Exclusive: Tyreem Powell outlines how he overcame adversity at Rutgers to become LB prospect in 2025 NFL Draft

Linebacker Tyreem Powell is a prospect to watch ahead of the 2025 NFL Draft. Having battled injuries in the latter part of his time at the Rutgers Scarlet Knights, he is still attracting the attention of many scouts.

In an exclusive interview with Sportskeeda's Tony Pauline and Adam Hulse, Powell shared he was not wholly healthy during the final season of his college football career. Despite this, he is still a strong candidate for a rookie spot in next season's NFL.

After a terrific sophomore season in 2022, Tyreem Powell was poised for an even better campaign the following year. He was well on his way before the injury bug hit.

Powell addressed the situation:

"I dislocated my wrist in 2023 and tore some ligaments around it, so the wrist wasn't stable at all," Powell said. "In my head, I'm trying to wrap it up and do everything I can to get out there for the next week, but after X-rays and MRIs, the doctor said no and that it was going to be a season-ending injury. I had to start the rehab process and I knew it was going to take a long time, like six to seven months, because of the extent of the injury."

It unfortunately didn't end there:

"While I was recovering from that injury, I had an Achilles injury at one of the workouts and that was the one that crushed me a little bit," Powell added. "I was getting healed from that wrist injury going into the 2024 season, looking forward to being as healthy as I could be. Then the Achilles happened, but I just kind of kept my head down and tried to get back out on the field as fast as I could."

Tyreem Powell went on to explain that he fully tore his Achilles and required surgery to repair it. Amazingly, he returned in the third game of the season, but he admitted that despite being able to appear in ten games, he never felt 100 percent healthy. He still posted solid numbers, including 57 total tackles, in his final season with Rutgers.

Taking lessons from the adversity, Powell has used his impressive skillset to prove he is still a legitimate linebacker prospect in the 2025 NFL draft. This gives him a significant upside because if he can perform at this level when injured, he can go to the next level when he's fully healthy again.

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Tyreem Powell breaks down his plans for 2025 NFL Combine

Tyreem Powell in action for the Rutgers Scarlet Knights. (Credits: IMAGN)

Tyreem Powell knows his upside as a linebacker prospect and has been planning his workouts accordingly. He skipped the Senior Bowl this year but plans on attending the NFL Combine, though he may participate in a limited fashion.

"I didn't go to the Senior Bowl because I knew for me, with my Achilles injury, it takes time. I know I'm going to need as much time as I can to display how explosive and stuff that I am ... We're still figuring out what I'm going to do [for the Combine], it's going to be a game-time decision," Powell explained. "We're definitely going to the interviews and stuff like that, I'm just not sure if I'm going to do any on-field things. I might wait until my Pro Day to just give myself a little more time to really showcase my best skills."

The outstanding linebacker is strategically planning his best route to show off his skills for NFL scouts before the draft. He left them a message about his potential rookie plans for next year.

"Whoever takes me, I just want to show I belong. I'm, here to just work every day and just do what I have to do to play in the league," Powell stated.

Powell concluded by saying that some of his idols include Fred Warner and Tremaine Edmunds, two of the most dynamic linebackers in the NFL. He's hoping for the opportunity to join them at the highest level next year.

He moves towards the draft as one of the most underrated linebackers, if not defenders, in the entire event. Measuring 6-foot-5 and 250 pounds, with a 40-yard dash time expected to clock in the 4.65 second range, Powell has the physical ability and skillset to be a three-down defender in the NFL, something he proved to be early in his Rutgers career.

Once back to full health and complete playing form, teams who passed on the talented linebacker early in the 2025 NFL Draft will wonder why they allowed him to slip by.