Downhill, get-to-the-ball linebacker whose 2025 breakout was less a flash than a takeover — SEC-leading 17 tackles for loss, nine sacks, 84 total stops after barely playing at LSU the year before. Atkins triggers fast, arrives with bad intentions as a blitzer, and added a forced-fumble, interception dimension that shows he affects more than the run. He earned second-team All-American and first-team All-SEC honors in his first year as a full-time Auburn starter. However, at 6-0, 210 he is undersized for the position and the resume is one dominant season deep, so the projection leans on whether the production repeats against a full slate. Eligibility keeps him a couple years out, but the arrow and the splash-play rate mark him as Auburn's top pro prospect with a Day 2 floor and Round 1 upside if 2026 confirms the tape.