Seattle Person
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- May 3, 2021
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This is a very scarce LB class. There is some intrigue but it's not the deepest group of LBs this year. There are very few I think I will be comfortable with starting from day 1.
For my LBs -- I like them to be smart, fast, and must have the ability to blitz. They might not need to be an outstanding coverage LB because I think Mac's schemes puts LBs in great spots. It doesn't require them to play in impossible situations like previous years. For example, requiring Brooks or Bobby to cover a WR on a deep crosser running full speed...The LBs on this list all are great to good athletes with either great speed or high explosive traits. They all have great blitzing abilities with great production in college. Most of them also have experience calling plays and being the QB of the defense for their respective teams.
1st Round
Payton Wilson: 6'4, 233 lbs, 30.5'' arms, 4.43 (40-yard), 1.53 (10-yard), 4.20 (Shuttle), 6.85 (3 Cone), 34.5'' (Vertical): I am not going to waver on Wilson. I still think he's the most complete and best LB in this draft. He's got it all. Good size. Great speed. He can cover, blitz, play Edge, Sam, Will, Mike, and have actually covered players from the slot at the LB position. He doesn't miss tackles and the production and talent are there. But...it's a brutal injury history. 2 ACL injuries to the same knee and 2 shoulder injuries on both shoulders. I think he's the only true first round talent at the LB in this class. He is alone at the top for me. He most likely is going to fall and he'll be 25 by his rookie season. If I'm a contender team like the Lions, Eagles, Dolphins, 49ers, Bengals Rams that needs a Will type that flies around -- I would be all over him in the 2nd or 3rd rounds.
2nd Round
Edgerrin Cooper: 6'2, 233 lbs, 32.5'' arms, 4.51 (40-yard), 1.56 (10-yard), 4.27 (Shuttle), 7.20 (3 Cone), 34.5'' (Vertical): He'll be 23 in the season. He's fast with great length. He can blitz and is a perfect fit at the Will position. He can't handle play calling just yet. He can fly around. He's a great athlete but still sort of raw when it comes to the little things of LB play. Still needs plenty of work in the zone game. Is probably best used as a blitzer and QB spy. He has massive upside but needs refinement.
3rd Round
Trevin Wallace: 6'1, 237 lbs, 32.5'' arms, 4.51 (40-yard), 1.62 (10-yard), 37.5'' (Vertical): I think most want Junior Colson here but I'm going in a different direction. Wallace is a tremendous mover in the open field. One of the biggest upside in this year's draft. I think you take him the 3rd and let him sit behind Dodson and Baker. Let him learn, take it in, and you try to reap the rewards. He'll be a monster as a ST player. You just don't get movers like him in a draft. He's super raw but he started playing LB recently. He just turned 21 and is one of the younger players in the class. He's not good at some of the nuanced LB things like reads, coverages, and blitzing but let him learn. He already is doing some of these things well but he's making it up as he plays. He needs refinement. Mac's background is as a LB coach. Let Wallace go to the Master's LB Program led by Coach Mac. I imagine he will love Wallace's profile.
4th Round
Nathaniel Watson: 6'2, 233 lbs, 32'' arms, 4.63 (40-yard), 1.61 (10-yard), 4.44 (Shuttle), 7.34 (3 Cone), 31'' (Vertical), 16 reps (Bench): He's someone that is being overlooked big time. He has solid athleticism and great production in the SEC. He can blitz the hell out of the QB. High sack production in his last year. The biggest question mark is his lack of solo tackles. He had a bunch of assist tackles but a lack of solos. I think he can be a solid player in the NFL but probably has good upside but not great upside. He can get going in a straight line but can struggle with lateral movement. Not someone I'm going to ask to cover LBs or big slot guys. He can struggle getting off blocks.
5th Round
Tyrice Knight: 6'0, 233 lbs, 32.5'' arms, 4.63 (40-yard), 1.59 (10-yard), 34.5'' (Vertical), 4.40 (Shuttle), 7.25 (3 Cone), 21 reps (Bench): I love this dude in the middle rounds. He plays with a boom factor. Sometimes he does get a little wild with the truck stick and doesn't wrap up. He plays the run pretty well and has potential as a down hill blitzer. He has good speed and probably needs to get stronger. He needs to improve in coverage and in zone in particular. Whether it's coaching or a lack of experience, he looks lost in coverage at times. He figures to be a monster in ST because of his ability to hit and physical nature.
6th Round
Jordan Magee: 6'1, 228 lbs, 32'' arms, 4.55 (40-yard), 1.57 (10-yard), 35.5'' (Vertical), 6.83 (3 Cone): He's going to need to add a little bit of bulk. Pretty slender LB but has a high motor to the ball. He can use time to develop his body and his game. He'll be a great ST player. Flies around the field. He needs to wrap up more but has the speed to take at this point of the draft. Great value in the later rounds.
7th Round or UDFA (I couldn't find one I like)
Joe Andreessen: 6'1, 240 lbs, 30.5'' arms, 4.65 (40-yard), 1.59 (10-yard), 38'' (Vertical), 7.21 (3 Cone), 4.22 (Shuttle), 32 reps (Bench): Nothing really knows about this kids but he's starting to create some buzz. He's already met with some teams after his performance at the Patriots Pro Day. He doesn't have great speed but he's highly explosive and can burst in short area (10-yard split shows that). Old-school type of LB. Nasty and mean. He's exactly the type you draft in the 6th or 7th round to secure him. Not guaranteed in the UDFA process. He is a much older prospect though. He graduated high school in 2018. He spent 5 years at Bryant and 1 year at Buffalo.
For my LBs -- I like them to be smart, fast, and must have the ability to blitz. They might not need to be an outstanding coverage LB because I think Mac's schemes puts LBs in great spots. It doesn't require them to play in impossible situations like previous years. For example, requiring Brooks or Bobby to cover a WR on a deep crosser running full speed...The LBs on this list all are great to good athletes with either great speed or high explosive traits. They all have great blitzing abilities with great production in college. Most of them also have experience calling plays and being the QB of the defense for their respective teams.
1st Round
Payton Wilson: 6'4, 233 lbs, 30.5'' arms, 4.43 (40-yard), 1.53 (10-yard), 4.20 (Shuttle), 6.85 (3 Cone), 34.5'' (Vertical): I am not going to waver on Wilson. I still think he's the most complete and best LB in this draft. He's got it all. Good size. Great speed. He can cover, blitz, play Edge, Sam, Will, Mike, and have actually covered players from the slot at the LB position. He doesn't miss tackles and the production and talent are there. But...it's a brutal injury history. 2 ACL injuries to the same knee and 2 shoulder injuries on both shoulders. I think he's the only true first round talent at the LB in this class. He is alone at the top for me. He most likely is going to fall and he'll be 25 by his rookie season. If I'm a contender team like the Lions, Eagles, Dolphins, 49ers, Bengals Rams that needs a Will type that flies around -- I would be all over him in the 2nd or 3rd rounds.
2nd Round
Edgerrin Cooper: 6'2, 233 lbs, 32.5'' arms, 4.51 (40-yard), 1.56 (10-yard), 4.27 (Shuttle), 7.20 (3 Cone), 34.5'' (Vertical): He'll be 23 in the season. He's fast with great length. He can blitz and is a perfect fit at the Will position. He can't handle play calling just yet. He can fly around. He's a great athlete but still sort of raw when it comes to the little things of LB play. Still needs plenty of work in the zone game. Is probably best used as a blitzer and QB spy. He has massive upside but needs refinement.
3rd Round
Trevin Wallace: 6'1, 237 lbs, 32.5'' arms, 4.51 (40-yard), 1.62 (10-yard), 37.5'' (Vertical): I think most want Junior Colson here but I'm going in a different direction. Wallace is a tremendous mover in the open field. One of the biggest upside in this year's draft. I think you take him the 3rd and let him sit behind Dodson and Baker. Let him learn, take it in, and you try to reap the rewards. He'll be a monster as a ST player. You just don't get movers like him in a draft. He's super raw but he started playing LB recently. He just turned 21 and is one of the younger players in the class. He's not good at some of the nuanced LB things like reads, coverages, and blitzing but let him learn. He already is doing some of these things well but he's making it up as he plays. He needs refinement. Mac's background is as a LB coach. Let Wallace go to the Master's LB Program led by Coach Mac. I imagine he will love Wallace's profile.
4th Round
Nathaniel Watson: 6'2, 233 lbs, 32'' arms, 4.63 (40-yard), 1.61 (10-yard), 4.44 (Shuttle), 7.34 (3 Cone), 31'' (Vertical), 16 reps (Bench): He's someone that is being overlooked big time. He has solid athleticism and great production in the SEC. He can blitz the hell out of the QB. High sack production in his last year. The biggest question mark is his lack of solo tackles. He had a bunch of assist tackles but a lack of solos. I think he can be a solid player in the NFL but probably has good upside but not great upside. He can get going in a straight line but can struggle with lateral movement. Not someone I'm going to ask to cover LBs or big slot guys. He can struggle getting off blocks.
5th Round
Tyrice Knight: 6'0, 233 lbs, 32.5'' arms, 4.63 (40-yard), 1.59 (10-yard), 34.5'' (Vertical), 4.40 (Shuttle), 7.25 (3 Cone), 21 reps (Bench): I love this dude in the middle rounds. He plays with a boom factor. Sometimes he does get a little wild with the truck stick and doesn't wrap up. He plays the run pretty well and has potential as a down hill blitzer. He has good speed and probably needs to get stronger. He needs to improve in coverage and in zone in particular. Whether it's coaching or a lack of experience, he looks lost in coverage at times. He figures to be a monster in ST because of his ability to hit and physical nature.
6th Round
Jordan Magee: 6'1, 228 lbs, 32'' arms, 4.55 (40-yard), 1.57 (10-yard), 35.5'' (Vertical), 6.83 (3 Cone): He's going to need to add a little bit of bulk. Pretty slender LB but has a high motor to the ball. He can use time to develop his body and his game. He'll be a great ST player. Flies around the field. He needs to wrap up more but has the speed to take at this point of the draft. Great value in the later rounds.
7th Round or UDFA (I couldn't find one I like)
Joe Andreessen: 6'1, 240 lbs, 30.5'' arms, 4.65 (40-yard), 1.59 (10-yard), 38'' (Vertical), 7.21 (3 Cone), 4.22 (Shuttle), 32 reps (Bench): Nothing really knows about this kids but he's starting to create some buzz. He's already met with some teams after his performance at the Patriots Pro Day. He doesn't have great speed but he's highly explosive and can burst in short area (10-yard split shows that). Old-school type of LB. Nasty and mean. He's exactly the type you draft in the 6th or 7th round to secure him. Not guaranteed in the UDFA process. He is a much older prospect though. He graduated high school in 2018. He spent 5 years at Bryant and 1 year at Buffalo.
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