Cody Lindenberg 2025 NFL Draft Profile

 Cody Lindenberg is possibly one of the most underrated linebackers in the 2025 NFL Draft, and his scouting report evaluates what traits he has that could lead to success in the NFL.

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Scouting Report and Film Analysis of Minnesota Linebacker Cody Lindenberg

Measurables:

Height- 6’2″

Weight- 236 lbs

Player Background:

Lindenberg attended Anoka High School, where he was a three-star recruit and the No. 5 ranked recruit in the state of Minnesota. He played in six games and made his first career start against Michigan as a freshman, but missed most of his sophomore season due to injury. Lindenberg played in all 13 games in 2022 and earned All Big Ten Honorable Mention honors. But he once again missed a majority of the season due to injury in 2023. Lindenberg started all 12 games in his senior season and had a career-high in tackles and tackles for loss with a team-leading 94 tackles. He finished the season on the Second Team All-Big Ten and earned Academic All-Big Ten honors every season from 2021 to 2024.

Strengths:

What stands out most about Lindenberg is his football IQ. Lindenberg is an incredibly intelligent football player with great pre-snap recognition and processing ability. He consistently makes quick decisions and finds himself in a position to make plays often because of his quick decision making. Lindenberg pairs his high-level processing with solid athleticism. He has good size and is an explosive athlete with good speed. Lindenberg can also rush the passer well. He has good burst and ability to shoot gaps.

Lindenberg is a solid zone coverage linebacker who has excellent instincts and does a good job reading the quarterback’s eyes. He also has an incredible non-stop motor. Lindenberg gives high effort on every play through the whistle. He also offers some special teams experience.

Weaknesses:

Lindenberg has some hip tightness and lacks good lateral quickness. This limits his range and his man coverage ability. He doesn’t have the fluidity needed to be a great man coverage linebacker, and he needs to do a better job at consistently turning his head around and locating the ball in coverage.

Lindenberg has adequate play strength, but there is still room to improve in that area. He can struggle to shed blockers. Lindenberg also needs to be more consistent in making tackles, as he missed 25 tackles in his last 15 games and had over a 13% missed tackle rate in 2024. He had injury problems throughout his college career as well. He missed a majority of both the 2021 and 2023 seasons due to injury.

Potential Team Fits:

Cincinnati Bengals

Dallas Cowboys

Los Angelas Rams

NFL Projection:

Lindenberg is an intelligent and instinctive linebacker who has the potential to be a great run-defense linebacker in the NFL. Lindenberg doesn’t have elite athletic upside and had multiple injury-riddled seasons in college which will likely lead to him being taken on Day 3 of the draft. However, he is a solid athlete, and a smart, well-rounded linebacker. If Lindenberg can clean up the missed tackles and continue to develop in coverage he has the talent to be a starting linebacker in the NFL.

Prospect Grade:

Late Third Round