2027 Summer Scouting Report: Jerry Mixon, Linebacker, Oregon

[ASFN Admin]

Summer is here, and it is everyone’s favorite time of the year, scouting time. Every year, we do Summer Scouting to preview college football for Bucs fans and give them names to follow and watch in the fall as needs pop up for Tampa Bay.

Are we going to write about quarterbacks? Offensive tackles? Edge rushers? You know it, but why? Because other NFL teams will draft them, just as they will draft every other position. It all matters whether these players end up on the Bucs, the Bears, or the Steelers. We write these to keep Bucs fans as informed as possible.

So if you are still with us, enjoy our latest Summer Scouting report as we prepare you for the Fall.

Background Information​

• Senior
• Inside Linebacker
• Oregon Ducks
• San Francisco, California native
• Sacred Heart Cathedral Prep alumnus
• 6-foot-2, 230 pounds
• Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week (Week 3, 2025)
• Played in all 15 games with 13 starts in 2025
• Former three-star recruit
• Expected to step into Oregon's primary linebacker role in 2026

Notable Career Stats Heading Into 2026​

• 65 career tackles
• 5.0 tackles for loss
• 1.0 sack
• 2 interceptions
• 7 pass breakups
• 1 interception returned for a touchdown
• 13 career pressures
• 19 career games played
• College Football Playoff semifinal participant

Notable Numbers From PFF Heading Into 2026​

Season	Snaps	Overall	Run Defense	Tackling	Pass Rush	Pressures	Coverage
2025	560	72.9	63.2	63.4	59.3	13	83.4
2024	43	50.2	53.4	54.4	57.4	0	52.3
2023	36	75.5	55.8	81.3	72.0	4	77.4

Strengths​

• Elite coverage awareness
• Excellent route recognition
• Strong football IQ
• Smooth lateral movement skills
• Comfortable carrying running backs out of the backfield
• Reads quarterbacks effectively in zone coverage
• Maintains leverage while sliding through zones
• Strong understanding of passing windows
• Natural feel for coverage spacing
• Productive ball skills
• Effective blitzer from depth
• Good pursuit angles
• Consistently looking for work in coverage
• Three-down linebacker potential
• Experienced in coverage-heavy responsibilities
• Good patience diagnosing plays

Weaknesses​

• Run-defense consistency can improve
• Missed tackle rate remains a concern
• Does not consistently stack and shed with power
• Can struggle to disengage quickly from larger blockers
• Lacks overwhelming downhill physicality
• Pass-rush value comes more from timing than power
• Not an elite athlete by linebacker standards
• Limited evidence of high-end man coverage against elite receiving threats

Player Summary​

Jerry Mixon enters the 2026 season as one of the more intriguing linebackers in college football. While Oregon relied heavily on Bryce Boettcher in 2025, Mixon quietly established himself as one of the better coverage linebackers in the Big Ten while playing a significant role in the Ducks' run to the College Football Playoff semifinals.

The most impressive aspect of Mixon's game is his coverage awareness. Oregon routinely tasked him with carrying running backs out of the backfield, handling underneath zone responsibilities, and reading quarterbacks while maintaining proper leverage within the defense. His instincts consistently showed up on film, as he displayed a strong understanding of route concepts and passing windows while rarely looking uncomfortable in space.

Mixon also brings value as a blitzer, though his success comes more from timing and processing than overwhelming physicality. He does a good job identifying rushing lanes and working through protection, but his game is built around intelligence and anticipation rather than power. Several reps showed him diagnosing pass concepts, working through blockers, and forcing quarterbacks off their spots.

Against the run, Mixon remains a work in progress. He flashes good pursuit angles and strong play recognition, but there are times when he can improve his ability to disengage from blockers and finish tackles consistently. Those areas will likely determine whether he becomes a Day 1 selection or settles into the Day 2 range.

With Boettcher now gone, Mixon appears poised to become the centerpiece of Oregon's linebacker room. If he can maintain his elite coverage production while improving his run defense and tackle efficiency, he has a legitimate chance to emerge as one of the top linebackers in the 2027 NFL Draft.

This article originally appeared on Bucs Wire: 2027 Summer Scouting Report on Oregon's Jerry Mixon

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