At Position of Demand, UCLA LB Eric Kendricks on Track to Be a Top-20 Draft Pick

The majority of teams picking in the middle of the 2015 NFL draft order have a need at the inside linebacker position. That increases the likelihood that an off-ball linebacker will be selected in the top 20 picks of the draft, and UCLA’s Eric Kendricks has emerged as the position’s top candidate.

Truly an every-down player for the Bruins, Kendricks had one of the most productive college football careers among prospects in this year’s draft class. In four playing seasons, Kendricks recorded a whopping 475 tackles.

The brother of Philadelphia Eagles linebacker Mychal Kendricks, Eric played in 52 career games at UCLA and was the 2014 recipient of the Butkus Award, recognizing him as the best linebacker in the Football Bowl Subdivision.

A 6’0”, 232-pound linebacker who ran a 4.61-second 40-yard dash at the NFL Scouting Combine, Kendricks’ measurables won’t blow scouts away. His game film, on the other hand, shows that he is ready to be a three-down starter and a tackling machine for an NFL defense.

A Playmaker All Over the Field

On tape, Kendricks exhibits the best playmaking range of any linebacker in this year’s draft class. The key to his success lies can be defined by three R’s: recognition, reaction and recovery.

Kendricks’ instincts fail him at times, and he tends to take some missteps over the course of a game. Once a play gets going, however, Kendricks does an excellent job of recognizing where the play is headed and quickly getting himself in motion toward the ball-carrier to give himself a chance to make the play.

Able to hitchlessly change directions in space, Kendricks is often able to recover even when he guesses wrong on a play or if he overruns it by a step. He accelerates quickly in pursuit and typically takes good angles to the ball.

The following clip, from UCLA’s win over Texas this past season, is one that elucidates Kendricks’ ability to rapidly change directions upon recognition.

After initially biting on a fake on the offense’s left, Kendricks promptly recovered to pick up coverage on a receiver coming across the formation, before suddenly stopping his feet and sliding back inside upon the recognition of a quarterback keeper.

Another trait exemplified by the above clip is Kendricks’ form tackling ability. Consistency is key for Kendricks, who relies upon technique—wrapping up his opponents firmly and bringing them down to the ground—rather than trying to make bone-crushing hits.

Well-rounded athleticism plays a big role in Kendricks making tackles from sideline to sideline, but so too does his constantly running motor. Despite being a staple on the field for UCLA over the past three seasons, Kendricks consistently gave effort in pursuing the ball and showed the stamina to make plays for all four quarters.

One of his most impressive examples of nonstop effort from this past season came on the following play—also from the Texas game—in which Kendricks was cut-blocked by Longhorns wide receiver Jaxon Shipley, yet bounced up off the ground immediately to lead a tackle on running back Malcolm Brown just three yards downfield.

In comparison to some of the draft’s other top inside linebackers, such as Clemson’s Stephone Anthony and Miami’s Denzel Perryman, Kendricks does not have the same authoritative run-stopping presence between the tackles. Limited in size and downhill explosiveness, Kendricks is better in space than he is around the line of scrimmage.

That said, the team that drafts Kendricks should be smart to play him off the line in scrimmage, where he can best utilize his strengths—especially as a pass defender.

Kendricks is, bar none, the best coverage linebacker in the 2015 draft class. He has shown the ability to pick up man coverage assignments all over the field, while he is also excellent in zone coverage, where he once again utilizes his recognition and quickness to identify receivers’ routes and get in position to break up passes or make immediate tackles.

Having successfully covered running backs out of the backfield, slot receivers and tight ends, Kendricks can take on any coverage responsibilities that an NFL team should reasonably expect from a linebacker. This should be a fixture in defensive sub-packages from his first season in the league.

Perhaps the most impressive example of his coverage ability came in the opener of his senior season, against Virginia. Able to immediately diagnose the route being run by Virginia’s running back, Kendricks broke with the route, got himself in perfect position, then undercut the quarterback’s pass to make a clean catch, then stroll into open field to run the interception back for a 37-yard touchdown.

Kendricks can impact the game from sideline to sideline, and do so as both a run and pass defender. That’s why he is the most complete linebacker prospect in the 2015 draft.

Where He Fits Best

Kendricks’ collegiate success can be mostly attributed to his own skill set and work ethic, but he also owes some credit to his teammates.

Playing in a 3-4 defensive front loaded with NFL talent—including another projected first-round pick in this year’s draft, defensive end Owamagbe Odighizuwa—Kendricks had the benefit of two-gapping defensive linemen and explosive edge defenders who consistently occupied blockers and often gave Kendricks free lanes to ball-carriers.

The scheme and surrounding talent at UCLA enabled the Bruins to maximize Kendricks’ ability and mask his weaknesses. To achieve the same degree of success in the NFL that he had in college, Kendricks might need similar benefits around him.

Playing as a “Mike” linebacker in a 4-3 defense would probably be a poor fit for Kendricks. Should he be selected by a 4-3 team, his best fit would be at weak-side linebacker. Lining up in the middle would expose Kendricks’ lack of size and block-shedding prowess, but playing outside would enable him to take full advantage of his run-and-chase ability.

More ideally for Kendricks, though, would be a scenario in which he is drafted to continue playing in a two-gap, 3-4 defensive scheme, in which he could potentially have the same protections and benefits to play off of blockers that he did at UCLA.

That projection might ultimately work out in Kendricks’ favor, as the majority of teams who look to be top candidates to select him are teams that plan to run 3-4 defenses in 2015.

Why He Should Be a Top-20 Pick

The sweet spot for Kendricks’ draft stock appears to be between the 13th and 18th overall picks in this year’s draft. The New Orleans Saints (who have the No. 13 overall pick), Miami Dolphins (No. 14), San Francisco 49ers (No. 15), Houston Texans (No. 16) and Kansas City Chiefs (No. 18) all have reason to consider using a first-round selection on an inside linebacker upgrade.

Except for the Dolphins, who could use him as either an outside or middle linebacker in their 4-3 defense, the other four of those five teams run 3-4 defenses.

There are two questions that each of those teams will have to consider, so long as Kendricks is still on the board: Is he a better talent than the top prospects available at other positions of need, and is he substantially better than the other inside linebackers—including Anthony, Perryman, Mississippi State’s Benardrick McKinney and TCU’s Paul Dawson—who could potentially be available at a later draft pick?

The Saints, who also have the No. 31 overall pick in the first round from the Seattle Seahawks, are probably more likely to use that pick—or their second-round pick—on an inside linebacker than the 13th selection. With that being said, Kendricks should still be worthy of their consideration as they take to the draft to continue rebuilding their defense.

Kendricks is not an ideal fit for the Dolphins, who really need a true middle linebacker or a strong-side linebacker more than a weak-side linebacker, but their lack of a star player at the position could draw them to the UCLA prospect nonetheless.

The 49ers would not have been a team with any interest in Kendricks a few weeks ago, but he could suddenly emerge in play for San Francisco following the shocking retirements of Patrick Willis and Chris Borland. It’s probably more likely, though, that the need-heavy 49ers will go forth with Michael Wilhoite as a starter alongside NaVorro Bowman, and add depth later in the draft, than invest a top-15 pick on Kendricks.

Given that, the two most likely top-20 destinations for Kendricks look to be the Texans and Chiefs. Houston should be in the market for an upgrade next to Brian Cushing, who was once a tackling machine himself but has lost his luster due to a litany of injuries over the past few seasons. The Chiefs are in a similar position, as their best inside linebacker is Derrick Johnson, a 32-year-old who ruptured his Achilles tendon last season.

It’s also possible, given the number of teams that need inside linebackers in the middle of the draft, that a team coveting Kendricks but picking lower on the board could execute a trade up in order to secure his services.

If Kendricks makes it out of the top 20, there will be another glut of teams with reason to potentially target the linebacker late in Round 1, including the Cincinnati Bengals (No. 21), Arizona Cardinals (No. 24), Indianapolis Colts (No. 29), Green Bay Packers (No. 30) and the aforementioned Saints (No. 31).

At this point, it seems more likely that other linebackers—most likely Anthony, Perryman and/or McKinney—could end up in play for those teams than Kendricks falling to them.

While the demand for a starting-caliber inside linebacker is high, the depth at the position in this year’s draft is meh. That combination should make Kendricks a solid mid-first-round pick, given the polish of his game.

All GIFs made at Gfycat using videos from Draft Breakdown.

Dan Hope is an NFL/NFL Draft Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report.

Follow @Dan_Hope