ESPN NFL Draft Analyst Matt Miller attempted to debate the top 2026 NFL Draft prospect at each position heading into the 2025 college football season. At linebacker, he case was made for Georgia’s C.J. Allen and Texas’s Anthony Hill.

The off-ball linebacker position has been devalued, but Hill’s versatility will have scouts buzzing about the next Abdul Carter or Micah Parsons-level prospect.

A debate has emerged about Hill’s best position. At Texas, he plays primarily as an off-ball linebacker, but the 6-3, 235-pound defender produced eight sacks last season with some elite blitzing skills. On 80 snaps as an edge rusher, he produced 11 pressures, and he has the body type to add the necessary weight to play in space on the end of the line.

“Hill is definitely getting drafted as an edge,” a longtime NFL scout said. “He’s a great linebacker, but he’s too valuable coming off the corner and getting the quarterback. I just hope Texas lets him do more of it this year.”

Allen will draw the most attention from teams looking for a traditional three-down linebacker. He emerged as a leader on the Bulldogs’ defense last season while racking up 71 tackles, 11 pressures, 1 interception and 7 pass breakups.

“Allen is a wrecking ball,” an NFC South area scout said. “That dude does it all, and he’s so fast at reading and reacting.”

We’re once again comparing two players who are listed at the same position but play it very differently. I’ll go with Hill, who has a chance to be a top-five pick come April.

My early pick for the top LB: Hill

Allen was thrust into a starting role against Ole Miss as a true freshman in 2023 when Jamon Dumas-Johnson suffered a season-ending arm injury, and the freshman hit the ground running against the Rebels. He racked up a game-high 9 tackles with 1 sack and 1 tackle for loss to set the stage for a 52-17 victory for the Bulldogs. Allen continued to make plays throughout the 2023 season and ended the year with 41 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, 2 pass break-ups, and 1 sack. Dumas-Johnson transferred to Kentucky after the season, and the belief was Allen’s emergence was a big reason why.

Now, Allen is expected to start alongside fellow junior Raylen Wilson, with sophomore Chris Cole rotating in with both and playing in different sub-packages, similar to the 2022 Dawgs’ defense that featured Quay Walker, Nakobe Dean, and Channing Tindall.  

Allen acknowledged this spring that going from a newcomer to one of the most-trusted players at his position happened quickly, but his main objective is to lead his room the right way.

“It’s definitely a blessing just being one of the older guys in the room, coming from being a younger guy. You kind of have the experience of being a younger guy and know what they’re going through and things like that,” Allen said. “You’re just trying to lead those guys in the room and lead a team.”

Allen played in all 14 games during the 2024 season, making 12 starts and finishing second on the team with 76 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss, five pass breakups and one interception.