Texas A&M Football: What You Need to Know About Aggies OLB Sean Porter

The Texas A&M football team is entering their inaugural season in the Southeastern Conference with a new defensive coordinator and defensive scheme.

That man, Mark Snyder, is lucky enough to walk into a situation where he already has one of the best linebackers in the nation on his defense in Sean Porter.

The senior linebacker from Schertz (TX) Clemens High School is one of the more underrated defensive players in the country. He is the latest in a long line of tremendous linebackers at A&M, but few people outside of the state of Texas have heard his name.

Porter will be exposed to a whole new region of the country in the SEC. If he has the type of season that is expected of him, his name will enter the picture for all of the national defensive awards.

This is a look at Porter—one of the best players in the country that no one knows about.

NFL Speed

Porter is one of the fastest linebackers in the country. He runs a legitimate 4.5 in the 40-yard dash.

Porter uses his exceptional speed to rush the passer and cover running backs and tight ends in the passing game. He is a complete linebacker who is adept at stopping the run and in coverage. 

Porter's versatility will offer the Aggies coaches the ability to play him in their various defensive schemes. He can stay on the field when the team move to the 4-3, 3-4, 4-2-5 and their 33 stack defense. He is a three-down linebacker.

Still Adjusting to New Scheme

Porter struggled some in the spring as he adjusted to playing without his hand on the ground. He seemed unsure of himself at times and is obviously still learning all of his responsibilities in Snyder's 4-3 Under scheme.

Once Porter learns his assignments, he will be able to simply react on the field and will once again be the Aggies' best defensive player.

The team should expect big things from Porter in his senior season.

Coming off an Outstanding Junior Season

Porter had a banner campaign as a junior. He played in the shadow of Von Miller in the two seasons prior, but had a breakout year in 2011.

The linebacker had 79 tackles with 17 tackles for loss and 9.5 sacks from his OLB position in Tim DeRuyter's 3-4 scheme.

Aggies fans should expect Porter's sack numbers to go down in 2012 as he will not be rushing the passer as much in Snyder's 4-3 scheme. However, he should still be one of the top defenders in the SEC.

Projected by Some to Be a First-Round Draft Pick

Porter's speed and versatility has NFL scouts drooling. Some early projections are already listing Porter as a first-round pick in the 2013 draft.

If Porter does find his way into the first round, it will mark the third year in a row that the Aggies have had a player selected in the first round of the NFL draft.

No matter where he is selected, Porter has the athletic ability and the mindset to play in the league for 10 years or more.

Still Considered a Little Undersized

Porter measures in at 6'2" and 230 pounds. He is still considered undersized by NFL standards.

He has had various injuries during his career at A&M that have prevented him from gaining weight. He has never missed a game in his career, but has spent his offseasons trying to recover from those various ailments.

If Porter remains around 230 pounds, it may limit who selects him in the NFL draft. Most NFL teams want outside linebackers in their 3-4 schemes to weigh more than 250 pounds.

Already Excelled Against SEC Teams

Porter has already shown that he is a difference-maker against SEC teams. In 2011, when playing Arkansas, Porter had four total tackles with two tackles for loss and two sacks.

He had six tackles against LSU in the 2011 Cotton Bowl.

He has proven that he can defeat SEC offensive linemen and make plays against some of the toughest teams in America.

In 2012, he will get the chance to show the nation that he is one of the elite players in the country by making plays every Saturday against the best teams the country has to offer.