Scouting Report: Weaknesses

• Lacks ideal length and power at point of attack - gets swallowed up too often when offensive linemen establish clean body position and get their hands inside his frame.
• Medical flags require serious vetting - suffered significant lower-body injury in 2024 requiring surgery and has missed multiple games with ankle issues in previous seasons.
• Displays concerning athletic limitations in space - lacks true sideline-to-sideline range and gets exposed when forced to redirect against elusive ball carriers in open field.
• Struggles deciphering complex route combinations when dropping into coverage, occasionally getting suckered by quarterback eye manipulation and play-action fakes.
• Block shedding consistency remains frustrating - flashes techniques to defeat blockers but lacks the lower body power to consistently disengage once offensive linemen lock on.

Scouting Report: Summary

When I study Lawson's tape, I see a blue-chip linebacker prospect whose combination of instincts and physicality will make him an immediate impact player on Sundays. His exceptional run defense grade jumps off the screen - the Alabama captain consistently anticipates blocking schemes and triggers downhill with controlled violence. Teams running single-gap 4-3 schemes will covet his ability to stack, shed and flow to the football. First round linebackers need to be three-down players in today's NFL, and while Lawson isn't elite in man coverage, his zone awareness and ability to close passing lanes in the intermediate areas will keep him on the field in sub-packages where his communication skills shine.

The medical evaluation remains the final hurdle after the significant lower-body injury that ended his 2024 campaign, but assuming full clearance, we're looking at a Day 1 contributor with Pro Bowl upside. What separates Lawson from other linebacker prospects in this class is his rare diagnostic ability - he processes information faster than most veterans, allowing him to play a step ahead of blockers. When you combine those football instincts with his physical tackling style and leadership qualities, you get a defensive cornerstone who can transform the identity of a front seven. His fifth-year return to Alabama showed both competitive fire and professional maturity that will have defensive coordinators pounding the table in draft meetings.

Lawson reminds me of Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah with better size - a rangy, instinctive linebacker who thrives in space while maintaining the physicality to hold up against interior run schemes. Teams picking in the mid-to-late first round looking for defensive leadership should have Lawson circled on their board. This is the kind of prospect who becomes the heartbeat of your defense from day one while developing into a defensive signal-caller who contributes 100+ tackle seasons for the next decade. Expect to hear his name called within the first 25 picks and don't be surprised when he's wearing a green dot as a rookie starter for a playoff-caliber defense.