Final 2021 NFL Draft ILB rankings: Dylan Moses leads an average group

The 2021 NFL Draft inside linebacker group is not overly impressive. Not a single player earned a first-round grade and only four players earned second-day grades. The top player in this group is Dylan Moses who also happens to be the riskiest player at this position as well.

Most underrated inside linebacker in 2021 NFL Draft: Nick Niemann

One of the more underrated players in the 2021 NFL Draft is Nick Niemann of Iowa. Last season, Niemann led the Iowa Hawkeyes in tackles with 77 and also had 2.5 tackles for loss. He also put up strong testing numbers at Iowa’s Pro Day, running the 40-yard dash in 4.45 seconds and posting a 6.67 three-cone drill time. Despite this strong production and athletic testing numbers, Niemann could still slide to the seventh round of the 2021 NFL Draft.

Most overrated inside linebacker in 2021 NFL Draft: Nick Bolton

Despite being one of the more productive players in college football over the past two seasons Missouri’s Nick Bolton is not worth the second-round grade he is receiving at numerous places. There are a couple of reasons this might be a little high for him with the first one being that he struggles in coverage. Another reason that teams should be hesitant to take him this high is his lack of size as he comes in at only 5-foot-11.

Day three gem in 2021 NFL Draft: Garret Wallow

TCU’s Garret Wallow has three things working in his favor which are his athletic ability, production on the field, and overall character. As an athlete Wallow is a former safety who ran a 4.64 40-yard dash. His production has included leading the Big 12 in tackles in 2019 and finishing second in the conference last year. His coaches and teammates also rave about how hard of a worker Wallow is.

Inside linebacker that is the biggest risk in the 2021 NFL Draft: Dylan Moses

A player who will likely fall in the 2021 NFL Draft is Alabama linebacker, Dylan Moses. The reason he will likely not be drafted as high as he is rated here is his torn ACL in 2019. In fact, one scout tells The Athletic that he is off his team’s board because of this injury. It also is not helping Moses’s case that he struggled in 2020 and didn’t look like the linebacker we saw in 2018 before he suffered the torn ACL.

2021 NFL Draft Inside Linebacker Rankings

1. Dylan Moses, Alabama (second round)
2. Jamin Davis, Kentucky (second round)
3. Baron Browning, Ohio State (third round)
4. Derrick Barnes, Purdue (third round)
5. Nick Bolton, Missouri (fourth round)
6. Chazz Surratt, North Carolina (fourth round)
7. Cameron McGrone, Michigan (fourth round)
8. Garret Wallow, TCU (fourth round)
9. Justin Hilliard, Ohio State (fifth round)
10. Monty Rice, Georgia (fifth round)
11. Nick Niemann, Iowa (fifth round)
12. Isaiah McDuffie Boston College (fifth round)
13. Tuf Borland, Ohio State (sixth round)
14. Anthony Hines III, Texas A&M (sixth round)
15. Tony Fields II, West Virginia (sixth round)
16. K.J. Britt, Auburn (seventh round)
17. Paddy Fisher, Northwestern (seventh round)

18. Buddy Johnson, Texas A&M (free agent)
19. Amen Ogbongbemiga, Oklahoma State (free agent)
20. Ernest Jones, South Carolina (free agent)
21. Erroll Thompson, West Virginia (free agent)
22. Elijah Sullivan, Kansas State (free agent)