Animals Unleashed: Outside Linebackers in the NFL Draft

Defense wins championships. Great leaders on defense win gridiron battles. Ray Lewis is living proof that linebackers are a great backup plan when the line needs help.

This year's draft may be focusing on D-Mac, Colt Brennan, Matt Ryan, and the barrage of offensive weapons, but this year's defensive class is out to show that they are just as dangerous as the offenses that they face.

Here's where defense starts.

Dan Connor, Penn State: Alpha Dog in a Lion's Jungle

Strength: Killer Instinct

Penn State has become notorious for bringing out dangerous linebackers. This year is no different as Dan Connor is quickly paving his way to a top 10 draft pick if not an earlier pick.

The reason for this much noise about him? It's simple: He's a beast!

With good mobility and good change of direction, Connor possesses good speed and initial quickness. If teams want a guy who can make a ball-carrier crap himself, look no further than a guy who can slip off blockers and deliver bone jarring hits to whoever has the ball.

His instincts are dangerous and he's a downright killer on the field so every team should be looking at Connor and frothing at the mouth the way he does when he's eyeing a quarterback.

Weakness: Inside the box thinker

Connor's biggest (and most likely only) issue is the fact that he does better inside the box than outside of it. Most scouts worry that he may lack the second gear to get things done in case the runner breaks loose, however, Connor has great tunnel vision.

In other words, whoever has the ball is most likely to have a one-on-one confrontation with the Alpha Dog. Chicago is a good fit for him because of Brian Urlacher and the things he can teach him. With Lance Briggs gone, the Bears could mold Connor into a better outside linebacker.

Spotlight Teams: Chicago, St. Louis, New England, Indianapolis, Dallas, San Diego, Pittsburgh, Houston, Oakland

Tavares Gooden, Miami: Pick a Spot, Plug Him In, Watch Him Work

Strengths: Durability

For the longest time, Miami has been getting a bad rap due to their behavior both on and off the field. This time around, people are actually excited about having a Miami player in the mix for the draft.

Gooden has been making noise very quietly this season, but considering he can play strong side or weak side, he can be stuck on either side and in the middle. He has the speed and power to become an excellent pass rusher and shows an explosion that some of the recent Hurricanes draftees have lacked.

Word of advice for teams that draft him: Find a spot to plug him in and watch him work.

Weakness: Instinct and Adjustment

He may have good durability, but switching him comes with a price. He lacks instinct to mentally switch positions and cannot adapt to plays quickly. I'm not saying that teams should baby him, but they will need to work on fixing that small matter if they intend on keeping him after the preseason cuts.

Lovie Smith and Mike Tomlin are a perfect fit for someone trying to find his way. Any defensive-minded coach can see the potential this kid has. The question is, will he be able to adjust to whatever playbook and position a team plugs him at?

Spotlight Teams: Denver, Seattle, Chicago, Green Bay, Pittsburgh, San Francisco, NY Giants

Jordan Dizon, Colorado: The new Dog, the Bounty Hunter 

Strengths: Leadership Ability

Scouts will say that leadership from rookies is not necessary, but when you have a guy like Jordan Dizon on the field, it's no surprise why Colorado went to a bowl game this season. Dizon has great read and react ability as well as natural born leadership. He is capable of making open field tackles.

As far as injuries go, he don't care about no stinkin' injuries. Scouts have said that with a year in the NFL under his belt, he could become as dangerous as Zach Thomas. I say that with a year under his belt, he could become as dangerous as Jordan Dizon.

Weakness: Lost in Translation

The main weakness of Dizon is the fact that he has a tendency to get lost in a lot of traffic and doesn't have the recovery speed to catch up if he gets beat. The thing is, he took on the best that the Big 12 had to offer, including Adrian Peterson of Oklahoma and of course the Rocky Mountain Showdown against Kyle Bell and the CSU Rams.

Though he is not as explosive yet, he is still productive when he is on the field. Expect several teams to keep him in their thoughts. He could either be a possible late first rounder/early second rounder.

Spotlight Teams: Chicago, Oakland, New England, Washington, Denver, Seattle, San Diego, Miami, St. Louis

Curtis Lofton, Oklahoma: A faster stronger Boomer Sooner

Strengths: Speed and Instinct

Lofton is making a lot of noise along with Gooden and Connor. He has the speed to keep up with the ball carrier and the instinct to keep his eyes on whoever has the ball. His downhill closing speed makes him a better middle linebacker than a strong side linebacker. He has the instinct to decipher whatever blocking schemes are forming and can use his shoulders to block up the rushing lane.

Weakness: Impact

He has break neck speed, but he does not have enough pass-rush moves to capitalize on good situations, including invading the pocket. Double teaming him seems to make an immediate impact because he doesn't have enough lower body power to break through and conquer.

Despite all of this, Lofton has enough field smarts to make things happen no matter how it needs to be done. 

Spotlight Teams: Baltimore, Miami, Atlanta, San Francisco, Dallas, San Diego, Denver, Chicago, Philadelphia, Tennessee

Philip Wheeler, Georgia Tech: The Stinger behind the Yellow Jackets Defense

Strength: Blitz Rider

There are linebackers that make noise after they're drafted. There are some that make noise before they're drafted. Then there's Philip Wheeler.

Wheeler is a pain in the ass to knock off his feet as several teams in the ACC found out the hard way. Need to stop the offense on fourth and short, he's the guy to look at since he's exceptional vs. the run. As for his blitzing, he times them great and unloads like he's trying to send the guy into a coma.

Weakness: Stiff Upper Hip

Every scout has said that every single draftee on defense is a little stiff in the hips. Problem is that some linebackers have proven that it's good to be stiff. His stiffness makes it hard for him to open up properly when he's dropping back in pass coverage and makes it harder for him to recover when it becomes a halfback draw.

Despite his flaws, he's still a good guy to have in your lineup because of his insane obsession with knocking quarterbacks on their John Q. Public Backside.

Spotlight Teams: Denver, Chicago, St. Louis, Minnesota, San Diego, Baltimore, Tampa Bay, Philadelphia, New Orleans, Carolina, NY Giants, Pittsburgh

Shawn Crable, Michigan: Carl Banks. Reincarnated

Strengths: Read and React

When the Wolverines needed some help on defense, Crable's name was usually at the top of the list. And who could blame him? Like All-Pro Carl Banks, he has excellent read and react skills and has enough playing strength to contain the NFL's most elusive backs. He is another one of those guys who can stuff the run on fourth and short.

Don't expect an ego trip out of this guy. If he has to sit on the bench for the first few regular season games, he has no problem with that. Just don't keep him too long unless you want to make funeral services for the opposing quarterback.

Weakness: Line vs. Space

Every linebacker should have at least one weakness in the draft, right? I guess so. Crable's weakness seems to be that he plays better on the line of scrimmage than when he has space to do business. No surprise here, but scouts are saying that he is too stiff in his hips as well.

I'm thinking now that scouts are wishing they had a stiff body part because they have said this about almost every player in this year's draft. Don't worry about the stiffness because after a few weeks in training camp, they'll be more worried about soreness.

Spotlight Teams: Houston, Denver, Detroit, Arizona, Pittsburgh, Seattle, New England, San Francisco, San Diego, Oakland

If anyone was missing from this analysis, don't worry. We'll throw them in another time. However, since I live in the Rockies, I have to include a few names in that one. Plus, Dizon is a four star draftee and as long as I make Connor the top dog in the pound, there shouldn't be any worry.