Georgia football’s leader on defense this season will be linebacker C.J. Allen. Allen is entering his third season with Georgia and expectations are sky high for the former four-star linebacker.
Allen was one of three Bulldogs who joined Kirby Smart at SEC Media Days last week, so that speaks to how big of a role he is expected to play this season. This sentiment however reached an all time high as ESPN NFL Draft analyst Matt Miller named Allen the No. 1 linebacker in the 2026 NFL Draft class.
“Allen will draw the most attention from teams looking for a traditional three-down linebacker,” Miller shared via 247sports.com. “He emerged as a leader on the Bulldogs' defense last season while racking up 71 tackles, 11 pressures, 1 interception and 7 pass breakups.”
Allen has one contender who could overtake his spot as top LB in the NFL Draft
Allen has one player he'll have to watch out for this season who could overtake him as the top linebacker in the 2026 NFL Draft class. That player is Anthony Hill from Texas.
Most NFL Draft experts believe Hill is the better player, but they do think he will end up being drafted as an EDGE as opposed to a tradition linebacker like Allen. So that in itself will help Allen remain the top linebacker in next year's draft.
For any of this to matter though, Allen has to have another phenominal season. Last year Allen recorded 76 tackles which included two sacks. He even snagged one interception as well.
Now that Allen is the leader of not just the linebacker room but entire Georgia defense he should see his numbers trend up again this season. And if that happens, there is a good chance he is the first linebacker selected in the 2026 NFL Draft.