2027 Stock-Risers: Linebackers

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The season is almost upon us and we're closing out our stock-risers series. Since releasing our 2025 Rankings Update on August 5, we've written 21 New Additions and 19 Stock-Risers pieces, with the 2027 defensive backs New Additions and Stock-Risers still to come. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The 2027 linebacker group is an intriguing group, so I'm taking a deep dive into the guys who have seen their stock rise during the offseason.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">2027 Linebacker Stock-Risers</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["949642"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-66c741a50c06b"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Griffin has already shown flashes of becoming a complete linebacker. If you watch his freshman film, his first three plays are as a blitzer, in coverage and sorting through blockers to stuff a running play. Athletically, he's extremely gifted and he got bigger, stronger and faster in the offseason. I don't have a great feel for whether he fits best in the middle or on the outside at the next level, but he can play either at the hgih school level.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["651173"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-66c769799b45f"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Cypher already has great size and mobility, and a growing offer list. Cypher moves laterally extremely well and is able to sift through blocks to get to ballcarriers. He shows excellent intuition and always seems to be around the ball. That resulted in a ton of tackles, 3.5 sacks and two interceptions as a freshman. As a sophomore, he's already bigger and faster and should once again be one of the state leaders in tackles.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["918776"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-66c769799b4c5"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Chaffin has been a man on a mission this offseason in an attempt to continue to sculpt his body and get stronger and faster. He's put on over 20 pounds this summer, which should help him against the run in 2024. He has some huge upside as both a run defender and in pass coverage, and sophomore year could be a huge step forward for a guy we already like a lot.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1106598"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-66c769799b506"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Normally we talk about running backs being slippery, but that adjective applies to Byrd as a linebacker. He's difficult for offensive linemen to square up in the running game and as a result he's able to make a ton of tackles on ballcarriers near the line of scrimmage. He's also a powerful wishbone fullback, but his future is as a gap-shooting linebacker.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The 2027 linebacker class isn't huge in our database yet. Expect plenty of new additions when we update rankings again at the end of the year.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->