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NFL training camps are underway as we hurtle toward the 2025 season. It’s not exactly a surprise that the individuals capturing many headlines are quarterbacks or players amid contract talks. But today, I want to zero in on some of the less-heralded guys: the linebackers, who are the quarterbacks of the defense.
A lot of people think the hardest position on defense is defensive back, and that could be true from a physical standpoint. Now, I know I may be somewhat biased here, having played LB for eight years in the NFL, but to me, linebacker is the most difficult to play overall, considering the physical and mental aspects. It’s the only position on that side of the ball that must know the entire picture. Linebackers don’t have the luxury of putting all of their focus on locking down a receiver on the perimeter or beating a player one-on-one at the line of scrimmage. It’s a three-layer process, as ‘backers have to know their own jobs, the jobs of the other 10 defensive players and what the offense is trying to accomplish. It’s essential for LBs to understand every factor and every situation on every play.
So, who are the best linebackers in today’s game? After reviewing rosters across the league, here are my top 10 players at the position entering the 2025 NFL season.
Drafted one year before me, Wagner is a player I watched and whose game I tried to emulate. He is one of the most cerebral players at the linebacker position, which is why the 10-time Pro Bowler has been able to play at such a high level throughout his career. He’s great at dissecting plays and alerting the defense pre-snap, and his post-snap reactions are precise, as he rarely takes a false step. Naturally, the 35-year-old has slowed some, recording three of his lowest Pro Football Focus coverage grades in the last four seasons, but his ability to move efficiently has allowed him to stay near the top of the league in tackling, blitzing and run-stuffing.
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Warner, who recently signed a three-year extension with the 49ers, is a freak athlete who routinely finds ways to impact the game. His experience playing a hybrid linebacker/safety role in college helped him become a skilled player in coverage, but he can also lower the boom in the backfield and turn the ball over. The unquestioned leader of San Francisco’s defense has compiled at least 125 tackles in five of his seven seasons, earning first-time All-Pro and Pro Bowl honors four times. Warner shows no signs of slowing down in Year 8 and should continue his playmaking ways with Robert Saleh back as his defensive coordinator.
Greenlaw is an old-school linebacker whose play style and enthusiasm call to mind San Francisco great NaVorro Bowman and Hall of Famer Ray Lewis. Injuries sidelined the veteran for all but two games in his final year with the 49ers, though he just made a healthy camp debut with the Broncos. I expect big things from the 28-year-old in his first season in Denver, as he’ll often have a clear runway to the ball-carrier, thanks to the Broncos’ vaunted D-line occupying blockers at the line of scrimmage.
