Christian Alliegro

[Twopointtry]

Young Blood

I understand why many experts don't like Ohio State linebacker, Christian Alliegro. A modern NFL linebacker is supposed to be fast, athletic and good at pass coverage. Alliegro is a throwback, a tough and strong run defender. He's a poor man's Jack Campbell. Alliegro is also an older prospect.

The Detroit Lions drafted Campbell in the middle of the 1st round in 2023. Part of the reason they had the luxury of using this selection on an ILB is they had another higher 1st round pick due to the Matthew Stafford trade. Brad Holmes made a trade, flipping the Rams pick into Jahmyr Gibbs and Sam LaPorta. This freed them up to use their original 1at rounder on Campbell. Those 3 players have all been key to helping the Lions quickly reload their roster.

As a rookie, Campbell had a very mediocre 52.1 PFF grade. He wasn't as good at tackling and run defense as expected and he had a horrific 35.3 PFF grade in pass coverage. Indeed, according to PFR stats, in his first 2 NFL seasons, Campbell allowed a 78.9% completion rate when targeted with an ugly 9.7 yards per target. Puka Nacua's career YPT is 9.7. So, targeting Campbell during that period was the equivalent to Stafford targeting Puka. For comparison, Michael Hoecht, who we gave some crazy difficult coverage assignments due to his rare athleticism relative to his size, has a career 8.3 YPT. Sometimes, Rams fans would get mad at Hoecht for getting beat in coverage. Really? A bit harsh. It isn't like he was Jack Campbell.

In 2025, Campbell was 1st team All Pro. He had a 90.2 PFF grade, 2nd best among LBs. His run defense grade was the best among LBs and his pass coverage grade had greatly improved to a solid 71.4, only allowing 5.7 YPT.

Alliegro's claim to fame is how he played through a broken arm in 2025. Against Ohio State, he broke his arm in the 1st quarter. At first, he didn't realize he was injured and kept playing. After the trainers discovered his injury, Alliegro said that he wanted to finish the game, so they put a soft cast on his arm and he went back out on the field. Despite basically only being able to use one arm, he played pretty well. It was his Jack Youngblood moment.

When Youngblood was drafted in 1971, there was little media coverage of the event. When he got the phone call informing him that the Rams were picking him, he didn't know the name of the head coach for the Rams. Youngblood says that he didn't even know how many teams were in the NFL.

Considering that Alliegro's position coach at Ohio State is former Ram James Laurinaitis, I sure hope that if he gets a phone call from Sean McVay during next year's draft, he doesn't respond by asking "Wait, who are you? What's your name again?"

 

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Part 1: Background

Name, Age: Christian Alliegro. The search engine says that he turns 26 years old in May of 2027, but I wasn't able to independently confirm the source of that information and other information I found makes me seriously question whether it is accurate. He might be substantially younger than AI claims. If he was a year younger than his grade in HS but spent an extra year post-HS, then logically he should be approximately the normal age for a draft prospect, about 22. It doesn't make any sense to make him 4 years older than that, I don't understand the math. True senior. Ohio State for 2026, Wisconsin 2023 to 2025. Studying human development and family sciences. Studied personal finance at Wisconsin.

Size, estimated speed: Listed by OSU as 6'4'' tall and 241 pounds. Wisconsin last season had him at 247 pounds. Was listed as 228 pounds as FR in 2023, then 240 pounds as SO in 2024. Draftbuzz 4.55 seconds in 40. Draftscout 4.73 seconds in 40.

3-star recruit from Connecticut. Spent a year after HS at a college prep school, so 2026 will be his 5th year after HS. Initially was committed to play lacrosse at the Naval Academy, didn't have any FBS football offers at that time. Alliegro says he didn't really want to play lacrosse, because he preferred football, but didn't have any opportunities available. His JR year was cancelled due to the COVID pandemic. Alliegro was an all-american lacrosse player in HS and didn't attend any football camps. The Navy also wanted him to improve his math grades.

Alliegro's path to college football is detailed in a great story by Jesse Temple writing for The Athletic, so if you want to read all the details, look it up. Alliegro contacted the coach for the prep school, expressing interest in playing football. The prep school coach is a former college DC and LB coach. The coach liked Alliegro's HS tape, because he was good in pass coverage playing safety and was also a physical run stuffer, immediately identifying him as a potential power conference football recruit. Alliegro reportedly was 6'4'', 227 pounds, ran 4.57 seconds in the 40 and could do 24 bench reps at the NFL Combine weight [that bench press number normally would be among the Combine leaders for LBs and we're talking about a skinny kid who wasn't even in college yet.] He also reportedly benched 135 pounds 59 times.

When he got to prep school, the coach moved him from safety to linebacker. He ultimately got a large number of scholarship offers, even a couple schools that wanted him as a TE.

Alliegro's breakout 2025 season was marred by the broken arm he suffered in the middle of the season. He returned and played pretty well later in the year, but his stats would have been better if he hadn't missed a chunk of the year. Also had an undisclosed injury in fall camp in 2025.

Transferred to Ohio State for 2026. His DC will be Matt Patricia, a former NFL DC and LB coach and his position coach will be James Laurinaitis. Has a matter of fact, no nonsense personality in interviews.

2023 (13 games) 5 tackles, 3 solo, 1 TFL, 1 sack, 1 PD
2024 (12 games, 3 starts) 66 tackles, 44 solo, 5 TFLs, 3 sacks, 1 PD
2025 (10 games, 8 starts) 53 tackles, 34 solo, 8 TFLs, 4 sacks, 1 PD

Draftbuzz: 6th round projection, 202. (+) Blitz value, sudden closing speed. (-) Clear liability in pass coverage, missed 11 tackles, ordinary vs run.
Draftscout: UDFA.
Drafttek 193
PFSN sim 73: (+) Potential early round LB prospect. 24.3% pressure rate on blitz, size, explosiveness, range, power. (-) Processing, loses ball carriers in congestion, triggers prematurely, overshoots attack angles, not a natural playmaker in coverage, downhill pacing.
Ian Cumings mock draft in June 68 overall, early 3rd round. In the very recent July mock, he's up to 57 overall, a late 2nd round pick.
Sam Teets. On "Calling my shot" tier as late 3rd to 4th round. Teets uses this tier for a very small group of underrated players he likes, intentionally moving them up the board so that they are inside the top 100.
NFLMDD sim 97

 

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Part 2: Strengths

I question whether he's as really as slow as the experts think and as much of a liability in pass coverage as they assume. In 2024, he had better range and was lighter on his feet. He looked a little sluggish in 2025, but I feel that maybe this is just a temporary thing where he's trying to figure out the proper playing weight and body composition to fit his game. He's been trying to add weight and get stronger since he was so light when he arrived at Wisconsin. Maybe adding muscle slowed him down, but he can correct this over time though trial and error. He's very lean and muscular with no bad weight. He has prototypical height and good length. He's a former safety who some schools wanted at TE, so he has ball skills and experience in coverage. I feel that experts are missing the forest for the trees, too fixated on what he looks like right now. Once he physically develops and finds the right balance of power and athleticism, he could be just fine in pass coverage and I think his pursuit range could improve. I feel that some experts are underestimating his developmental upside.

Out of all the LBs I've studied in about the last decade, he's one of the best at stacking 2nd level blocks. Like the drill where you lift the blocking sled, he has tremendous power to drive into the target with textbook leverage, getting every ounce of force out of his frame, fully extending his arms through engagement. Doesn't matter if it is Trevor Lauck, the Iowa OL who I think is a very good NFL prospect, he wins at a crazy high rate vs 2nd level climbers, disengaging so that he can go towards the RB. There was a LB named Derrick Barnes who was good at stacking OL, but Alliegro has the highest "win rate" I can remember in recent drafts, very impressive.

Outstanding hand usage. Great timing, accuracy and power in his hands vs 2nd level blocks. His good hands vs blocks also allows him to disengage and jump up into the air at the LOS to deflect QB passes.

Dumps overmatched blockers on their rear ends. Gap run, he makes the TE "take a seat", blowing up the POA, forcing the RB to abandon the designated hole.

He doesn't just shed 2nd level blocks with brute strength; he has great instincts for anticipating them and taking 2 quick steps forward to slip by them before the climber can adjust. What I like about how he does this is his body control keeps him balanced and square to the RB so that he's tackle ready. Some LBs dip and dodge and go wide, so even if they get by the OL, they miss the tackle because they are off-kilter when the RB arrives.

Good football IQ. Potential to get substantial playing time as an NFL rookie, doesn't need to sit out with a redshirt season. Reads the play and block development quickly. Excellent eye balance in pass coverage to watch the QB while identifying threats coming and exiting his area of zone coverage. Very aware and positions himself appropriately in coverage.

Ideal play strength and aggression. Really physical. Heavy hitter tackling RBs, able to load power very quickly inside a phonebooth. Pad popper as blitzer. In-the-box thumper vs the run and stout at the POA. There's nothing soft about Christian Alliegro, he's ideal for any defense that wants to get "tougher" in their defensive mentality and is sick and tired of getting run over up the middle by opponents. Plays low to high vs blocks and on tackles, loading energy then very efficiently transferring all of it into his opponent. Good technique to set the edge and anchor while keeping his outside arm free.

Good aggression to stuff lead blockers at the POA, sacrificing himself to help set up his teammates to make plays and helping to constrict run lanes, making it easier to contain the RB. Understands keeping leverage vs the football. In short yardage, can sell out and fill the run lane with speed, size and tremendous downhill force to stuff the RB.

Textbook stance, good pad level, changes direction with balance to stay in loaded position. Alec Ogletree are you listening? Why were you never able to learn how to do this your entire football career? Mike Singletary tried to teach you.

He played through injury, showing grit and sacrifice when I bet other players would have shut it down. The guy's out there banging into people with a broken arm. He's old school.

Fast downhill blitzer who can smash through the front of the pocket. Ask Ty Simpson how it feels. Coming on a 3-man loop, Alliegro crushed the RB, putting him flat on his rear end, then sacked Simpson. Shows good feel and athleticism to retrace and redirect his body to hunt QBs trying to scramble or climb forward in the pocket. Very good burst and momentum, good fit for NFL teams that want to bring frequent blitzes.

Aggressively attacks screen passes. The play where he breaks his arm, he makes an outstanding tackle on a RB screen where many other LBs would have been blocked. Drives through WR blocks on screens.

His missed tackle stats are misleading. He had several instances of low percentage tackle attempts where he did a great job getting off or by 2nd level blocks. Also, he's a smart player who puts himself in position to attempt tackles in space. If a LB stays stuck on a block or is out of position, he'll make 0% of those tackles, by definition. If the LB gets "extra" tackle attempts by doing well to get near the RB, why are we blaming him for only making 50% of those tackles? 50% is way better than 0%. Moreover, some of his missed tackles help the defense as a unit, because if you force the RB to go wide instead of taking a direct path upfield, the rest of the defense has a better chance at cleaning it up.

Very good tackling efficiency in what I'll call "true tackling situations". He has ideal length, breaks down, textbook wrap up tackler who drives through his target with striking power.

Only has been a full-time starter for one season. Still gaining experience. In 2024, he had some footwork errors. His technique was sharper in 2025. His trajectory is pointing up. James Laurinaitis is of course a former NFL linebacker and was a smart player. Alliegro will get good coaching at Ohio State to aid in his further development. If Alliegro can stay healthy, he could climb up draft boards by the end of the 2026 season.

 

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Part 3: Weaknesses

Not a "plus" defender with splashy highlight plays filled with TFLs or PBUs. His impact on the defense was typically more subtle, just a stabilizing force, not a superstar.

In 2025, it looked to me like he had lost some of the movement athleticism he had earlier in his career. He was a little clunky dropping into pass coverage. He didn't have enough speed to pursue all the way to the sideline. He didn't have enough short area explosion to always get to the runner, resulting in missed tackles as he made desperate dives at their ankles. His limited lateral range created seams and alleys at the 2nd level for fast runners. Some of the tackles he made in space were "barely enough" plays where he grabs the ankle of the runner. If he can't improve his football speed and athleticism, it should cap his ceiling at the pro level.

Made some mental errors. Mistake in his gap fill resulted in long TD run. Sometimes he attacked too aggressively, compromising the rest of the unit by creating large openings behind him.

Due to his injury, hasn't really started a full season, so a small sample size.

Wasn't asked to cover in man, almost exclusively shallow zone.

Doesn't deconstruct 2nd level blocks with advanced methods and moves. Doesn't have advanced pass rush moves. Much of his game is rooted in his strength and power and this won't translate as well to the NFL as it does at college level, because the NFL opponents are going to be older, bigger and stronger. He needs to diversify his approach if he wants to continue to be an effective run defender and blitzing pass rusher.

While he's relatively big, we have seen bigger and longer LB prospects, so he's not truly elite in size. Certainly not elite in athleticism. So, zero reason to elevate him to the very top of the board based on measurements. The middle rounds seem more appropriate even if he has a good 2026 season.

 

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Part 4: Draft Grade and Pro Comp

3rd round grade. Alex Anzalone (3rd round 2017, New Orleans Saints, Florida).

Anzalone had an injury-plagued career in college. He's had injuries in the NFL as well. When healthy, he's been a very solid and reliable starting NFL linebacker.

I agree with Ian Cummings and Sam Teets on this one and disagree with the boards that have Alliegro as a late round to UDFA prospect.

Christian Alliegro is a smart player, he's tough as nails, he's a very physical and aggressive player. I like those qualities in an NFL linebacker. Let's not overthink this. The guy can tackle; he can get off blocks. He's not going to be elite in pass coverage but I think he'll be fine due to his football IQ and awareness. He's not a bad athlete, he just doesn't have elite speed.

Maybe he won't become a Pro Bowl level player, but a team that drafts Alliegro should feel fairly confident that they just got a starting LB. Due to his size and functional athleticism, he's a versatile player who could play multiple LB spots and fit within any defensive scheme.

Alliegro was a late 3rd rounder in one mock and not taken at all in a different 3-round mock. I like this player and I think the consensus board is too low on him.