2021 NFL Draft ILB rankings: Alabama’s Dylan Moses leads a deep group

This year’s group of inside linebackers is far from top-heavy as no player earned a first-round grade. However, it does offer good depth as 16 players received a draftable grade. This group also has one of the more underrated players in the 2021 NFL Draft in Iowa’s Nick Niemann. On the other end of the spectrum, a player in this group who is being overrated is Nick Bolton of Missouri.

1. Dylan Moses, Alabama
6-foot-3, 240 pounds
2021 NFL Draft grade: Second round

Dylan Moses has been in the headlines ever since he was 15 and was on the cover of ESPN The Magazine. Moses came out of IMG Academy as a five-star recruit and made an impact right away with the Tide starting two games as a true freshman. He ended up being named an All-American in 2018 and 2020 during his time with the Tide. Unfortunately, he missed the entire 2019 season with a torn ACL.

Moses is the top middle linebacker in the 2021 NFL Draft and one of the more athletic linebackers in the entire class. He moves well and shows fluid hips for a middle linebacker and has the ability to develop into a three-down linebacker at the next level. As a run defender, he is a patient defender who can deliver a big hit when making a tackle. While not used a ton as a pass rusher when asked to do so he shows good timing as a blitzer.

While Moses had a good 2020 season, it was nowhere close to how well he played in 2018. This was due to him playing tentatively after coming back from a torn ACL that cost him the entire 2019 year. This torn ACL is still a concern for some teams and he will need to get a clean bill of health before he is a top 50 pick.

When it comes to where Moses will be drafted a lot will depend on how that knee checks out. If he comes away with a good medical report he could go as high as the end of the first round, however, if this medical check raises concerns he could fall to the third day of the 2021 NFL Draft.