2026 NFL Prospect Profile: Utah’s LB Lander Barton

Lander Barton was a four-star recruit out of Brighton High School in Utah, where he excelled at both basketball and football during his time there. He averaged 19.0 points, 7.2 rebounds, 1.5 assists, and 1.3 steals per game as a junior and was named second-team all-state. He played both linebacker and wide receiver at football and was named a High School All-American and invited to the All-American Bowl. At wide receiver in his career, he hauled in 81 passes for 909 yards and 16 touchdowns. At linebacker, he totaled over 100 tackles each of his last three seasons of high school. Barton was a two-time all-state first team selection. The young linebacker had several Division One offers but decided to stay close to home and committed to Utah. 

Barton appeared in all 14 games with three starts, leading all freshmen on the team with 46 total tackles (8.0 TFL, 4.5 sacks) along with a forced fumble, a fumble recovery, and a pass breakup. He was named the Pac-12 Freshman Defensive Player of the Year. In 2023, Barton started the first seven games at linebacker before sustaining a season-ending leg injury. At the time of the injury Barton was having another stellar season, collecting 34 tackles and also had two interceptions, including a pick-six vs. Weber State. 

Strengths

• Tackling
• Athleticism
• Fluid Movement
• Coverage Versatility
• Football I.Q.

Barton is blessed with extreme athleticism and has the makeup of an NFL linebacker. He moves fluidly from side to side and is a sure tackler who wraps up and drives through ball carriers. His versatility in the passing game will be a major selling point with NFL teams. 

Barton can cover tight ends or running backs in the passing game with his man-to-man coverage skills and plays well in zone coverage schemes. He has a high football IQ and a nose for the ball, and while at Utah, Barton has proven to be a speedy backer who pursues well sideline-to-sideline. Barton uses his long arms to create leverage and shed blockers and will be a tackling machine at the next level. 

Weaknesses

Size

Angles

Anchoring

Wear and tear

On the downside, Barton has not had the amount of playing time that some of the other prospects have had and has suffered some wear and tear with injuries during his college career. He will need to prove that he is 100% healthy when he tests for NFL scouts. 

Barton has the frame to add some muscle and mass, and this could prevent him from getting dinged up. He is an excellent tackler but struggles in his pursuit angles and seems to overestimate his speed at times. He will overrun plays with his aggressiveness, but he seems to adjust later in games. Barton has issues with anchoring down against larger linemen later in games. 

Conclusion 

Lander Barton is the prototypical NFL linebacker who has the skillset to easily become a yearly 100+ tackler. He should be a lock to be a second-day draft pick.

Jack Campbell was a first-round pick out of Iowa in 2023. Lander Barton mirrors Campbell in so many ways as they are both on the taller side, have extremely high football IQs, and are tackling machines. Campbell is stronger than Barton, but Barton has better coverage skills. Barton won't be drafted as high as Campbell, but he should have a nice NFL career.