Jimmy Rolder

The Player

Rolder is a tall off-ball linebacker with solid bulk, shorter arms, and a strong athletic profile whose game is built on his instincts, physicality, and tackling efficiency. But he has some inconsistency tied to his lack of experience and refinement.

For an inexperienced starter, he shows solid natural instincts versus the run and in coverage. He can be undisciplined at times—he improved as the 2025 season progressed, but he’s still a bit hit-or-miss.

Despite his baseball background and an athletic profile that might suggest he has finesse, he’s anything but graceful. Rolder plays like a bull in a china shop—he’s unrefined in his take-on technique, but he plays aggressively, with a “blow it up and sort it out later” mentality. He brings real pop and urgency to contact.

He may have shorter arms and average bench numbers, but there’s snap in his hands. He doesn’t get stuck on his blocks often—he takes the picture before contact, stuns the blocker, and then locates and pursues the ballcarrier. His ability to disengage and stay active stands out.

He’s an elite tackler. His body control and power at the point of attack help offset his length limitations, and his missed tackle rate reflects that reliability.

In coverage, he gets good depth in his drops and shows strong awareness. He’s a coordinated, athletic mover who’s able to react and make plays on the ball. There is some redirect tightness that can show up in man coverage against higher-end receiving backs, but overall, he’s smooth and instinctive and has enough burst and range to hold up in most situations. His zone recognition continues to improve.

As a blitzer, he doesn’t have big sack production but creates disruption. He shows a natural feel for timing, often finding his way through traffic and affecting the quarterback or throwing lanes.

The Draft

This is a deep draft at off-ball linebacker, but in just one year as a starter, Rolder did enough to distinguish himself as one of the best mid-round options in the class. Expect his name to be called early on day three. 

The Projection

There’s a lot to like about what Rolder could develop into at the next level. He can play Mike, Will, or Sam in a 4-3 scheme. He’s instinctive, but his discipline isn’t quite there, so he might need a year as a special teams maven (where his awesome skill set, mentality, and tackling skills will stand out) and some rotational/sub-package work before he’s ready to compete for a starting job in the NFL. But he’s a future starter if he continues to track like he did throughout 2025.