Zach Brown: Biggest Strengths and Weaknesses of 2012 NFL Draft Prospect

If anyone has noticed, while the "bigger" college football conferences put together team after team that fights for national titles, the North Carolina Tar Heels put together some pretty good defensive teams in their own right.

Enter Zach Brown. The linebacker for the Tar Heels has an outside shot at being a first-round selection and certainly will hear his name called in the second round on Friday evening of the NFL draft.

The reason for Brown being graded out of the first round, according to NFLDraftScout.com's Robert Rang, is that there is some question about Brown's instincts around the football and his physical play (via CBSSports.com).

At 6'1" and 244 pounds, he is big enough to play both inside and outside in a 4-3 defense.

Here are some of his strengths and weaknesses, according to NFLDraftScout.com.

He Is Just Beginning to Learn His Ability on the Field

If he is a late bloomer and is just now finding out how good he is, that may be both a good and bad thing.

Does he pick up things quickly? Is there some question about him being able to understand terminology?

Brown is a big, thick player who should be able to play at a high level on the next level.

Needs to Read and React Better

NFLDraftScout.com's Rob Rang stated in his assessment that Zach Brown is not as physical as he should be for his size, and his inability to react to plays may be a hindrance to him in the NFL.

The pro game is all about speed and quickness, and Brown must possess that consistently.

He Plays at a Fast Level

Zach Brown is fascinating to watch and has what scouts call "talents that cannot be taught."

If he is that gifted, then Brown should be able to play on the inside in a 3-4 defense or make the transition to a 4-3 edge linebacker on blitz packages.

He ran a 4.44 40-yard dash at the combine.

He Can Fall Back into Coverage

This is a strength.

If a linebacker at his size can fall back and cover a receiver or tight end or even a running back on a passing down, it means he has the ability to run with faster players down the field and can be a special teams player as well.

Could Use More Bulk

Even at 244 pounds, Zach Brown looks thin. Maybe more weight will help him with blocking and tackling.

He played on special teams in college as well, and the weight and bulk he could add could help him in stopping the run up the middle.