Slimm's 2017 Linebackers (Seniors)

[Pachyderm_Wave]

1. Reuben Foster / Alabama / 6'0", 229 (#21 overall)

2. Haason Reddick / Temple / 6'1", 237 (#23 overall)

3. Jarrad Davis / Florida / 6'1", 238 (#30 overall)

4. Tyus Bowser / Houston / 6'3", 247 (#50 overall)

5. Ryan Anderson / Alabama / 6'2", 249 (#81 overall)

6. Duke Riley / LSU / 6'0", 232 (#84 overall)

7. Vince Biegel / Wisconsin / 6'3", 246 (#94 overall)

8. Jalen Reeves-Mabin / Tennessee / 6'0", 230 (#206 overall)

9. Steven Taylor / Houston / 6'1", 225
(#207 overall)

10. Ben Gedeon / Michigan / 6'2", 244 (#209 overall)

11. Alex Anzalone / Florida / 6'3", 241 (#210 overall)

12. Jordan Evans / Oklahoma / 6'2", 232 (#214 overall)

13. Devonte Fields / Louisville / 6'2", 236 (#216 overall)

14. Marquel Lee / Wake Forest / 6'3", 240 (#234 overall)

15. Brooks Ellis / Arkansas / 6'2", 240 (#236 overall)

16. Richie Brown / Mississippi St. / 6'2", 237 (#237 overall)

17. Calvin Munson / San Diego St. / 6'1", 245 (#238 overall)

18. Tau Lotulelei / UNLV / 6'0", 235 (#245 overall)

19. Tanner Vallejo / Boise St. / 6'1", 228 (#247 overall)

20. Javancy Jones / Jackson St. / 6'1", 245 (#257 overall)

21. Riley Bullough / Michigan St. / 6'2", 226 (UDFA)

22. Kenneth Olugbode / Colorado / 6'1", 222 (UDFA)

23. Rodney Butler / New Mexico St. / 6'0", 235 (UDFA)

24. Christan Tago / San Jose St. / 6'0", 242 (UDFA)

25. Deon Hollins / UCLA / 6'0", 230 (UDFA)

26. Paul Magloire / Arizona / 6'0", 225 (UDFA)

27. Matt Milano / Boston College / 6'0", 223 (UDFA)

28. T.J. Ricks / Old Dominion / 6'0", 238 (UDFA)

29. Kendell Beckwith / LSU / 6'2", 243 (UDFA)

30. Matt Galambos / Pittsburgh / 6'1", 240 (UDFA)

31. Jonathan Walton / S. Carolina / 6'0", 236 (UDFA)

32. Peter Kalambayi / Stanford / 6'2", 245 (UDFA)

33. Salamo Fiso / Arizona St. / 6'0", 230
(UDFA)

34. Ed Davis / Michigan St. / 6'1", 237 (UDFA)

35. P.J. Davis / Georgia Tech / 5'10", 235 (UDFA)

36. Keith Kelsey / Louisville / 6'0", 233 (UDFA)

 

[BobDole]

Great list slimm.

Few surprises there for me. Love me some Davis but I think a few of the guys listed below him will be drafted first (moore, brown, foster). NFL teams won't love him in coverage. What happened to Gillam? He dropped a long way from last year's list (I don't follow Colorado so I don't know). Bullough seems a bit low as well.

My little brothers grew up with Milano from BC - really good kid. He was on all their crazy talented baseball, basketball, and football teams growing up - the ones with larkin's kid, griffey's kid, mcgrady's little bro, pig, gordon's kids, milano bros, ha-ha, dee, etc.. it seems like my little Bros are the only kids from those teams that didn't/aren't going pro . (One of their pop warner teams was the only team ever to not give up a point all season - if I've been told correctly. Onside kicked every single time.) Milano plays more safety at BC but they lined him up all over the place - even at end. I think LB is where he'll play if he goes pro.

 

[Pachyderm_Wave]

Great list slimm.

Few surprises there for me. Love me some Davis but I think a few of the guys listed below him will be drafted first (moore, brown, foster). NFL teams won't love him in coverage. What happened to Gillam? He dropped a long way from last year's list (I don't follow Colorado so I don't know). Bullough seems a bit low as well.

My little brothers grew up with Milano from BC - really good kid. He was on all their crazy talented baseball, basketball, and football teams growing up - the ones with larkin's kid, griffey's kid, mcgrady's little bro, pig, gordon's kids, milano bros, ha-ha, dee, etc.. it seems like my little Bros are the only kids from those teams that didn't/aren't going pro . (One of their pop warner teams was the only team ever to not give up a point all season - if I've been told correctly. Onside kicked every single time.) Milano plays more safety at BC but they lined him up all over the place - even at end. I think LB is where he'll play if he goes pro.

Yeah Milano is a little bit of that safety/linebacker hybrid type player. So is Skai Moore though, for example. A lot of these kids are. It helps to slow down all the spread offenses you see now.

What I like so much about Jarrad Davis is the physicality he plays with. He's more physical than any of these other linebackers. If you go back and watch the SEC Championship game, Davis and Jonathan Bullard are the only 2 who could really match Alabama's physicality every snap. They both stuck out like sore thumbs in terms of being physical. They're NFL players.

Steven Taylor dominated Florida St. in the Peach Bowl. I really like that kid too.

Gillam was hurt all last season and barely played, and this is a much better linebacker class.

 

[j-off-her-doll]

Assuming Moore misses the season, and assuming that his medical checks out without significant issues at the Combine, I'll be curious to see how far he falls. I'd think the 3rd Round would be his absolute floor. But, this draft has some other nice LB's, who are also undersized/athletic - though, none have 11 INT's. Jarrad Davis is more of a David Harris. I really like Reeves-Maybin and Taylor. Reeves-Maybin closes as well as you can ask, and I love Taylor's versatility as a playmaker. Anderson's sack total would be higher on a team that wasn't so loaded at the Edge. All in all, this looks like a very strong Senior group of LB's. Davis, Reeves-Maybin, and Taylor all have a shot to go in the 1st, and if it weren't for the injury, Moore would be in that group, as well. If I had to bet, I'd pick Taylor to come out on top because of his ability to make plays all over the field and his consistency. Also, it's cool to see San Diego St. produce some players. Munson looks pretty solid. I haven't checked out Kazee, but I'm looking forward to it.

 

[j-off-her-doll]

Steven Taylor has 2 TFL's in every game this year, and he's posted 2, 1.5, and 2 sacks. He's also forced a fumble and returned an INT for a TD.

 

[ChambersWI]

I don't see him on your list Slimm, but Kenneth Olugbode from Colorado really impressed me yesterday

 

[Pachyderm_Wave]

Steven Taylor has 2 TFL's in every game this year, and he's posted 2, 1.5, and 2 sacks. He's also forced a fumble and returned an INT for a TD.

Taylor is a splash play type linebacker, and the conference Houston plays in lends itself more opportunities for linebackers to make splash plays. He actually led this entire list of linebackers entering the season in career passes defended. He's good in coverage.

However, he's always been inconsistent. This year he's struggled with overpursuit on running plays as an inside linebacker, particularly against Oklahoma, which led to some big runs. He just hasn't been solid in his run fits. There's been nobody home on the cutbacks by the RB several times and he was supposed to be. Looks to me like he's freelancing a little out there trying to make splash plays rather than reading his keys and executing the defense. I probably view him as more of an outside linebacker at the next level.

 

[ckparrothead]

Between Anthony Walker, Zach Cunningham and Reuben Foster...we have the makings of a fine LB draft coming up in 2017. I haven't necessarily left some guys out intentionally, it's going to take me a bit before I get around to them all. But those three are impressive.

 

[j-off-her-doll]

Taylor is a splash play type linebacker, and the conference Houston plays in lends itself more opportunities for linebackers to make splash plays. He actually led this entire list of linebackers entering the season in career passes defended. He's good in coverage.

However, he's always been inconsistent. This year he's struggled with overpursuit on running plays as an inside linebacker, particularly against Oklahoma, which led to some big runs. He just hasn't been solid in his run fits. There's been nobody home on the cutbacks by the RB several times and he was supposed to be. Looks to me like he's freelancing a little out there trying to make splash plays rather than reading his keys and executing the defense. I probably view him as more of an outside linebacker at the next level.

Absolutely agree, but he's better - significantly, I'd say - than Shaq Thompson, who was also just a splash player at LB. While I thought Thompson was a bad reach by Carolina, and I don't think he's justified his 1st RD pick with his play, I think Taylor would justify a 1st RD pick in the right scenario - as an OLB, agreed.

 

[Pachyderm_Wave]

Between Anthony Walker, Zach Cunningham and Reuben Foster...we have the makings of a fine LB draft coming up in 2017. I haven't necessarily left some guys out intentionally, it's going to take me a bit before I get around to them all. But those three are impressive.

I think I've mentioned this before about Zach Cunningham, but he's a kid I've been familiar with since he was in high school at Pinson Valley. We played Pinson Valley in their house Cunningham's senior year in the 2nd round of the playoffs the same year we went undefeated and won the State Championship. We were down 21-19 with less than a minute left. Cunningham had been a terror all game.

He sacked us on 4th down on what would've sealed a 2 point win for Pinson Valley....except he got our quarterback's facemask. It gave us one more shot and we popped a big pass down the left sideline for about 40 yards which put us in field goal range with only seconds remaining. We hit the field goal and got out of there with a 22-21 win, and went on to finish undefeated. Zach Cunningham was at the time one of the three best players I saw in the playoffs that year....behind Jameis Winston and Darius Philon. He had that type of talent and ability to affect games.

 

[ckparrothead]

I think I've mentioned this before about Zach Cunningham, but he's a kid I've been familiar with since he was in high school at Pinson Valley. We played Pinson Valley in their house Cunningham's senior year in the 2nd round of the playoffs the same year we went undefeated and won the State Championship. We were down 21-19 with less than a minute left. Cunningham had been a terror all game.

He sacked us on 4th down on what would've sealed a 2 point win for Pinson Valley....except he got our quarterback's facemask. It gave us one more shot and we popped a big pass down the left sideline for about 40 yards which put us in field goal range with only seconds remaining. We hit the field goal and got out of there with a 22-21 win, and went on to finish undefeated. Zach Cunningham was at the time one of the three best players I saw in the playoffs that year....behind Jameis Winston and Darius Philon. He had that type of talent and ability to affect games.

What the hell ever happened to Darius Philon for that matter. Terror at Arkansas.

Never mind just answered my own question, part time player for the Chargers...20 snaps in the Saints game.

Cunningham very impressive and it's tough to really think of a comparison for me. I guess I'm somewhere between K.J. Wright and Karlos Dansby. But that could just be the size and speed ratio.

 

[NRA]

Something I am not seeing here is the emphasis on covering te's. If we will ever win this division, we need a Gronk killer and actually, our whole lb corp could be upgraded in that department. They don't cover worth poo. I would like to see a sub list here of lb's who excel in coverage.

 

[Pachyderm_Wave]

Something I am not seeing here is the emphasis on covering te's. If we will ever win this division, we need a Gronk killer and actually, our whole lb corp could be upgraded in that department. They don't cover worth poo. I would like to see a sub list here of lb's who excel in coverage.

Let me know when you see the linebacker that's going to cover Rob Gronkowski. I'll wait...

Most defenses in college are really a base 4-2-5 now to be honest. You're matching up that 5th DB which is more of a safety/LB hybrid on flex Tight Ends or a safety. It's going to be the same way at the next level. You're not going to try to match up with an elite TE like Gronk with a linebacker. That's suicide essentially.

 

[ckparrothead]

I think Matt Milano is a legit NFL player. He's for sure more of that hybrid LB/S type but the key here is that he's FAST and genuinely good and trustworthy in coverage. That's where I think he separates himself from a group of guys that are good linebackers that happen to be small and will therefore move to a hybrid position as a last stop before their careers die. Milano is more a guy that I could play at LB, or I could play at S, or I could play a LB/S.

The name I'm thinking about is Winston Venable, in that I don't think Milano is just another Winston Venable, because I think he's genuinely fast whereas Venable came out about 4.70 speed. But there are shared qualities otherwise. Milano probably a touch bigger.

 

[BobDole]

I think Matt Milano is a legit NFL player. He's for sure more of that hybrid LB/S type but the key here is that he's FAST and genuinely good and trustworthy in coverage. That's where I think he separates himself from a group of guys that are good linebackers that happen to be small and will therefore move to a hybrid position as a last stop before their careers die. Milano is more a guy that I could play at LB, or I could play at S, or I could play a LB/S.

The name I'm thinking about is Winston Venable, in that I don't think Milano is just another Winston Venable, because I think he's genuinely fast whereas Venable came out about 4.70 speed. But there are shared qualities otherwise. Milano probably a touch bigger.

I know him and the family pretty well. If you have any questions about him shoot me a PM, I don't want to air out personal stuff on here. Let's just say everyone but pops was surprised the string bean with limited tools and the worst ADD ever has gotten to where he is. His dad is to thank for that. Rode him so freaking hard. Took him to every camp. Got every ounce out of that kid. But if I showed you some of his hs pics, you'd be shocked it was the same person.

The comp I'd make for him is Harrison smith. Very similar prospects that were the Swiss army knives for their respective colleges. Also tough to evaluate because of it. It looks like milano has learned to take coaching better in college ... he drove his pop warner and hs coaches nuts with freelancing to the tune of having to shade him everywhere ... so overcoming that and his size (he was no joke like 5'9" 165 coming out of DP) were his biggest obstacles. I'm rooting for him.

He's been intensely schooled on combine drills since he was like 14 so he could impress there as well.