Senior Bowl 2012: Examining the Senior Bowl Linebackers Going into the NFL

Some of the country's best senior college football players gathered in Mobile, Ala., early this week for the 2012 Senior Bowl. NFL scouts gather to watch these players, and it is an opportunity for them to showcase their skills for all to see.

North Team

With six linebackers on the North roster, watching Mike Singletary teach these players made for excellent viewing, and he was working with them right in front of us. He was animated, excitable and very intense—pretty much everything you would think he would be.

What struck me was the sheer size of the players in this group; most of the linebackers looked very big in pads. This is the North linebacker group and their measurables:

• Audie Cole: 6'4", 248 lbs. North Carolina State
• James-Michael Johnson: 6'1", 249 lbs. Nevada
• Shea McClellin: 6'3", 248 lbs. Boise State
• Bobby Wagner: 6'0" 241 lbs. Utah State
• Demario Davis: 6'2", 232 lbs. Arkansas State
• Lavonte David: 6'0", 225 lbs. Nebraska

Cole and Johnson looked the biggest on the field. McClellin is moving from defensive end to linebacker for the Senior Bowl, and he looks taller and less bulky than the others in this group. David looked significantly smaller than the other linebackers, too.

The first drill Singletary had the players run was a straight-line drill, where he had them plant their feet and arch their backs while walking very slowly. When he would blow the whistle, the players would go and show their initial burst of quickness.

David, Johnson and Wagner had good burst in this drill.

The next drill was a lateral movement drill. Singletary had the players move side-to-side over several dummies that were on the ground. He wanted their heads up and their weight over their knees so as to not get them off balance. He also wanted them to stay low and not be too tall; if they are too tall moving laterally, they are easily pushed aside.

McClellin was too tall during this drill and struggled through it. Cole was very good in this drill; he kept his head up the entire time and his weight over his knees, showing good footwork. He never even touched a dummy with his feet.

I took several things away from the individual drills.

Wagner looked like a quick, fluid and elusive athlete. Johnson looked like a very powerful football player, and Cole looked solid everywhere.

The players were then called together to the middle of the field. The offense lined up against the defense, and it looked like the coaches wanted the offense to run the ball to the "A" gap or the "B" gap. This was interesting since it was the first time that this group of linebackers was going to have the opportunity to mix it up. 

It was interesting to see how physical this group was. What instantly stood out was how loud it was when some of the linebackers met guards in the hole and how physical some of the linebackers wanted to be.

There is a sense that the linebackers will be a strength of the North team. 

Based on what I saw, these are my observations for the North group:

Johnson uses his size very well, takes on blockers heads-up and played physically. He found the ball very well. 

Davis seemed to get lost in bodies and did not recover nor locate really well. 

McClellin did not track the ball well and seemed to want to loop around from behind as if chasing from the end instead of attacking the middle. To be fair, he is moving from defensive end to linebacker, and that is a big adjustment.

Cole was extremely elusive when shedding blockers and was very physical when taking on offensive linemen. He was quick to the ball and seemed to be around the ball all the time. 

Wagner was very fast to the point of contact, took on blocks well and flashed his athleticism. 

This was a rough drill for David since he is smaller. He got lost in the group of bigger bodies and did not find the ball as well as others.

South Team

The South's group of linebackers appeared to be smaller in pads compared to the North. This is the South's linebacker group and their measurables:

• Emmanuel Acho: 6'1", 235 lbs. Texas
• Jake Bequette: 6'4", 264 lbs. Arkansas
• Nigel Bradham: 6'1", 237 lbs. Florida State
• Zach Brown: 6'1", 236 lbs. North Carolina
• Keenan Robinson: 6'3", 240 lbs. Texas
• Sean Spence: 5'11", 228 lbs. Miami

Robinson looked bigger than any of the other linebackers in this group. Brown, Bradham and Acho all looked the part of the NFL linebacker—muscular and athletic. Bequette is moving from defensive end. He looked tall and moved through the drills in a very upright manner.

The Washington Redskins' coaching staff ran their practice at a higher pace and with much more intensity—and it showed on the field. It seemed like every defender was stripping the ball, and there was much more physicality on display during South practice. At one point during 11-on-11 drills, safety Brandon Taylor lit up a running back 20 yards down the field.

Along with the pace being faster, the Redskins' coaching staff ran a 3-4 base defense and a 4-3 base defense. The South ran drills that put linebackers in space and made them run with tight ends and running backs during 7-on-7s.

It was interesting to see the linebackers cover running backs and tight ends during this drill. The linebackers needed to be able to run from sideline to sideline and also up the seam.

Based on what I saw, these are my observations for the South group:

Spence showed how athletic he is in this drill. He displayed very good cover skills and an ability to easily change direction.

Bradham looked a little slow to react and struggled with his footwork. When he was put in a position to have to flip his hips, he got beat. He did display a good ability to close the gap, though.

Acho struggled all day. He was slow to react running laterally and seemed to be slow in keeping up with coverage of any kind. In fact, Brad Smelley torched him up the seam for a big play.

Brown looks every bit the part of a first-round pick at the linebacker position. He is an excellent, fluid athlete who looked comfortable and natural at all times. He had great closing speed and showed that he can go sideline to sideline. Brown did not get fooled and is the elite linebacker at the Senior Bowl.

Bequette struggled with his footwork in coverage and seemed uncomfortable. It looked like he was chasing more than covering, but he is a more traditional defensive end, and is in the middle of a position change.

Robinson stood out in pass protection. He displayed the ability to stay with his man and not get beat. Robinson was able to run and easily change directions, and he looked very athletic in 7-on-7s.

During 11-on-11s, there were a few things that stood out:

Spence is a natural hitter and delivers quite the pop at impact. He is a sure tackler, and he blew up a few plays in the backfield while answering any questions about his size.

Brown showed the ability to break up running plays both in the middle and at the edge. He seemed to figure out where plays were going very quickly and has the ability to start and stop on a dime, which allows him to get to the right spots quicker than any other linebacker at the Senior Bowl.

Bradham is a very aggressive football player. He is big, strong and has very good leg drive. He was overly aggressive a few times, though, which caused him to overrun the play. Bradham tried to constantly strip the ball-carrier.

Bequette played too tall and struggled to keep his feet moving when he was engaged with a blocker.