smoot (16.5) and 2011 No. 18 pick Corey Liuget (8.5). Simeon Rice is atop the record books with 44.5 from 1992-95. Note: The J in Jacas is silent; his last name is pronounced ACK-us.
School: Auburn (after Arkansas State) | Age: 22 | Ht: 6-foot-4 | Wt: 253 pounds
2025 stats: 36 tackles (28 solo), 9.5 tackles for loss, 5.0 sacks, one forced fumble, one fumble recovery, one interception
Career: 116 tackles (72 solo), 25 tackles for loss, 11.5 sacks, three forced fumbles, three fumble recoveries, one interception
Dane Brugler edge rank: 12; overall: 54
Matt Miller edge rank: 14; overall: 63
Jordan Reid edge rank: 15; overall: 88
Raw rusher: Mainly a hooper in high school, Crawford took an interest in football halfway through his junior year — upon transferring to Briarcrest Christian (famously attended by Michael Oher, the subject of The Blind Side) — and dominated in his only season. That late participation partly explains why there is palpable buzz about the space between his game currently and his ceiling. In his last hurrah at Auburn, Crawford registered an 11.0 PRP on Pro Football Focus; it's a formula that mixes sacks, hits and hurries relative to how many times a player rushes the passer. His mark ranked 14th in the FBS among defenders with a minimum of 200 pass-rush snaps. FWIW, Bailey, arguably the top edge prospect, was No. 1 (13.3).
School: Penn State | Age: 22 | Ht: 6-foot-6 | Wt: 256 pounds
2025 stats: 42 tackles (26 solo), 12 tackles for loss, 8.5 sacks, three forced fumbles, three pass breakups
Career: 127 tackles (78 solo), 34.5 tackles for loss, 23.5 sacks, seven forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries, eight pass breakups
Dane Brugler edge rank: 13; overall: 60
Matt Miller edge rank: 12; overall: 56
Jordan Reid edge rank: 14; overall: 85
Double dip: Dennis-Sutton attained near identical production in 2024 and 2025 to climb to No. 6 on the Nittany Lions career sacks chart, directly ahead of 2025 No. 3 overall pick Abdul Carter and four-time Super Bowl Champion Matt Millen. Additionally, Dennis-Sutton blocked three punts in 2025, tying a school record initially set by Pro Football Hall of Famer Jack Ham in 1968 and then Andre Collins in 1989. Note: His first name is pronounced deh-NYE.
School: Iowa | Age: 23 | Ht: 6-foot-6 | Wt: 258 pounds
2025 stats: 26 tackles (14 solo), 9.5 tackles for loss, 6.5 sacks, two forced fumbles, six pass breakups
Career: 64 tackles (38 solo), 20.5 tackles for loss, 14.5 sacks, three forced fumbles, 10 pass breakups
Dane Brugler edge rank: 18; overall: not in Top 100
Matt Miller edge rank: 19; overall: 140
Jordan Reid edge rank: 20; overall: 164
True test: Llewellyn's 30 pressures on true pass sets (a subset of pass plays analyzed by PFF that isolates 1-on-1 ability and is regarded as a more predictive metric for evaluating NFL-caliber pass protection) tied for 16th in the country last season and T-12th among 2026 prospects. FYI, Bain's 50 were the most.
School: Wisconsin (after Louisville) | Age: 23 | Ht: 6-foot-5 | Wt: 251 pounds
2025 stats: 33 tackles (18 solo), 6.0 tackles for loss, 5.0 sacks, one pass breakup
Career: 82 tackles (50 solo), 22.5 tackles for loss, 13.0 sacks, four forced fumbles, four pass breakups
Dane Brugler edge rank: 26; overall: not in Top 100
Matt Miller edge rank: 21; overall: 151
Jordan Reid edge rank: 17; overall: 121
Eyeball test outlier: NFL draft analyst Lance Zierlein had a catchy line in his write-up of Reiger … "He doesn't look like a pro pre-snap, but he certainly plays like one after the snap." Although he lacks what Zierlein identifies as the "size/anchor to consistently set the edge," Reiger shows an "unusually talented" ability to shed contact at the collision point for quick wins. He was a no-star recruit, attended Louisville as a walk-on, earned a scholarship, later transferred to Madison, and helped his case in the draft with a Defensive MVP effort in the East-West Shrine Bowl and a 40-inch vertical at the NFL Scouting Combine. Note: His last name is pronounced RYE-ger.
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