Is James Laurinaitis the Best of Both Worlds?

With an amazing Super Bowl behind them and an intriguing combine slated to begin on February 18, Coaches, General Managers and Scouts from around the NFL are preparing to face a question as old as the league itself. Which is the more important quality to look for on draft day, production or upside?

As fans, we have seen this dilemma play out countless times, often with franchise-altering consequences. Peyton Manning or Ryan Leaf? Ricky Williams or Edgerrin James? Vince Young or Matt Leinhart or Jay Cutler?

Teams looking to shore up their line-backing corps during this draft seem to be facing a similar scenario as they evaluate the outstanding career of Ohio State linebacker James Laurinaitis against the tantilizing talents of USC's Rey Maualuga. This conundrum may just be solved in Indianapolis, Indiana at the 2009 NFL scouting combine as Mr. Laurinaitis shows that sometimes, you can have your tapes and project well, too.

In the debate between production and upside, Laurinaitis certainly has the production aspect covered. Projected to be a Top 10 pick in the 2008 NFL Draft following a season in which he amassed 121 total tackles and five sacks, Laurinaitis returned for his senior campaign and improved upon his numbers totaling 130 total tackles, four sacks and two interceptions.

During three years as a starter for the Buckeyes, Laurinaitis collected 376 tackles, nine interceptions and 13 sacks. While the Big Ten has received a great deal of negative attention directed at their ability to compete with the "Big Boy" programs, Lauranaitis can point to nine tackles versus USC, nine tackles versus Texas, 18 tackles versus LSU in the 2007 BCS Championship games and 15 tackles versus Florida in the 2006 BCS championship game as proof that he can produce no matter how bright the lights shine.

Production, by definition, can be quantified and evaluated. Players either have the stats, or they don't. Upside can be much trickier and is largely a product of opinion based on certain measurables (speed, strength, agility) combined with other intangibles (leadership, intelligence, "football IQ"). In the case of James Laurinaitis, the NFL may have a player who projects as well as he produced.

Throughout his career, Laurinaitis has been shown to posses excellent lateral mobility and an innate ability to drop his hips and display superior agility as he maneuvers in traffic. Once the ball is located, Laurinaitis has consistently been able to explode to the ball utilizing plus speed for a linebacker.

The NFL combine will present multiple opportunities for Laurinaitis to put these athletic qualities on display. In the 60 yard and 20 yard shuttles, as well as the three cone drill, scouts will be able to observe how well Laurinaitis can maintain the lateral ability and coordination that he used to excel in sideline-to-sideline coverage.

In the 40 yard dash, a time between 4.5-4.55 will most likely be turned in by the Buckeye 'backer with a sub 4.5 time possible. By comparison, Maualuga has consistently clocked in at 4.6+. There are no recent numbers on record for Laurinaitis in the 225lb bench, broad jump or vertical leap but it seems unlikely that an athlete so explosive would fail to impress in these areas.

In short, Laurinaitis has the outstanding athletic ability to become a high "upside" player following the 2009 combine.

How this translates into draft status remains unclear. There several teams who could certainly benefit from Laurinaitis's services and are in solid position to obtain them.

While there are several teams in the top 10 in desperate need for defensive help, the Denver Broncos, selecting 12th, seem to be an ideal fit for Laurinaitis. If Denver passes, the New Orleans Saints sit at 14 with a dynamic offense that needs significant upgrades to a poor-tackling defense in order to become a playoff contender.

If these teams pass, the New York Jets at 17 have displayed a penchant for drafting Buckeyes early (Nick Mangold, Mike Nugent) and Laurinaitis would certainly fill a need for an athletic linebacker. Meanwhile, the worst case scenario for Laurinaitis (or anyone) sits at 20 when the Detroit Lions make their second first round selection. With a high-risk, high-reward pick such as Matt Stafford already selected, the Lions would basically have to re-hire Matt Millen in order to pass on a sure-thing such as this sure-tackling athlete from nearby Hamel, Minnesota.

By adding a dynamic combine performance to a solid frame (6'3", 240lbs), excellent understanding of blocking schemes and linebacking responsibilities to his impressive list of credentials, this may be one time when NFL teams won't have to choose between production and upside. They can simply select James Laurinaitis and have both.