NFL DRAFT 2010 - LINEBACKER RANKINGS & ANALYSIS
We move onto the linebackers beginning with the inside guys followed by the 3-4 outside 'backers & finally the 4-3 outside prospects. Cornerbacks & safeties tomorrow.
Inside Linebackers
1. Rolando McClain--6' 3 3/8" 254--Alabama--This junior started 37 straight games including 9 as a true freshman. Very productive in a major program in the best conference in the nation. Looks the part, big, strong & intense. Makes very few false moves, superior instincts, finds the ball quickly. Gets good pass drops & has excellent ball skills for a linebacker. Doesn't hesitate to take on a lead blocker, but sometimes he gets blown up. He also misses a few open field tackles & he doesn't really drill people. Most pro ready inside linebacker by a wide margin. Mid-1st round prospect who could start right away.
2. Sean Lee--6' 2" 239--Penn State--Very smart, very competitive & a superior work ethic. Plays with leverage, closes on the ball quickly & is a sure tackler. Not an explosive tackler tho, more of a drag-'em-down type. Gets good drops & plays the thrown ball well. His strength is play diagnosis & being prepared to the utmost. Teams ran at him very effectively at times last year. He sustained a torn ACL in '08. Sprained the same knee last season & returned with a brace after missing two games. He looked tentative, unsure if his knee was going to hold & he geared his game down a notch.
3. Brandon Spikes--6' 2 7/8" 249--Florida--His production went down every season, only made 68 tackles last year. His physical limitations began to show last year as well. He's just plain slow, a 5.07 forty. There are a dozen defensive linemen in this draft that run a sub-5.00 forty. His first step is painfully slow. Has excellent strength & rarely gets fooled. Limited athlete who gets by on instincts, brute strength & a fearless attitude. Very intense leader on the field but will his athletic limitations be exposed even more at the next level? Suspended himself one game last year after being caught on TV replay attempting to gouge the eyes of a running back who was on the ground. Could be a steal at the top of round 3.
4. Daryl Washington--6' 1 1/2" 230--TCU--Only a one-year starter but very productive for coach Gary Patterson, 109 tackles. Played outside in college but I think he'd be better inside with some protection in front of him. Flies all over the field to get to the ball carrier. Solid tackler, altho not really known for popping people. Gets good drops & can cover TE's & RB's in man to man. Excellent against draws & screens, closes quickly on the ball. Thin hipped, I doubt he can put much more weight on without losing his speed.
5. Donald Butler--6' 1" 235--Washington--Bulked-up muscle guy who runs well & makes a lot of drag-down tackles. No hitting, below average ball awareness & once a blocker gets on him, he's finished, doesn't use his hands well to shed blocks. Easily fooled, misdirection & play-action leaves him like a deer in headlights. I will have to admit he played very well against USC & he has a lot of special teams experience.
3-4 Outside Linebackers
1. Brandon Graham--6' 1 3/8" 266--Michigan--Reminds me of Pittsburgh's James Harrison & Denver's Elvis Dumervil, two exceptional edge pass rushers. He's short like they are, he's also similar in speed, strength & that non-stop motor so important to the elite pass rushers. He was awesome Senior Bowl week & was MVP of the game with 3 tackles, 1 for loss, 2 1/2 sacks, a pass batted down & a forced fumble. Uses his lack of ideal height to his advantage, gets under a blocker's pads & plays with excellent leverage. Uses that leverage & his strong upper body to bull rush or can "get small" & blow right by an offensive tackle. He will need some schooling on pass drops, coverages & schemes, he always played with his hand in the dirt for the Wolverines. Mid-1st round pick.
2. Sergio Kindle--6' 3" 250--Texas--Long-armed, strong & well conditioned, Kindle plays his best in big games. Has excellent closing speed off the edge in pass rushing situations. Has several moves & executes them well. Very productive behind the line of scrimmage, 40.5 tackles for loss at Texas. Tough & intense, he will play thru pain. Not a leader & he's had two alcohol related incidents in the past two years while at Austin. In one, he drove his car into the living room of an apartment, seeing no one was home, he just left his car there until the cops awakened him the nest day at his home. Still, he has a good upside & can play right now. Mid-1st round pick.
3. Jerry Hughes--6' 1 3/4" 255--TCU--Ultra productive player in college, 40.5 tackles for loss, 28.5 sacks & 8 forced fumbles. Locates the ball quickly, closes fast & hits hard. Explosive first step as a pass rusher & has a variety of moves. Good burst to the QB. Can be run at right now, he needs additional lower body strength. Has long arms he uses to stack blockers & shed them. Excellent work ethic & will play thru pain. Mid to late 1st round pick.
4. Ricky Sapp--6' 3 3/4" 252--Clemson--Rare closing speed for the position, flows downhill toward the ball in a flash. Long arms keep blockers off him but he could be even more effective with added upper body strength. Below average instincts cause him to slow down, even stop sometimes while he locates the ball. Excellent open field tackler, but only average sack production(17.5 in 4 seasons). ACL surgery in '08.
5. Koa Misi--6' 2 1/2" 251--Utah--Explosive out of his stance especially rushing the passer. Punch has some kick to it, often torquing blockers completely off balance. Will flatten many ball carriers & he runs very well laterally in pursuit. Only fair sack production, but he did push the passer out of the pocket a number of times. He never gives up, a superior motor, the game is very important to him. Just about every male in his family, including his father & 2 uncles, played college football in Hawaii or California. Second round talent.
6. Jason Worilds--6' 1 1/4" 254--Virginia Tech--Excellent production from this colllege DE who projects best to OLB in a 3-4 defense. Good quickness but only average sack production, Worilds has suffered a number of serious injuries, dislocated shoulder, cracked shoulder blade, torn labrum etc. Shows a good burst in pass rush but not so much when closing on a ball carrier, he may have difficulty finding the ball.
4-3 Outside Linebackers
1. Sean Weatherspoon--6' 1 1/4 239--Missouri--Started 41 straight at Mizzou & he was ultra-productive, 393 tackles in those starts, 42.5 for loss, 12.5 sacks & 4 interceptions, 3 run back for scores. Explosive tackler, a real thumper, flies all over the field in pursuit with excellent closing speed, 4.60 at the combine.Goes well with his 40" vertical jump & 35 bench press reps. Gets excellent pass drops, broke up 17 passes, can run with tight ends & most backs. Talks all the time & he has rubbed some people the wrong way. So did Ray Lewis. I'm not saying 'Spoon is Ray Lewis II, I'm saying his mouth is similar. He could also play inside linebacker with little trouble, played very well in that spot at the Senior Bowl.
2. Navarro Bowman--6' 1/2" 237--Penn State--Had numerous discipline problems at Penn State, so that's a strike against him right off the bat. Beat up a guy at a frat party, arrested for drunk & disorderly the following year & violated that probation by getting busted for pot in a drug test. He finally stayed out of trouble last year & had a productive season. Field fast, he closes quickly on the ball & moves very well laterally in pursuit. Gets good pass drops & shows solid awareness of pass defense schemes. Gets run over too much, has difficulty getting off blocks, hand fighting is really lacking & he doesn't have a solid enough anchor, needs more lower body strength. Appears to have his life back on course but the 3 incidents can't be forgotten.
3. Rodderick Muckelroy--6' 1 3/4" 234--Texas--Only an average athlete with way above average production. Superior play recognition, finds the ball quickly & flows to it in a hurry. Very solid tackler all over the field, plays sideline to sideline & has a fine work ethic. Doesn't have a lot of upside, but he can be a solid backup to be sure & a kamakazi on special teams.
4. Eric Norwood--6' 3/4"--245--South Carolina--Very good production from a very limited athlete. Started 38 straight for coach Steve Spurrier & his 55 tackles for loss & 29 sacks are very impressive with the level of competition he played against. A one-trick pony in that he can rush the passer, dropping in coverage isn't in his portfolio. His run defense isn't anything special either, not enough sand in his pants, gets run over too much, doesn't shed blockers well & even tho he plays with very good intensity, unless he makes the play behind the line of scrimmage, he's pretty much out of the picture. He's a try-hard kind of guy, I respect that but I question how much upside he has as an NFL rookie.
Inside Linebackers
1. Rolando McClain--6' 3 3/8" 254--Alabama--This junior started 37 straight games including 9 as a true freshman. Very productive in a major program in the best conference in the nation. Looks the part, big, strong & intense. Makes very few false moves, superior instincts, finds the ball quickly. Gets good pass drops & has excellent ball skills for a linebacker. Doesn't hesitate to take on a lead blocker, but sometimes he gets blown up. He also misses a few open field tackles & he doesn't really drill people. Most pro ready inside linebacker by a wide margin. Mid-1st round prospect who could start right away.
2. Sean Lee--6' 2" 239--Penn State--Very smart, very competitive & a superior work ethic. Plays with leverage, closes on the ball quickly & is a sure tackler. Not an explosive tackler tho, more of a drag-'em-down type. Gets good drops & plays the thrown ball well. His strength is play diagnosis & being prepared to the utmost. Teams ran at him very effectively at times last year. He sustained a torn ACL in '08. Sprained the same knee last season & returned with a brace after missing two games. He looked tentative, unsure if his knee was going to hold & he geared his game down a notch.
3. Brandon Spikes--6' 2 7/8" 249--Florida--His production went down every season, only made 68 tackles last year. His physical limitations began to show last year as well. He's just plain slow, a 5.07 forty. There are a dozen defensive linemen in this draft that run a sub-5.00 forty. His first step is painfully slow. Has excellent strength & rarely gets fooled. Limited athlete who gets by on instincts, brute strength & a fearless attitude. Very intense leader on the field but will his athletic limitations be exposed even more at the next level? Suspended himself one game last year after being caught on TV replay attempting to gouge the eyes of a running back who was on the ground. Could be a steal at the top of round 3.
4. Daryl Washington--6' 1 1/2" 230--TCU--Only a one-year starter but very productive for coach Gary Patterson, 109 tackles. Played outside in college but I think he'd be better inside with some protection in front of him. Flies all over the field to get to the ball carrier. Solid tackler, altho not really known for popping people. Gets good drops & can cover TE's & RB's in man to man. Excellent against draws & screens, closes quickly on the ball. Thin hipped, I doubt he can put much more weight on without losing his speed.
5. Donald Butler--6' 1" 235--Washington--Bulked-up muscle guy who runs well & makes a lot of drag-down tackles. No hitting, below average ball awareness & once a blocker gets on him, he's finished, doesn't use his hands well to shed blocks. Easily fooled, misdirection & play-action leaves him like a deer in headlights. I will have to admit he played very well against USC & he has a lot of special teams experience.
3-4 Outside Linebackers
1. Brandon Graham--6' 1 3/8" 266--Michigan--Reminds me of Pittsburgh's James Harrison & Denver's Elvis Dumervil, two exceptional edge pass rushers. He's short like they are, he's also similar in speed, strength & that non-stop motor so important to the elite pass rushers. He was awesome Senior Bowl week & was MVP of the game with 3 tackles, 1 for loss, 2 1/2 sacks, a pass batted down & a forced fumble. Uses his lack of ideal height to his advantage, gets under a blocker's pads & plays with excellent leverage. Uses that leverage & his strong upper body to bull rush or can "get small" & blow right by an offensive tackle. He will need some schooling on pass drops, coverages & schemes, he always played with his hand in the dirt for the Wolverines. Mid-1st round pick.
2. Sergio Kindle--6' 3" 250--Texas--Long-armed, strong & well conditioned, Kindle plays his best in big games. Has excellent closing speed off the edge in pass rushing situations. Has several moves & executes them well. Very productive behind the line of scrimmage, 40.5 tackles for loss at Texas. Tough & intense, he will play thru pain. Not a leader & he's had two alcohol related incidents in the past two years while at Austin. In one, he drove his car into the living room of an apartment, seeing no one was home, he just left his car there until the cops awakened him the nest day at his home. Still, he has a good upside & can play right now. Mid-1st round pick.
3. Jerry Hughes--6' 1 3/4" 255--TCU--Ultra productive player in college, 40.5 tackles for loss, 28.5 sacks & 8 forced fumbles. Locates the ball quickly, closes fast & hits hard. Explosive first step as a pass rusher & has a variety of moves. Good burst to the QB. Can be run at right now, he needs additional lower body strength. Has long arms he uses to stack blockers & shed them. Excellent work ethic & will play thru pain. Mid to late 1st round pick.
4. Ricky Sapp--6' 3 3/4" 252--Clemson--Rare closing speed for the position, flows downhill toward the ball in a flash. Long arms keep blockers off him but he could be even more effective with added upper body strength. Below average instincts cause him to slow down, even stop sometimes while he locates the ball. Excellent open field tackler, but only average sack production(17.5 in 4 seasons). ACL surgery in '08.
5. Koa Misi--6' 2 1/2" 251--Utah--Explosive out of his stance especially rushing the passer. Punch has some kick to it, often torquing blockers completely off balance. Will flatten many ball carriers & he runs very well laterally in pursuit. Only fair sack production, but he did push the passer out of the pocket a number of times. He never gives up, a superior motor, the game is very important to him. Just about every male in his family, including his father & 2 uncles, played college football in Hawaii or California. Second round talent.
6. Jason Worilds--6' 1 1/4" 254--Virginia Tech--Excellent production from this colllege DE who projects best to OLB in a 3-4 defense. Good quickness but only average sack production, Worilds has suffered a number of serious injuries, dislocated shoulder, cracked shoulder blade, torn labrum etc. Shows a good burst in pass rush but not so much when closing on a ball carrier, he may have difficulty finding the ball.
4-3 Outside Linebackers
1. Sean Weatherspoon--6' 1 1/4 239--Missouri--Started 41 straight at Mizzou & he was ultra-productive, 393 tackles in those starts, 42.5 for loss, 12.5 sacks & 4 interceptions, 3 run back for scores. Explosive tackler, a real thumper, flies all over the field in pursuit with excellent closing speed, 4.60 at the combine.Goes well with his 40" vertical jump & 35 bench press reps. Gets excellent pass drops, broke up 17 passes, can run with tight ends & most backs. Talks all the time & he has rubbed some people the wrong way. So did Ray Lewis. I'm not saying 'Spoon is Ray Lewis II, I'm saying his mouth is similar. He could also play inside linebacker with little trouble, played very well in that spot at the Senior Bowl.
2. Navarro Bowman--6' 1/2" 237--Penn State--Had numerous discipline problems at Penn State, so that's a strike against him right off the bat. Beat up a guy at a frat party, arrested for drunk & disorderly the following year & violated that probation by getting busted for pot in a drug test. He finally stayed out of trouble last year & had a productive season. Field fast, he closes quickly on the ball & moves very well laterally in pursuit. Gets good pass drops & shows solid awareness of pass defense schemes. Gets run over too much, has difficulty getting off blocks, hand fighting is really lacking & he doesn't have a solid enough anchor, needs more lower body strength. Appears to have his life back on course but the 3 incidents can't be forgotten.
3. Rodderick Muckelroy--6' 1 3/4" 234--Texas--Only an average athlete with way above average production. Superior play recognition, finds the ball quickly & flows to it in a hurry. Very solid tackler all over the field, plays sideline to sideline & has a fine work ethic. Doesn't have a lot of upside, but he can be a solid backup to be sure & a kamakazi on special teams.
4. Eric Norwood--6' 3/4"--245--South Carolina--Very good production from a very limited athlete. Started 38 straight for coach Steve Spurrier & his 55 tackles for loss & 29 sacks are very impressive with the level of competition he played against. A one-trick pony in that he can rush the passer, dropping in coverage isn't in his portfolio. His run defense isn't anything special either, not enough sand in his pants, gets run over too much, doesn't shed blockers well & even tho he plays with very good intensity, unless he makes the play behind the line of scrimmage, he's pretty much out of the picture. He's a try-hard kind of guy, I respect that but I question how much upside he has as an NFL rookie.
Comments