7 Breakout Linebackers to Target in IDP Leagues in 2026

Aug 13, 2026

USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

With the defensive line breakouts up, it's time to move on to the linebackers, where opportunity is king.

The 2026 NFL Draft was a loaded one for the linebacker position. This breakout list could be just a list of rookies if I wanted it to be, and it'd be one heck of a list. Some of the best prospects in this class, notably Miami's Jacob Rodriguez, might be a year away from truly breaking out, but some of his peers landed in spots where their path to every-down snaps in 2026 is much cleaner.

I'll mix in some vets to start, but I'm also going to highlight the rookies best positioned to make noise in 2026.

An important reminder at the top: I'm the captain here, so I get to determine who fits the ambiguous 'breakout' qualifications, with arbitrary lines in the sand to drive my point home.

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2026 IDP - Breakout Linebackers

DeMarvion Overshown

Could this finally be the year where we see a full season of DeMarvion Overshown? I certainly hope so. Overshown's athleticism jumps off the screen at times, and he's shown an ideal IDP skill set, capable of stuffing the stat sheet for every scoring format. The third-round pick out of Texas missed his entire rookie season due to injury, and after a great start to the 2024 campaign, he blew out his ACL, which bled into the start of the 2025 season as well.

Once he returned, the Cowboys managed his snap rate, but he should return to an every-down role in 2026.

Jihaad Campbell

Without a doubt, Jihaad Campbell is the easiest breakout linebacker to identify this season. Campbell was the consensus top linebacker in the 2025 draft class, with elite off-ball instincts and a pass-rush toolkit good enough to play on the edge. At the start of 2025, Campbell played a traditional off-ball role while Nakobe Dean was out of the lineup. When Dean returned, Campbell's role became more of a hybrid linebacker/edge role, and his overall snap rate plummeted.

This season, with Dean now in Las Vegas, Campbell is set to play every snap at off-ball linebacker alongside Zach Baun in Vic Fangio's defense. Campbell will still be used as a pass rusher at times, but in a more traditional sense. The increase in snaps, stability in his alignment, and natural second-year jump are all signs that have Campbell's arrow pointing up in 2026.