With a little guidance from our good friend Anthony (Between the Numbers)—who helps us create the Grit Index each year—I will be spending the media sessions at the NFL Combine this week with draft prospects who are deemed high-character players. The Detroit Lions often say they can tell the football character and IQ of a player within the first five minutes of meeting them, so that’s what I’m setting out to do.
The first in this ongoing series is the NFL Draft prospects at linebacker—the first to
meet with the media. While linebacker isn’t a huge need for the Lions, given their propensity to roster six or seven on their 53-man roster, it should always be considered a possibility for a draft target, and at least two of the five names below met with the Lions at the Combine, and four of the five made Erik Schlitt’s Combine watchlist.
So here is my quick assessment of each, along with a notable quote or two.
Note: I also wanted to talk with Ohio State LB Sonny Styles and Arizona State’s Keyshaun Elliott, but the media sessions were overcrowded and, at times, impenetrable.
Oregon LB Bryce Boettcher
Size: 6-foot-2, 232 pounds
Quick bio: A two-sport athlete—he was drafted in the 13th round of the MLB Draft in 2024—Boettcher was First-Team All-American for the Ducks in 2025 after tallying 136 tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss, and an interception. Won the Burlsworth Award for top walk-on player in college football in 2024.
Current draft projection: Day 3
Combine vibes:
Boettcher has a bit of a Joe Dirt look to him, but spoke with a steady confidence. When I asked him what his superpower is both on and off the field, here’s what he said (emphasis is mine):
“No. 1 off the field, I’d say my ability to be emotionally in-tune with what’s around me. I’ve got emotional intelligence and that can be a really good superpower when you’re dealing with people, relationships. On the field, I’d say my motor. I haven’t met a lot of people that share my same passion and love of the game, and I think it shows on my tape.“
He also very much gave off team vibes, as he retold the story of how the Oregon coaching staff moved him from safety (he joked he thought he was going to be a Hall of Fame safety) to linebacker during a spring practice.
“I came down from the roof and laid the wood on one of our running backs. (The coaches) were like, ‘You ever think about playing linebacker?’ I said, ‘Heck no, man. I’m 195 pounds.‘ But they ultimately made the change, said it would be best for the team, so I did that,” he said.
Georgia LB CJ Allen
Size: 6-foot-1, 235 pounds
Quick bio: Team captain and the green dot for the Bulldogs, Allen is considered one of the top linebackers in this year’s class. Instincts are his specialty, and he parlayed both his physical and mental gifts into 85 tackles, a team-leading 8.0 tackles for loss, and was named a finalist for the Butkus Award.
Current draft projection: Round 1-2
Combine vibes:
I would say energy and authenticity were the two words I got from Allen’s media session. Additionally, his leadership skills were evident when talking about his duties as a captain.
“Initially, it goes off how you handle yourself, how you come in, how you handle your business, day in and day out,” Allen said. “Next up is basically knowing your guys, having that connection with your guys. Knowing what gets your guys going, how to push them. Because I believe you have to lead each guy differently, you’ve got to see what makes them get going.”
Texas Tech LB Jacob Rodriguez
Size: 6-foot-1, 235 pounds
Quick bio: Former scholarship quarterback for Virginia, Rodriguez bet on himself and transferred to Texas Tech as a walk-on. Moved to linebacker and slowly worked his way up from 2022 as a defensive and special teams contributor to an absolute monster last year. In 2025, he tallied 117 tackles, 11.0 tackles for loss, and seven forced fumbles. He won the award for best college linebacker, best defensive player, and finished fifth in Heisman voting
Current draft projection: Round 2-3
Combine vibes:
Rodriguez’s story is one of the more interesting of this year’s class. He made a huge gamble on himself by leaving Virginia as a scholarship quarterback to join Texas Tech, where he moved to linebacker. There, his initial mindset was simple.
“I’m just trying to make the team, I’m just trying not to get cut,” Rodriguez said. “So I’m in there doing two workouts sometimes. I’m in there doing everything I can to just make the team. That was probably the hardest part.”
But he says the preparation he learned as a quarterback helped guide how he attacked the linebacker position.
“Quarterbacks prepare in such a way that they have to know everything that’s going on on both sides of the ball. So as a linebacker, I’ve just got to prepare the same way throughout the week.”
Another fascinating quirk about Rodriguez is that his wife, Emma, is a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter pilot. Rodriguez says he draws so much inspiration from her.
“She’s so high-performing in her own right. She understands how much work you have to put to do something at a high level. So I think we have a mutual respect for each other,” Rodriguez said.
Texas LB Anthony Hill
Size: 6-foot-3, 238 pounds
Quick bio: A three-year starter for the Longhorns, Hill did a little bit of everything and was extremely productive throughout his career. Capable of playing on all three downs and projected to test well in the Combine drills, Hill can cover (eight passes defended, three interceptions) and pass rush (17 total sacks).
Current draft projection: Rounds 2-3
Combine vibes:
Hill commanded the room with a heavy lean in and a powerful voice. You could feel the passion and charisma he exuded, which I imagine paired well with the Lions when the two met down here at the NFL Combine.
“I had a really good interview with the Lions. I really liked what we did in the film and board room,” Hill said. “It was a great interview, and I really liked the energy they brought in the room.”
Iowa LB Karson Sharar
Size: 6-foot-1, 228 pounds
Quick bio: Played mostly special teams his first three years behind a ton of talented Iowa linebackers before getting his turn in 2025. He took full advantage of the opportunity, tallying 83 tackles, 12 tackles for loss, and four sacks in his final year as a Hawkeye. Known for his motor and effort, he was the two-time winner of Iowa’s “Hustle Award.”
Current draft projection: Day 3
Combine vibes:
Like a lot of Iowa players, Sharar was pretty unassuming and low-key in his press conference. But what was interesting was his ties to the Lions. He spent a couple of years waiting behind Lions linebacker Jack Campbell, choosing to be patient rather than entering the transfer portal.
“Just being at Iowa, the tradition, the culture there is unmatched, so I think I just wanted to stay there and stay in the program, keep developing throughout there,” Sharar said. “I think the coaches and teammates, just being around them my whole career, just continued to help me grow as a person and a player.”
He also said he met with Lions linebacker coach Shaun Dion Hamilton at the Combine this week.
“I met with a scout and the linebackers coach. Just went through some install, learn their great defensive scheme that they have and their playbook. Went through some calls and made some adjustments through some film plays,” Sharar said.
