Summary

Devin Lloyd was selected in the 1st Round (#27 Overall) in the 2022 Draft out of University of Utah. Lloyd is a highly promising linebacker who brings rare versatility, solid athleticism, strong instincts, and coverage ability for his position. His strengths make him well‑suited for today’s NFL, which demands linebackers who can do more than just tackle. His main limitations revolve around physical strength in the trenches, coverage transition fluidity, and identifying the role in which he can dominate. With the right development and scheme fit, Lloyd has every tool to be a cornerstone for his defense.

Strengths

• Versatility & scheme‑flexibility: Lloyd has demonstrated the ability to play multiple linebacker roles: he can drop into coverage, blitz, play the run, and align in varying fronts.

• Range, athleticism & coverage ability: For a linebacker, Lloyd showed excellent lateral movement, coverage instincts (especially versus tight ends or backs releasing into space), and the speed to pursue sideline to sideline. NFL Draft Buzz

• Instincts & play‑recognition: Scouts have praised his ability to diagnose plays quickly, take smart angles, and make a high volume of tackles. He consistently shows up around the ball.

• Pass‑rush upside: While primarily an off‑linebacker, Lloyd showed ability to blitz effectively in college (15.5 sacks in his career at Utah) and offers a potential extra pass‑rush threat from linebacker.

• Run‑defense competence: At Utah and early in the NFL, he showed toughness against the run, ability to stack and shed blocks, and make open‑field tackles. SI

Weaknesses

• Functional strength / anchor vs physical blockers: Some scouting reports flagged that while Lloyd is athletic and versatile, he lacks the elite anchor strength to consistently hold up against power blockers or play as a classic “every‑down big‑thumper” inside. NFL Draft Buzz

• Coverage consistency & deep zone transitions: While his coverage tools are strong, there have been noted issues with back‑pedal fluidity, hip‑turning, and depth control in deeper zones. In the NFL his “coverage grade” as of a certain period was sub‑optimal. Black and Teal

• Positional comfort & role clarity: Given his versatility, there is some uncertainty about his best role long‑term (Mike vs Will vs SAM vs inside vs sub‐package). Finding the optimal fit is key to maximizing him.

• Physical ceiling as a pure dominance linebacker: Evaluators noted that though Lloyd is very good, he may not have the same “wow” physical traits (in size or explosiveness) as some of the absolute elite linebackers, meaning his long‑term ceiling may be slightly below those top‑tier physical freaks. NFL Draft Buzz

Fit & Outlook

Lloyd is ideally suited for a defense that uses sub‑packages and asks linebackers to cover in space, can deploy him as a blitzer and as a coverage/zone defender, and allows him to use his athleticism rather than simply anchoring in heavy power fronts. Already receiving multiple NFL Player of the Week/Month accolades in his young career, if Lloyd continues to refine his coverage, add functional strength, and settle into a well‑defined starting role, his ceiling is a Pro Bowl three‑down linebacker with impact in multiple phases. On the flip side, if he struggles with physical matchups or coverage exposure, his role may become more specialized (e.g., rotational, coverage‑heavy packages) rather than dominant every‑down starter.