Draft: LBs & DL

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Five most instinctive linebackers in 2015 NFL Draft

By Chase Goodbread
College Football 24/7 writer
Published: March 30, 2015 at 10:26 a.m.

For every NFL rookie, there is plenty to learn and plenty of coaching necessary to make an instant impact at the pro level. But some positions, more than others, require a natural instinct for knowing where to be, what to do, and how to react. Without question, linebacker is one of those spots where coaching can only take a player so far, and the rest has to be innate. Here are five of the most instinctive linebackers available in the 2015 NFL Draft:
» Top five most versatile prospects in the draft
1. Paul Dawson, TCU

Draft experts continue to sing the same refrain on the former Horned Frogs star, even in the face of his disappointing performance at the NFL Scouting Combine last month: “The tape doesn’t lie.” Dawson simply finds the football like no other inside linebacker in the draft. He averaged more than 10 tackles per game last year, with an outstanding solo-to-assist ratio of 81-55, and showed a knack for big plays on both running and passing plays.

NFL fit: Kansas City Chiefs. Questions about Dawson’s maturity and attitude make it imperative that a veteran linebacker who can be the right mentor be awaiting him in the locker room. NFL Media’s Lance Zierlein has suggested Chiefs LB Derrick Johnson could be just the guy.

2. Eric Kendricks, UCLA

Kendricks won the Butkus Award as the nation’s top linebacker and finished his college career with more tackles than anyone in UCLA history. He made the pre-snap reads for the Bruins’ front seven as the middle linebacker, and showed the recognition skills to read keys and diagnose plays quickly. Throw in his understanding of pass defense, which will help make him a three-down linebacker in the NFL, and Kendricks is an easy choice here.

NFL fit: Arizona Cardinals. Few NFL teams need more help at the linebacker position, both inside and outside, than does Arizona. Kendricks has the ability to play at multiple spots and would be a can’t-go-wrong choice for Steve Keim.
» Path to the Draft: Follow Kendricks’ draft journey
3. Denzel Perryman, Miami (Fla.)

Perryman not only finds the hole, he fills it with bad intentions. Pound for pound, this was one of the hardest-hitting defenders in the college game last year and finished the season with 110 tackles, including 79 solo stops. As a tackler, Perryman combines a sell-out mentality with near-flawless form. He’s more of a downhill player than a chaser, but he sees things between the tackles quickly and is a natural inside ‘backer.

NFL fit: San Francisco 49ers. With the sudden losses of Patrick Willis and Chris Borland, it’s hard to imagine the 49ers wouldn’t address inside linebacker early in the draft.

4. Benardrick McKinney, Mississippi State

There’s a reason why SEC coaches voted McKinney as a first-team All-SEC linebacker even though he wasn’t anywhere near the top of the league in tackles: they couldn’t get him blocked, and their offensive coordinators had to account for him every week. He’s not the quickest of linebackers and doesn’t play the pass especially well, but at 6-foot-4 and 250 pounds, he finds the football on the early downs.

NFL fit: Dallas Cowboys. There is more than enough uncertainty about Rolando McClain’s future in Dallas for the Cowboys to make a draft-day investment in an inside linebacker.

5. Hayes Pullard, USC

Pullard is a very different linebacker from most of those listed here, thriving more in space than between the tackles, and showed 4.7 speed at his pro day. But instincts aren’t reserved for run stuffers, and Pullard’s recognition skills are very strong. He could end up playing an outside linebacker role in the NFL, but not as a pass rusher. Pullard led the Trojans with 94 tackles last season and got plenty of experience defending the perimeter and quick passes while playing in the Pac-12.

NFL fit: Washington Redskins. Pullard isn’t a first- or second-round talent, and the Redskins should have bigger priorities than linebacker that early in the draft, anyway.

Follow Chase Goodbread on Twitter @ChaseGoodbread.

canadaram wrote:

Hearing that the visit (4/14) between the Rams & Benardrick McKinney went very well, and that the Rams are willing to go very high with him.

Bernardrick McKinney

Benardrick McKinney, ILB
School: Mississippi State | Conference: SEC
College Experience: Junior | Hometown: Tunica, MS
Height/Weight: 6-4 / 246 lbs.

Player Lowdown

Combine Results
40 Yd 4.66 20 Yd 2.73 10 Yd 1.63 225 Bench 16 Vertical jump 40 1/2 Broad 10’1″ Shuttle 4.27 3-Cone Drill 7.21

Strengths Weaknesses

STRENGTHS: Raw, versatile athlete. Lined up at middle linebacker and rushed off both edges. Runs in the 4.5s with a 34-inch vertical. At his best with the ballcarrier in front of him. Physical taking on blocks with long arms and physical punch. Fluid athlete for his size, showing good lateral agility and very impressive acceleration to track down ballcarriers from behind. Long arms and good hand-eye coordination to trip up ballcarriers.

At his best with the ballcarrier in front of him, where he can use his physical demeanor and battle the big bodies, taking on blocks with active hands and long arms to control the point of attack.

WEAKNESSES: Limited hand technique. Attempts to slip past blockers, rather than showing the aggression and strength to truly stack and shed. Not a sudden mover. Lacks ideal range. While intelligent, he can be late to recognize plays and ends up a step late to the action. Slow to recover from missteps. Loses sight of the quarterback to turn and run with receivers.

Compares To: Aaron Curry, retired: Like the No. 4 overall pick in 2009, McKinney possesses remarkable size, explosiveness and general athleticism. There are concerns about McKinney’s awareness, especially in coverage. He’s athletic enough to project to any linebacker role but may never become a star.

Player Overview

A redshirt making the transition from high school quarterback to linebacker, McKinney led all SEC players and was second among freshmen nationally with 102 tackles. McKinney led the Bulldogs in tackles (71), tackles for loss (seven) and sacks (3.5) in 2013 and nearly duplicated those numbers in 2014 (71-8-3), earning All-American honors.

McKinney statistics are impressive. His combination of size and athleticism has the NFL more intrigued. McKinney is an impressive athlete for his size, but while he’s a stout run defender, he isn’t as consistent in space. There are some concerns that his ineffectiveness defending in coverage could limit him to a two-down thumper role in the NFL.

http://cowboysblog.dallasnews.com/2015/02/sturm-draft-profile-benardrick-mckinney-lb-mississippi-state.html/

There is one final inside linebacker (or non pass rushing LB ) to add to our top group of possibilities that has to this point included Shaq Thompson, Denzel Perryman, Eric Kendricks, and Paul Dawson, which would be this highly touted Benardrick McKinney of Mississippi State. He was one of those that was projected highly before the season began, rather than a player who emerged onto the scene recently. But, as you can see by his dimensions, he is pushing the envelope of how big we would want a middle linebacker in today’s NFL. Of course, the bigger they get, we assume the less their mobility would be. To find out, we examined his work against Texas A&M, LSU, and Auburn from 2014.

What I liked: First, it is rather clear that he was running the Bulldogs defense this year as he is quite demonstrative in pre-snap where he wants his troops. Any middle linebacker better know clearly what the opponent is trying to do and it would seem he is a guy who studies hard and then takes that to the field. He is a very big man and while it appears well sculpted, he is at his best when a play is between the tackles where he can charge ahead with confidence in confined spaces and lay the hit with abandon. In short yardage, he really excels, for instance. He also plays very hard and will give you ever bit of effort he has and is quite aggressive and enthusiastic in his play. At times, they line him up on the edge to pass rush and although this is seldom their play, when it is, he looks way more comfortable making me wonder if you might experiment with him as a defensive end in your training camp.

What I did not like: Unfortunately, there is quite a bit that is disconcerting. He really doesn’t move very well at that position in all of the directions that the job calls for. He is very big in both height and weight to a point where he seems to be a Defensive End being assigned to play coverage in the middle of the defense. This might be a result of Mississippi State taking advantage of the lack of sophistication in SEC offenses and passing games, but we can assure you that this won’t work well on 3rd Down on Sundays. He just doesn’t possess the type of high end athleticism that we look for at this position relative to Dawson or Kendricks who are as athletic as the RBs they will deal with. McKinney is also not great at working through tight spaces and is easier to block because, frankly, the target is larger for the offensive linemen to hit. He also doesn’t seem to get to the plays in time when the play goes outside the tackles.

Summary: Overall, there are too many questions to value him in the Top 2 rounds (where you want a guy who you are sure can come right in and be a starter). I have no doubts that he will be a useful roster player and may even overachieve as so many linebacker have over the course of time, and play a decade. But you want way more answers than questions if you take a guy at the top of your draft and I really don’t feel comfortable tabbing him with a high investment. I believe that he does not have enough top-end athleticism for assured success on Sundays

Fowler, Williams at the head of the class on defense

By Jim Thomas

http://www.stltoday.com/sports/football/professional/fowler-williams-at-the-head-of-the-class-on-defense/article_a3646e2c-e40f-5779-a950-b001fe4a1425.html

For weeks, even months, the predominant draft discussion has centered around Florida State’s Jameis Winston vs. Oregon’s Marcus Mariota. Who’s the top quarterback? And who goes No. 1 overall?

The defensive version of that debate, much less hyped, is Leonard Williams or Dante Fowler. Who’s the best defensive player in the draft? Is it Fowler, the end/outside linebacker from Florida, or Williams, the end/tackle from Southern California?

Most scouts and draft analysts think both have the potential to be perennial Pro Bowlers at the next level. Our Post-Dispatch positional rankings have Fowler ahead of Williams because of his pass-rush skills. In this day and age of the NFL, pass-rush ability trumps all else on that side of the ball.

Fowler can get around the edge, and get to the passer. He is powerful, athletic and knows how to defeat blocks.

“He just turns me on every time I watch the tape,” said Rick Venturi, the former Rams assistant coach and current NFL radio analyst.

He’ll get no argument from Fowler there.

“My film speaks for itself,” Fowler said.

Fowler has a quick first step and plays with a lot of energy. He’s a collision player, who seeks out and enjoys contact. He had 34 tackles for loss in 25 career starts for the Gators, and registered 8 ½ sacks last season when he was named team captain and team MVP.

He turned pro a year early, saying the firing of coach Will Muschamp was the “tipping point” in his decision to skip his senior season.

But before you start carving that bust for Fowler in Canton, he’s not perfect. His run defense needs work: just watch the tape of Louisiana State’s offensive lineman La’el Collins working him over for proof.

But you can always getting better at run defense; lots of pass-rushers do once they reach the NFL. It’s usually a lot more difficult the other way around — that is, developing run defenders into pass-rushers. Fowler definitely has the kind of skills that are in high demand in the NFL, including 4.60 speed in the 40, which is really moving for a 261-pounder.

“He’s a terrific player,” new Atlanta head coach Dan Quinn said. “I’ve known him all the way through, growing up. He has that kind of (special) versatility. He can play down (on the line). He can play inside or outside (at linebacker). That’s the way they tried to feature him there.”

Quinn was Florida’s defensive coordinator in 2012 during Fowler’s true freshman year in Gainesville. Atlanta picks eighth overall, but Fowler should be long gone by then.

Many mocks don’t have him getting past Jacksonville at No. 3 overall. As for Southern Cal’s Williams, most mocks had him going to Tennessee at No. 2 overall earlier this offseason.

But now it looks like Mariota will go second overall — either to Tennessee or a team trading into that spot. If that’s the case, the Jaguars could opt for Williams instead. Even if that’s the case, Fowler almost certainly falls no lower than Washington at No. 5.

The Rams didn’t bother to bring in either defensive stalwart for a pre-draft visit, perhaps realizing it wouldn’t be worth the effort since they won’t get close to No. 10 overall.

Williams has versatility of his own, although in different ways than Fowler. At 302 pounds, he could be an ideal fit at end for a team running a 3-4 alignment. In a 4-3, he could be a disruptive tackle. Either way, he will undoubtedly be moved around by the team that drafts him.

“One of the biggest things that made me so versatile in my career is I played for three different D-line coaches while I’ve been at USC … and three defensive coordinators as well,” Williams said. “I’ve played in a lot of defensive schemes. With that came moving around a lot. The versatility came.”

A former rugby player who goes by the nickname Big Cat, Williams was USC’s first two-time All-American at defensive end in 55 years after registering 80 tackles, seven sacks, three forced fumbles and an interception last season. He did all that despite an early-season high ankle sprain, an injury that can linger for weeks.

In a different draft year, Williams or Fowler probably would be strong candidates for the No. 1 overall pick. But it’s hard to compete against elite quarterbacks for the top spot when you play on the other side of the ball.

“I would say from the previous years, sometimes it’s taking a chance when you take a quarterback,” Williams said. “You never know what you’re going to get.”

Williams regards himself as more of a sure thing.

“I’m going to bring that disruption and physical-ness, and I’m going to get to the quarterback and get some sacks,” he said.

And that means he won’t have to wait long to hear his named called next week, even if it’s after both quarterbacks and Fowler.

“I think his beauty is that he can play anywhere up and down the defensive line of scrimmage,” said NFL Network analyst Mike Mayock. “He reminds me of Richard Seymour, who the Patriots took years ago at No. 6 and became one of the preeminent defensive linemen in the NFL for years.”

Draft preview: Linebackers

By Jim Thomas

http://www.stltoday.com/sports/draft-preview-linebackers/article_4e53dabe-d49e-55ed-ada1-fe6d0ac6bbdb.html

CREAM OF THE CROP

Player, position, school, height, weight

VIC BEASLEY, OLB/DE, Clemson, 6-3, 246

Atlantic Coast Conference defensive player of year had 21½ tackles for loss, 12 sacks.

RANDY GREGORY, OLB/DE, Nebraska, 6-5, 235

Loads of pass-rush talent, combined with lots of off-field issues.

ELI HAROLD, OLB/DE, Virginia, 6-3, 247

Underrated among slew of 2014 edge rushers; could sneak into Round 1.

ERIC KENDRICKS, WLB/ILB, UCLA, 6-0, 232

UCLA’s first Butkus Award winner after recording 149 tackles, four sacks.

SHAQ THOMPSON, OLB, Washington, 6-0, 228

Fast, instinctive, athletic; was two-way player for Huskies (two starts at running back).

DON’T OVERLOOK

OLB/DE Loreno Mauldin, Louisville; MLB Bernardrick McKinney, Mississippi State; OLB/DE Nate Orchard, Utah; MLB Denzel Perryman, Miami; ILB/WLB Paul Dawson, TCU.

FUN FACT

Washington’s Thompson was drafted in the 18th round of the 2012 baseball draft by the Boston Red Sox. He struck out 37 times in 39 at-bats playing rookie ball in Fort Myers, Fla.

QUOTABLE

“There were a couple of media people that made a joke out of it. But it was motivation to me. Used it as motivation going into my freshman year. Met some great people there. Met this thing called failure. Learned how to beat it.” — Washington’s SHAQ THOMPSON, on his brief baseball career.

RAMS’ NEEDS

The addition of Akeem Ayers in free agency gave the team at best a starting strong-side linebacker, and at worst depth and a role player with pass-rush skills. It looks as if the Rams are looking for more depth, as evidenced by the pre-draft visits of Mississippi State’s Bernardrick McKinney and Louisville’s Deiontrez Mount. Interestingly, edge-rushers Vic Beasley (Clemson) and Bud Dupree (Kentucky) also have been in.

RATING THE FIELD

In this day of multiple fronts and 3-4 edge-rushers, the line between defensive end and outside linebacker has been blurred. For purposes of this draft series, we’ve listed the larger edge rushers at defensive end, the smaller ones at outside linebacker. In any event, Beasley and Gregory have top 10 talent. Kendricks and Thompson are more traditional linebackers, who probably won’t rate a first-round selection but are talented prospects.

Rams draft preview: Defensive line

By Nick Wagoner

http://espn.go.com/blog/st-louis-rams/post/_/id/17921/rams-draft-preview-defensive-line

EARTH CITY, Mo. — The NFL draft is set to begin April 30 and the St. Louis Rams hold six picks in this year’s selection process. For the next week and a half, we’ll take a look at a different position every day with what the Rams have in place at a position, what they need, when they might address it and some possible fits.

We continue the countdown with a look at this year’s crop of defensive linemen.

In place: Robert Quinn, Chris Long, William Hayes, Eugene Sims, Ethan Westbrooks, Michael Brockers, Aaron Donald, Nick Fairley, Mason Brodine, Doug Worthington.

What’s needed: Looking at the names listed above, the easy answer here would be “nothing.” But that’s actually pretty shortsighted. The Rams have no immediate need for help on the defensive line. Quinn and Long are the starters outside with Brockers and Donald on the inside. Hayes, Sims and Fairley are all in the mix to provide depth. That’s seven players and doesn’t even include the talented young Westbrooks. All figure to have a spot moving forward. So there’s no pressing situation here for the Rams to add for 2015. It’s what’s set to happen after 2015 that might raise some alarms on where the team stands on the defensive line. Long is due to count $14.25 million against the salary cap next season, a hefty number for a player who is still bouncing back from last year’s injury. Hayes and Sims will be unrestricted free agents. The Rams are likely to keep Brockers on his fifth-year option and possibly negotiate an extension with him but until either of those things are done, only Donald is under team control for 2016 at this moment amongst tackles. So it might behoove the Rams to plan for the future, especially at end, in this year’s draft. That’s particularly true given that this year’s draft class appears loaded with pass-rushers.

Possible fits: There’s no shortage of talent available this year on the defensive line, though most of that is in the form of pass-rushers and there are questions whether those pass-rushers actually fit into roles as ends in 4-3 defenses or are more stand-up linebackers in a 3-4. USC’s Leonard Williams is regarded as the best prospect among down linemen but will almost certainly go before the Rams pick. After that, Florida’s Dante Fowler Jr., Clemson’s Vic Beasley and Missouri’s Shane Ray are also considered top talents with Kentucky’s Bud Dupree and Nebraska’s Randy Gregory also will garner plenty of attention. Gregory is the biggest conundrum because of off the field issues but is probably a top five talent on the field. Of that group, Ray, Beasley, Dupree and Fowler are probably the players with the size or the frame to add the size to fit in with the Rams. Likewise, defensive coordinator Gregg Williams is as adept as any coach in the league at finding the best way to use pass-rushers. At tackle, only Danny Shelton really stands out in a fairly weak crop, though players like Oklahoma’s Jordan Phillips, Florida State’s Eddie Goldman and Texas’ Malcom Brown should also get early consideration.

Verdict: It probably wouldn’t go over very well with the fan base but it can’t be ruled out that the Rams might find the value of a top pass-rusher too good to pass on. I wouldn’t expect them to make much of a move on a defensive tackle, though it wouldn’t be a huge surprise if they took one later in the draft. But as for early picks, if someone like Fowler, Beasley or Ray slipped to 10 and the Rams have him rated the highest player on the board, it wouldn’t surprise if they took one. Plus, Rams coach Jeff Fisher has never been one to shy away from stockpiling pass-rushers. At No. 10, the Rams simply aren’t in a great spot to marry value and need so they might find value in one of the pass-rushers that’s just too good to pass up.