Summary

Jack Kiser was selected in the 4th Round (#107 Overall) in the 2025 Draft out of Notre Dame. Over six seasons with the Irish, Kiser set a Notre Dame program record with 70 games played, served as a two‑time captain, and finished his career with 275 total tackles, 17 tackles for loss, six sacks, four interceptions (including two big returns), 11 passes defended, and six forced fumbles. Off the field, he earned academic accolades and team awards (including Academic All‑American considerations and team Man of the Year honors), reinforcing a profile of high character, intelligence, and leadership. Though early in his NFL career with limited 2025 snapshots, he has begun carving a role within Jacksonville’s linebacker and special teams corps.

Strengths

• Intangibly Rich Leader: Kiser is recognized for his intelligence, film study, and ability to organize and communicate on defense reflected by his captaincy and off‑field accolades.

• Consistent Production and Tackling: Over his college career Kiser accumulated 275 tackles, six sacks, and four interceptions, demonstrating reliability and versatility.

• Versatility & Special Teams Value: He played in multiple roles on defense moving both down and up hill while also contributing on special teams—an asset for breaking into the NFL early.

• Instinctive play and pursuit: Kiser shows a constant knack for being around the ball, making plays in pursuit, forcing turnovers (forced fumbles, interceptions) at the college level.

Weaknesses

• Athletic Ceiling: Kiser is not an elite athlete relative to top‑tier NFL linebackers, but what he lacks in physical prowess he makes up for in instincts.

• Block‑Shedding: Kiser an struggle to disengage from larger, powerful offensive linemen at the point of attack. He isn’t physically imposing, which may limit his ability to be an every‑down thumper without schematic support.

• Coverage Limitations: While aware and disciplined, Kiser lacks top‑flight change‑of‑direction quickness which can challenge him in space against faster tight ends and backs.

• Older Rookie Profile: Entering the league older than many peers, which compresses his developmental window for peak athletic growth. Is he maxed out and how high is the ceiling?

Outlook

Jack Kiser projects as a multi‑phase linebacker and core special teams weapon in the NFL. His strength lies in pre‑snap recognition, tackling reliability, and positional flexibility, making him a natural fit in defenses that emphasize assignment soundness and gap integrity rather than pure physical dominance. He should contribute early on special teams and rotational looks at linebacker, particularly in sub‑packages that require disciplined run fits and smart coverage drops. Given his cerebral approach and leadership traits, Kiser also has the potential to evolve into a stable rotational starter on early downs, especially in systems that prioritize discipline and reads over pure athletic mismatch wins. Should he continue to refine his athletic traits and adjust to NFL physicality, he could carve out a long‑term impact role as a dependable, scheme‑versatile linebacker with high football character — especially valuable for teams building intelligence and communication into the defense.