NFL Draft 2026 Scouting Report for Oklahoma LB Owen Heinecke

Matt HolderApr 16, 2026

Owen Heinecke is one of the most interesting prospects in the 2026 NFL draft since he originally played lacrosse at Ohio State, which led to the NCAA denying him an extra year of eligibility. Also, Heinecke's athletic background shows up on the gridiron and makes him an intriguing developmental/late-round prospect.

After spending a year in Columbus, Ohio, the Oklahoma native returned to his home state and switched sports, walking onto the Sooners' football team in 2022. He redshirted during his first year in Norman and became a special teamer who rarely saw the field defensively during the 2023 and '24 campaigns.

This past season, Heinecke became a rotational linebacker and made his first college start in Week 10. He still finished with 74 tackles, 12 tackles for loss, three sacks, four pass breakups, a forced fumble and a second-team All-SEC bid.

Matt Holder has been a part of B/R's Scouting Department for four seasons. He also writes about the Las Vegas Raiders and NFL draft for SB Nation's Silver and Black Pride, and co-hosts a YouTube Channel, Tape Don't Lie, providing film breakdowns and more draft prospect analysis.

Where He Wins

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- Heinecke is a good all-around athlete and smooth mover, showing impressive speed and change-of-direction skills.

- Decent instincts against the run, he understands when he can crash downhill and has the speed to capitalize by getting unblocked tackles near or behind the line of scrimmage.

- Lateral movement skills and instincts allow him to be effective when mirroring running backs against zone runs.

- Speed gives him good sideline-to-sideline range.

- In coverage, he has the ability to carry the seam in Tampa 2 when he sees/recognizes routes in time.

- Accelerates well to click and close when playing zone.

- Can close on the quarterback in a hurry when unblocked as a blitzer.

- Offers value and has experience playing special teams.

Areas of Improvement

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- Heinecke lacks game experience as a linebacker, only seeing the field this past season and making just five career starts.

- Lack of playing time shows up in his coverage instincts/awareness. He's a beat late to recognize routes, has bad eye discipline and will occasionally vacate his area when playing zone coverage.

- Below average tackler. He has a habit of lunging and diving at ankles and isn't good at breaking down when tackling in space, leading to misses.

- As a run defender, he doesn't take on blocks with his hands and has short arms, allowing offensive linemen to get into his body and making it difficult for him to escape.

- Also, he doesn't use his quickness and athleticism to make linemen miss on the second level.

- Lacks lower-body strength to anchor and avoid getting pushed around by offensive linemen and good blocking tight ends.