Packers 2016 Draft: Ranking the top-25 inside linebackers

The 2016 NFL Draft is just around the corner, and in three weeks we’ll finally see how the Green Bay Packers will use their nine draft picks to improve their roster.

It’s also the time of year to wrap up our player evaluations and finalize our draft boards–a process that begins for me back in August during the college preseason.

So, after months of research, hours of film study, and numerous player workouts and medical examinations, I finally feel comfortable to assemble my position rankings for the 2016 draft class.

In the coming weeks I will release my rankings for each of the positions of need on the Packers roster, but today, I want to kick off the series with what I view as one of Green Bay’s most immediate needs on their team–inside linebacker.

The following is my take on the top 25 inside linebackers in the draft. I also organized them in four tiers to get a better sense of how they stack against each other. The first tier being elite prospects with first round consideration, the second tier early round prospects, the third tier mid-round guys, and the fourth tier late round role players.

Also, keep in mind I’m projecting the prospects to the position they’d play if they were selected by the Packers, so a handful of the players may be better suited at outside linebacker in a 4-3 front, but would most likely play inside in Green Bay’s 3-4 scheme, which could also affect their positioning on my draft board.

Next: Tier 1: First Round ILBs