From now until the 2026 NFL Draft, we will scout and create profiles for as many prospects as possible, examining their strengths, weaknesses, and what they can bring to an NFL franchise. These players could be potential top-10 picks, down to Day 3 selections, and priority undrafted free agents. Today, a scouting report on Alabama LB Deontae Lawson.
No. 0 DEONTAE LAWSON/LB ALABAMA – 6030, 226 POUNDS (R-SENIOR)
MEASUREMENTS
Player Ht/Wt Hand Size Arm Length Wingspan
Deontae Lawson 6030/226 9 1/4 31 7/8 N/A
40-Yard Dash 10-Yard Dash Short Shuttle 3-Cone
N/A N/A N/A N/A
Broad Jump Vertical Bench Press
N/A N/A N/A
THE GOOD
– Good play strength when he uses his two-hand strike
– Great contact balance to absorb blocks and stay on track toward objective
– Solid eye discipline in zone coverage
– Active communicator pre-snap
– Solid lateral agility to scrape across
– Good trigger, closing quickly downhill
– Slips through LOS well into the backfield
THE BAD
– Lacks sideline-to-sideline speed; reliant on good angles
– Inconsistent angles running wide into flat/boundary
– Struggles to keep himself clean while processing play; gets caught in shuffle at LOS
– Just adequate tackling; inconsistent aim and wrap-up fundamentals
STATS
– Career: 283 tackles (19 TFL), 3 FFs, 6.5 sacks, 16 PDs, 1 INT across 52 games
– 2025: 89 tackles (4.5 TFL), 2 FFs, 1.5 sacks, 4 PDs across 15 games
– 2,460 career defensive snaps
– 702 defensive snaps in 2025
– 323 career special teams snaps across five units
– PFF: 52 total pressures, 6 batted passes, 50 missed tackles (14.5 MIS%)
– PFF’s 90th ranked ILB in 2025 (54th against run, 150th in coverage)
– Ranked 10th on Alabama’s all-time tackle list
– Second-team All-SEC (coaches) in 2025
INJURY HISTORY
– Torn ACL in late Nov. 2024
– Missed two games with ankle sprain in 2023
BIO
– Turned 23 years old in February
– Originally a four-star prospect out of Mobile Christian in Mobile, Ala.
– Accepted invite to Senior Bowl but backed out for undisclosed reasons
– Team captain in 2024 and 2025
– Spent all five seasons at Alabama
– Chose Alabama over offers from Georgia Tech, Texas A&M, and others
– Three-sport athlete in high school (baseball, football, basketball)
– Left-handed pitcher in baseball; used to be his primary sport
– Also played defensive end and wildcat quarterback in HS
– Green dot communicator for Alabama defense
TAPE BREAKDOWN
When Lawson sees a path to make a tackle, he can be a bit of a heat-seeking missile. He cuts through traffic at the line of scrimmage well with good short-area burst and contact balance.
That also shows up when triggering downhill to tackle the catch or take out screen passes. His tackling technique needs work, with a tendency to dive low and be out of control with arm tackles.
While he has great short-area burst and lateral agility, he doesn’t necessarily have great long speed. I wouldn’t consider him a sideline-to-sideline athlete at the ILB position. He is reliant on good angles. His angles are okay most of the time, but he can take overly aggressive angles and get left in the dust at times.
Lawson does a nice job locating the ball through the line of scrimmage as he scrapes across, but tends to drift into blocks or past his spot. He won’t properly engage blockers with his arms and gives up close contact, making it hard to disengage.
Seeking out contact is good, but it has to be done for a reason. He took himself out of this play by lowering his shoulder into the lead blocker instead of trying to stack and shed or finesse around.
When he engages with his arms and uses a two-handed strike, it’s effective. He just needs to use it more.
He can be decent in coverage, and he improved his eye discipline from season to season, but he shouldn’t be asked to carry anybody deep. There is also work to be done as a zone defender.
CONCLUSION
Lawson has plenty of on-field experience and valuable experience as a green dot leader and captain of a top program. He has good size, short-area speed, and instincts to trigger downhill against the run or pass, but he lacks high-end long speed, and he drifts into blockers at the line of scrimmage too often. If he can improve his hand use, he will be a solid rotational player.
He reminds me of Kyzir White when he first entered the league in 2018.
NFL Projection: Early Day 3
Steelers Depot Draft Grade: 7.3 (Spot Starter)
Grade Range: 6.9-8.2
Games Watched: at Florida State (2025), at Georgia (2025), at Vanderbilt (2024), at Tennessee (2024)
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