# Mike Renner: A CBS Sports scouting piece ranks the top 10 linebackers of the 2027 NFL Draft class, assigning early draft grades to each: Sammy Brown as the clear LB1 with a first-round grade, Atkins and Viliamu-Asa on early Day 2, and a cluster of early Day 3 grades. It also predicts Tennessee's Arion Carter will be drafted among the top 10 linebackers whenever he declares. **Claimed:** Aug 4, 2026 **Pundit:** Mike Renner — https://missedtakes.co/pundits/mike-renner **Outlet:** CBS Sports — https://missedtakes.co/outlets/cbs-sports **How it reached us:** published in writing **Original:** https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/draft/news/2027-nfl-draft-linebacker-rankings/ 13 checkable claims — 10 mock draft picks, 2 position order calls and 1 top player list — each graded on its own rather than as one all-or-nothing bet. It names 12 players and teams, each linked to their own record. None of them have settled yet — they grade once their results are in. > The No. 1 prospect in the class I don't see changing, though, as he could play his way into a top half of Round 1 selection. *(their words, quoted for attribution)* ## The claims - **Tony Rojas to be picked “Day 2” (picks 33–100)** - Kind: Mock Draft Picks · About: Tony Rojas - Verdict: not settled yet - **Sammy Brown to be picked “Round 1”** - Kind: Mock Draft Picks · About: Sammy Brown - Verdict: not settled yet - **Jordan Hall to be picked “Early Day 3” (picks 101–179)** - Kind: Mock Draft Picks · About: Jordan Hall - Verdict: not settled yet - **Sammy Brown to be 1st linebacker off the board** - Kind: Position Order Calls · About: Sammy Brown - Verdict: not settled yet - **Arion Carter to be among the top 10 linebackers linebacker off the board** - Kind: Position Order Calls · About: Arion Carter, Tennessee Titans - Verdict: not settled yet - **Jalen Graham to be picked “Early Day 3” (picks 101–179)** - Kind: Mock Draft Picks · About: Jalen Graham - Verdict: not settled yet - **Fred Johnson to be picked “Early Day 3” (picks 101–179)** - Kind: Mock Draft Picks · About: Fred Johnson - Verdict: not settled yet - **Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa to be picked “Early Day 2” (picks 33–67)** - Kind: Mock Draft Picks · About: Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa - Verdict: not settled yet - **Xavier Atkins to be picked “Early Day 2” (picks 33–67)** - Kind: Mock Draft Picks · About: Xavier Atkins - Verdict: not settled yet - **Cade Uluave to be picked “Early Day 3” (picks 101–179)** - Kind: Mock Draft Picks · About: Cade Uluave - Verdict: not settled yet - **Top 10 linebackers of the 2027 draft class, ranked from Sammy Brown (Clemson) through Jordan Hall (Michigan State), with Perkins noted as "No. 5 on this list".** - Kind: Top Player Lists - Verdict: not settled yet - **West Weeks to be picked “Early Day 3” (picks 101–179)** - Kind: Mock Draft Picks · About: West Weeks - Verdict: not settled yet - **Suntarine Perkins to be picked “Day 2” (picks 33–100)** - Kind: Mock Draft Picks · About: Suntarine Perkins - Verdict: not settled yet ## Who this take is about - Tony Rojas — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/players/tony-rojas - Sammy Brown — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/players/sammy-brown - Jordan Hall — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/players/jordan-hall - Arion Carter — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/players/arion-carter - Tennessee Titans — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/teams/titans - Jalen Graham — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/players/jalen-graham - Fred Johnson — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/players/fred-johnson - Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/players/kyngstonn-viliamu-asa - Xavier Atkins — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/players/xavier-atkins - Cade Uluave — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/players/cade-uluave - West Weeks — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/players/west-weeks - Suntarine Perkins — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/players/suntarine-perkins ## What others said about the same people - John Middlekauff on Tennessee Titans: Middlekauff expects blowout wins for Seattle over Washington and Kansas City over Miami in Week 3, picks Cincinnati to beat Pittsburgh in the AFC North matchup, and takes Tennessee over the Giants if Jameis Winston is taking snaps. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/8115d255-82e3-442e-aeef-c3eaa3587603 (scored 0) - Colin Cowherd on Tennessee Titans: The co-host (identified only as "Mitchell") made his own Week 3 picks, including blowout wins for Seattle and San Francisco, Cincinnati 27-17, Detroit 37-13, Denver 24-21 over the Rams, and predicted Jonah Coleman takes over the Broncos' running back role. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/4ccbceaa-54ca-4a2e-ad90-006f1ded0ad2 (scored 0) - Tyler Sullivan on Tennessee Titans: Sullivan projects final scores for every Week 3 game, including a Bills blowout of the reeling Chargers, a Chiefs rout in Miami, a Seahawks win over a Mariota-led Washington, and the Saints beating the Raiders in their home opener. He also expects Caleb Williams, Jayden Daniels and Jaxson Dart all to be sidelined in Week 3, with Marcus Mariota starting for Washington. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/e4b11b44-d359-4027-a72c-87833f5ff6e3 (scored 45.24) - Lane Mills on Tennessee Titans: Mills predicts the Titans finish 2026 at 6-11 (2-4 in the AFC South), missing the playoffs, with specific wins over the Jets, Giants, Browns, Jaguars, Raiders and Colts, and names Wan'Dale Robinson team MVP with another 1,000-yard, seven-touchdown season as Cam Ward's top receiver. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/5a2c4e6d-57dd-4dc9-9f27-c1446726f490 (scored 0) - Jeff Kerr on Fred Johnson: In his second Eagles 53-man roster projection nine practices into training camp, Kerr names 35 roster locks and eight more players likely to make the team, plus depth-chart calls at backup quarterback, RB3, No. 3 guard and backup center. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/4e6e81fc-dc8e-4cb6-87ad-d62d4f5b85bf (scored 100) - Jeff Kerr on Fred Johnson: Kerr's updated 53-man roster projection for the Eagles after eight training camp practices, naming which players make the team at each position plus depth-chart placements like Wicks as WR2, Mundt as TE2, Kendall as third guard, Bell as third tackle, and Epps/Carter battling to start at safety. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/328a952b-d6b4-4065-aac9-0029421fb50f (scored 100) ## More mock draft picks The same kind of call, about other players and teams. - Ryan Wilson on J.J. McCarthy: Recalling his pre-draft evaluation, Wilson notes he had ranked J.J. McCarthy as the fifth quarterback in the 2024 class and given him a second-round grade rather than a first-round one, citing the gap between Michigan's system and NFL demands. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/44cc5859-8b2b-4fbf-b5c0-62c635f2e357 (scored 36.92) - Lance Zierlein on Jeremiyah Love: Zierlein laid out his final mock draft: Jeremiah Love at No. 3 to Arizona, Sonny Styles at No. 4 to Robert Saleh's team, and Caleb Downs to the Giants at No. 5. He also called Styles the only first-round linebacker in the class and said Ty Simpson is a lock to be a first-round pick, most likely to Arizona. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/cf600df8-87eb-492b-9d91-f7a2b39104ac (scored 100) - Nick Shook on Max Iheanachor: Shook walks through his full first-round mock draft, assigning a prospect to every pick from No. 1 to No. 32, headlined by Fernando Mendoza to the Raiders, David Bailey to the Jets and Jeremiah Love to the Cardinals in the top three. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/7d4209aa-2e2d-47a2-b6e5-791d16d209cb (scored 87.81) - Gregg Rosenthal on K.C. Concepcion: Rosenthal disagrees most with Casey Concepcion being left out of the first round, arguing he could go as high as the top 15 and certainly won't last past receiver-needy teams in the late twenties. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/8fae9a3a-7fd8-454c-99cc-0a8400c35d7d (scored 67.71) - Daniel Jeremiah on Keyron Crawford: In discussing teams without first-round picks, Jeremiah projected specific Day 2 picks: Clemson WR Antonio Williams to the Falcons at 48, Texas Tech LB Jacob Rodriguez to the Colts in the second round, Oklahoma edge R Mason Thomas to the Packers at 52, and Auburn edge Keiroon Crawford to the Broncos at 62. He also expects Riley Leonard to open as the Colts' starting QB and Travis Hunter to play cornerback full time in Jacksonville. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/f60c916c-1b5f-4252-8733-1770c7809577 (scored 80.52) - Daniel Jeremiah on Carnell Tate: Jeremiah says Denver, not Kansas City, will be the clear favorite in the AFC West this season; he also puts Carnell Tate sixth and Monroe Freeling twentieth on his prospect board, mocks Tate to Cleveland at No. 6, and expects Georgia receiver Branch to be a Day 2 pick after a strong pro day. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/48a1d189-dc0f-4250-aa3b-0e27119c733a (scored 91.7) --- Accuracy is 0-100 against what actually happened. The naive guess is what a strategy requiring no knowledge would have scored on the same call — the difference is the skill, and it is what the MissedTakes Score averages. Full method: https://missedtakes.co/methodology We summarize what a pundit said and quote a short span for attribution; we never republish their article. If this is wrong, tell us: https://missedtakes.co/corrections?pundit=mike-renner