Draft season is upon us! Building your IDP squad along the spine of the Defense makes sense, but comes with risk. Some high-profile LBs may let you down in the end. Some whose worth lies far within, the diamond(s) in the rough. Let’s talk about overvalued and undervalued Linebackers!
Who are 2024’s Aladdin LBs? The diamonds in the rough that can show your IDP squad a whole new world (okay, I am done… but probably not). Just as vital to a team’s outcome are over-drafted LBs who are not set up to steal value. Utilizing the board from IDP+’s recent draft (https://sleeper.com/draft/nfl/1121599455683387392), we will try to find some street rats who can put you over the top while avoiding players who may get you in trouble (but only if you get caught!).
We will go through 3 over-valued and 3 under-valued players, ordered by where they went in our draft. Remember, even the overvalued players have a place where they still have value, some of which are not that far off from where they currently are! Now let’s get to those overvalued and undervalued Linebackers!
Overvalued: Zaire Franklin, Indianapolis Colts (LB4, 7.06)
A former diamond in the rough, Franklin still has a legitimate chance to be an LB1 in 2024. But can he be a top-5 LB? With the emergence of E.J. Speed, that high-end potential has come into question. Since E.J. Speed (LB39, 17.08) took over as a full-time starter in week 11 of 2023, Franklin had 2 games as a top 20 LB (in 7 games, per IDP+ data suite).
In that 7 game sample, Franklin did still have 9 tackles per game. That number is solid, but far from the 13 he was averaging prior to Speed’s arrival. Franklin is still a great player, but more caution is required with his potential as a true top-level LB.
Undervalued: Ivan Pace, Minnesota Vikings (12.01, LB24)
Despite being undrafted last season, Ivan Pace had a spectacular rookie season. He had limited work, with less than a dozen starts, but did break 100 tackles. Despite the additions of Blake Cashman and Andrew Van Ginkel, Pace appears set to be the LB1 and green-dot Viking defender this season.
Having the LB1 role in Brian Flores’ chaos defense would make Pace a more likely LB1 than 2, so getting him at LB24 is a steal. As discussed on a recent Ride or Dynasty (https://youtu.be/07vBEkEwhaY?si=6H02IwOY6KhvIM3s) Pace had electric pass rush metrics in 2023, adding a massive ceiling to the already high floor of an every-down linebacker.
The 2024 season is almost here! I hope you enjoyed my overvalued and undervalued Linebackers article! Pull up a chair and join myself, Jameson Hutchison (@Jamesonrulez), and host JJ Wenner (@JJWenner) every Thursday evening (7EST) LIVE for the Rod Pod (@RideorDynasty)! You can find my other work on IDP Plus, and feel free to reach out to me directly @JoeLow63 on X, where you can also find and follow @IDP_Plus!
