2017 NFL Draft Preview: Inside Linebackers
Writer’s Note: This is the latest in a series, and I’ll do as many positions as I can before the draft at the end of the month. As I mentioned before, I don’t try to pretend to know what order guys are going to be drafted. I only know what’s in Bill Belichick’s heart and have predicted at least a half a dozen of his picks over the years. But with the Patriots not having a pick in the top 70, instead of doing a Patriots-centric preview like I’ve done in the past, here’s more of an overview and I’ll be The Belichick Whisperer at the end. Today, it’s inside linebacker.
Earlier previews: Quarterbacks, Running backs, Wide receivers, Tight ends, Edge
Positional overview: As the NFL develops more and more into a passing league destroying the habitat of the big, traditional, run-stuffing, middle-of-the-defense linebacker, they’ve been put on the Endangered Species list. In the last two drafts, the only true inside linebacker taken in the first round is Stephone Anthony, to New Orleans with the 31st pick in 2015. But they’re not extinct yet. Guys like Luke Keuchley, Bobby Wagner, Dont’a Hightower and Deion Jones have won a lot of games and proven that until pro football outlaws the forward run, they’re always be a place for a nasty, physical, brass-balled tough guy playing off-the-line LB. They may not be the face of the league stars like they were in the days of Jack Lambert, Mike Singletary or (dare I say it) Ray Lewis. But let’s hope the position lives forever because football without the need for great LBs is a sport we will not want to watch.
As far as the Class of 2017, it is not a great year for ILBs. There are a few potential first rounders, some question marks and not a ton of depth. So NFL scouting departments will have to work their asses off to mine gold here.
The Throwback:
Reuben Foster, Alabama. 6-0, 229 bl, 4.72 40-time
Compares to the active ingredients in: Patrick Willis
Foster is the prototype of size and speed. The kind of ILB prospect teams tried to build around before the NFL Rules Committee turned tackle football into Frisbee Golf. He’s a punishing, bruising, Lights Out hitter and a high-impact tackler. He actually dropped 15 lbs, but it didn’t take any of the explosiveness out of his hitting. He’s more of a quick-burst player than super athletic, but still will pursue to make plays from sideline-to-sideline. He’ll play inside or out, and from his tape, there’s no aspect of the game he cannot do. If there’s any concern with Foster, it’s that early in his career at Bama he was susceptible to stingers. He’s unquestionably the first ILB off the board, the question is where teams value the position now. But at least one scout I listen to has Foster as his third best player in the entire draft. He also got into a beef with the medical staff at the Lucas Oil Rodeo so the NFL sent him to his room with no cell phone privileges and no XBox. But it doesn’t appear that it hurt his draft status because everyone just blamed Obamacare.
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The Consolation Prize:
Haason Reddick, Temple. 6-1, 237 lb, 4.52
Compares to the active ingredients in: Ryan Shazier
The thing that jumps out at you about Reddick is his movement, which is off the charts. Whether he was lining up at right or left defensive end, standing or with his hand in the dirt, or occasional dropping back to the second level, he was all over the field. He was only a 180 lb safety as a walk-on but the P90-X was very good to him and he made the conversion. And proved how important football is to him by playing out a four year career without a scholarship. As a senior he had 22.5 tackles for loss, good for third in the nation, plus 9.5 sacks. He definitely projects to a move into the middle in the pros, either as a 4-3 Will or a WILB in a 3-4, and has the quick twitch to rush the passer. In the tackling game he’ll have to use his speed to generate power, but there’s a lot of quickness there to work with. One thing that might concern you is Reddick played fewer than 70 percent of the Owls snaps, which you don’t expect from a guy with his versatility. But your biggest issue with him will be beat writers with no sense of shame making Chronicles of Reddick puns.
The Gators:
Jarrad Davis, Florida. 6-1, 238 lb, 4.78.
Compares to the active ingredients in: Shaq Thompson
Davis probably isn’t big enough to play the Mike in the middle of a 4-3. But he’s ferocious, competitive and tough as a week old bagel. I’d say his intangibles are off the charts, but it goes without saying since you can’t chart intangibles. So instead I’ll say he was a team captain with a great work ethic and an energy level so high he might have a Tony Stark Arc Reactor in his chest. He’s athletic enough that the Gators had him spy running quarterbacks. Just to find fault, because that’s how the game is played, he did play behind a dominant defensive line. And his 98 tackles in 2015 dropped to 60 last year. So there’s that. But as skittish as I am about busts from Florida, I do like this guy.
Alez Anzalone, Florida. 6-3, 241 lb, 4.63
Compares to the active ingredients in: Kiko Alonzo
“Thor” has the size and speed to be a 3-down ‘backer either in a 4-3 or 3-4. At least he does when he’s healthy, which hasn’t been very much. He broke his arm after eight games last season and only had 10 career starts. He also finished with no interceptions and no forced fumbles. What he does have is the agility to play inside-to-out, a high football IQ for dissecting plays pre-snap and the respect of his coaches who said he was a voice in the locker room everyone responded to. He can run with tight ends on seam routes and has the long arms to defend passes. I’ll be especially curious to see how far his injuries make him fall because whoever drafts him will get a guy with a high ceiling.
Another Big School Guy:
Raekwon McMillen, Ohio St. 6-2, 240 lb, 4.61
Compares to the active ingredients in: Mason Foster
McMillan sure looks like a guy Central Casting would send to play the middle linebacker in an episode of Modern Family or whatever. He’s muscular with big shoulders. The problem is too often he plays like a TV linebacker instead of the specimen he is. He tends to be slow on his play recognition. And while he comes at ball carriers with low pad level and stopping power, when he engages with blocker he has a tendency to not get disengaged and gets taken out of the play. He’s a Sam who could probably move to Mike if he could ever improve his take-on skills and learn to use his hands more. What he does have going for him is more experience than most of this group, even playing 15 games as a freshmen after leaving high school early. Still, I’m with the guys who think McMillen projects to a JAG. A guy who might have a long career but will never make you watch a play for the excitement of seeing what he does.
The Small School Guy:
Connor Harris, Lindenwood. 5-11, 242 lb, 4.73
Compares to the active ingredients in: Chris Borland
Yes, Harris played at a school that sounds like the country club your fiancee drags you to for a tasting when you’re looking at venues. But apparently it’s a school in Missouri that recently moved up from the Heart of America Conference and was famous for producing such NFL notables as DeDe Dorsey, Brian Schaefering and Pierre Desir. Until now. Because Connor Harris went there as a quarterback, safety, kicker and punter before switching to ILB. In fairness, he did get an offer from Kansas, but it came after he’d accepted at Lindenwood. All he did there was start 48 games and set an NCAA record with 633 tackles. With 184 of those coming in his junior year. He’s a gym rat and a film room … What would the equivalent be? Bat? Because it’s dark like a cave? I’ll work on it … anyway he works hard. He’s a sound tackler and has the athleticism to cover the field. But his cover skills are limited due to his size and lack of competition. Still, he’ll definitely be drafted and make some roster as a developmental linebacker and versatile Core-4 special teams ace.
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The Sleeper:
Kendell Beckwith, LSU. 6-2, 243 lb, 4.82
Compares to the active ingredients in: Brandon Spikes
Beckwith is kind of limited because of his lack of speed. But he doesn’t often play a slow as his straight-line numbers would indicate. He has a burst and closing speed. He’ll read plays quickly to be in motion at the snap of the ball. He’s got the body of a big, physical, old school middle linebacker. He tore an ACL in November, which will cause him to drop. But for a team that values intelligence and experience over stopwatch results, he could be a steal.
The Perfect Patriot:
Zach Cunningham, Vanderbilt. 6-3, 234 bl, 4.67
Compares to the active ingredients in: Derrick Johnson
Bill Belichick went to Vandy’s Pro Day while he was passively/aggressively blowing off the media and other coaches during NFL Owner’s Meetings. And a video of him personally running Cunningham through drills went semi-viral. No surprise there as Cunningham strikes me as a linebacker with the kind of profile Belichick would swipe right for. He’s got the play recognition of Neo reading the floating green code of The Matrix. He’s got the elusiveness to scrape along the line of scrimmage, diagnose the flow of the ball and hit the hole before the ball carrier commits to it. He’s a long strider with the range to be a chase/spill player when he’s in space. Granted, he’s got work to do. His lankiness hurts his tackling and he needs to quit skipping leg day. In that respect, he reminds me of Shawn Crable, who needed to add some mass, never really did and couldn’t take the field for the Patriots. I might be dreaming on Cunningham because most mocks project him to be a top five ILB and probably be off the board in the second round. But if by some improbability the Patriots have a shot, they’ll take it.