rynesandbergfan23
Bench Warmer
By Vic Carucci
National Editor, NFL.com
(March 27, 2007) -- One man's ranking of the top five inside linebackers in the NFL draft:
1. Patrick Willis, Mississippi
Positives: Strength, speed, intelligence, and tremendous instincts. ... Plays with aggressiveness. ... Avoids being fooled by play fakes and misdirection plays. ... Toughness. ... Competitiveness. ... Strong effort on every snap.
Negatives: Not much for a player who is by far the draft's best at his position, although he must learn to make better use of his hands to fend off blockers.
2. David Harris, Michigan
Positives: Instincts and intelligence. ... Plays with good leverage. ... Makes good use of his hands to separate from blockers. ... Toughness. ... Competitiveness.
Negatives: Must work at getting through traffic. ... Needs to work on pass-coverage skills.
3. Buster Davis, Florida State
Positives: Strength, speed, intelligence, and instincts. ... Tremendous effort on every play. ... Excels at diagnosing plays and reacting to them. ... Shows good pass-coverage skills.
Negatives: At 5-foot-9-plus, lacks ideal height. ... Must work at using his hands to fend off blockers. ... Needs to work on tackling technique.
4. Brandon Siler, Florida (Underclassman)
Positives: Strength, instincts, and intelligence. ... Excels at well-timed blitzing. ... Does a nice job of diagnosing plays and reacting to them. ... Fast enough to chase down plays from behind.
Negatives: Needs to improve on working through traffic. ... Must work on pass-coverage technique.
5. Zak DeOssie, Brown
Positives: Size (6-4-plus, 250 pounds), strength, speed, and considerable intelligence. ... Toughness. ... Growing up around the pro game as the son of former NFL linebacker Steve DeOssie and absorbing knowledge from Bill Belichick while serving as a ball boy for the Patriots. ... Could contribute immediately on special teams, particularly as a long-snapper.
Negatives: Lower level of competition in college.
National Editor, NFL.com
(March 27, 2007) -- One man's ranking of the top five inside linebackers in the NFL draft:
1. Patrick Willis, Mississippi
Positives: Strength, speed, intelligence, and tremendous instincts. ... Plays with aggressiveness. ... Avoids being fooled by play fakes and misdirection plays. ... Toughness. ... Competitiveness. ... Strong effort on every snap.
Negatives: Not much for a player who is by far the draft's best at his position, although he must learn to make better use of his hands to fend off blockers.
2. David Harris, Michigan
Positives: Instincts and intelligence. ... Plays with good leverage. ... Makes good use of his hands to separate from blockers. ... Toughness. ... Competitiveness.
Negatives: Must work at getting through traffic. ... Needs to work on pass-coverage skills.
3. Buster Davis, Florida State
Positives: Strength, speed, intelligence, and instincts. ... Tremendous effort on every play. ... Excels at diagnosing plays and reacting to them. ... Shows good pass-coverage skills.
Negatives: At 5-foot-9-plus, lacks ideal height. ... Must work at using his hands to fend off blockers. ... Needs to work on tackling technique.
4. Brandon Siler, Florida (Underclassman)
Positives: Strength, instincts, and intelligence. ... Excels at well-timed blitzing. ... Does a nice job of diagnosing plays and reacting to them. ... Fast enough to chase down plays from behind.
Negatives: Needs to improve on working through traffic. ... Must work on pass-coverage technique.
5. Zak DeOssie, Brown
Positives: Size (6-4-plus, 250 pounds), strength, speed, and considerable intelligence. ... Toughness. ... Growing up around the pro game as the son of former NFL linebacker Steve DeOssie and absorbing knowledge from Bill Belichick while serving as a ball boy for the Patriots. ... Could contribute immediately on special teams, particularly as a long-snapper.
Negatives: Lower level of competition in college.
