Winter Stock-Risers: 2028 Linebackers

We're onto Week 2 of our latest rankings update. Last week, we released our updated <a href="https://prepredzone.com/north-carolina/rankings/2028-rankings/">2028 class rankings</a>, and we've been churning out content since then. As always, I started by going <a href="https://prepredzone.com/2026/01/behind-the-scenes-of-the-2028-rankings-update-january/">behind the scenes</a> of the update, and then wrote about the <a href="https://prepredzone.com/2026/01/3-things-to-know-about-the-2028-class/">class as a whole</a>. This week, we're looking at all the defenders who rose in the rankings. Here are our 2028 linebacker stock-risers.   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">2028 Linebacker Stock-Risers</h2>    Hough's defense was outstanding all season, and despite being surrounded by Power Four talent, Peterson stood out amongst his peers on that unit. He flies to the ball and is already one of the best linebackers in pass coverage in the entire state, regardless of class. The crazy thing is that he likely has plenty of room to improve before he hits his ceiling, something that—as a sophomore—only helps his evaluation. Still, Peterson's isn't a case of banking on upside. He has the production, instincts, and athletic ability to shine at the Power Four level.     One of several elite linebacker prospects in the 2028 class, Lockwood followed up his impressive freshman campaign with an equally efficient sophomore season. This year, he played a bit closer to the line and made several big plays in the backfield. We've seen him several times in both game and camp settings, and we're comfortable projecting him as a clear Power Four linebacker.     Griffin is an athletic, multi-sport star for the Overhills defense, and while undersized, he excels at the small things: reading gaps, gaining proper depth on his zone drops, all the things that are difficult to teach. In his first year as a starter, he did a bit of everything, with an interception, fumble recovery, and several pass deflections.     Pennington was one of the top freshman tacklers in the state last season, then got bigger, stronger, and faster in the offseason. His sophomore stats are similar, but the film is on another level. He's a heat-seeking missile when he locks on to a ball-carrier, and he can get downhill to make plays in a hurry. Any time we have a guy showing plenty of tackles on a stat sheet, we have to verify on film. Somehow, <a href="http://www.hudl.com/v/2TExbR">the film is better</a>. Given his level of competition, we have to project a bit, but we love what we've seen from the North Moore star.     Watts stepped up to the varsity level and immediately became an elite tackler. He racked up 13 tackles for loss and over 100 tackles in his first varsity action. He has ample size and speed to play at the college level, and he's a guy we're looking forward to scouting further.    There's plenty to come from Matt Morrow, Joshua Graham, and me on the 2028 rankings before we release our updated 2029 rankings next week. Stay locked in with Prep Redzone for more insights, evaluations, and rankings updates. Want to share Prep Redzone with a friend? Promo code Helms30 will get them 30% off their first billing cycle for any subscription.

We're onto Week 2 of our latest rankings update. Last week, we released our updated 2028 class rankings, and we've been churning out content since then. As always, I started by going behind the scenes of the update, and then wrote about the class as a whole. This week, we're looking at all the defenders who rose in the rankings. Here are our 2028 linebacker stock-risers.