NFL Draft 2011: Top 10 LBs for a 4-3 Defense
As the NFL Scouting Combine gets underway today, teams and fans alike are making plans for the 2011 NFL Draft. Teams looking for pass rushers are in great shape, with one of the deepest crops of defensive ends and rush linebackers in recent memory.
Teams who play a 4-3 defense, though, need linebackers who can do more than just rush the quarterback. Read on for a list of the best such linebackers in this year's draft.
10. Colin McCarthy, MLB, Miami
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At 6’1” and without terrific speed, McCarthy is fighting an uphill battle for the attention of scouts. He knows how to make plays though, as he showed at the Senior Bowl and in a senior season in which he made 120 tackles.
He’s a very instinctive player, but his lack of measurables will likely drop him into the third or fourth round.
9. K.J. Wright, OLB, Mississippi State
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Wright’s performance at the college level is hard to argue with, as he notched eight tackles for loss, nine passes defensed and three sacks during his senior season. He’s a tremendous athlete at 6’3”, 246 lbs, with long arms and good speed.
However, there are questions about whether that athleticism has masked some technical deficiencies in his game. If he can show some additional polish in his workouts, don’t be surprised to see him taken as high as Round 3.
8. Mark Herzlich, OLB, Boston College
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Lost in the made-for-TV story of Herzlich fighting through Ewing’s sarcoma to returning to the football field was the fact that Herzlich can actually play.
As a junior, he led all linebackers nationally with six interceptions. Even during an injury-plagued senior year, he tallied another four INTs.
His stock is dropping after a rough showing at the Senior Bowl, but he has too much heart and skill for some team not to pick him up if he slides into the third or fourth round.
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7. Casey Matthews, MLB, Oregon
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Oregon’s defense spent most of last year getting ignored in favor of their electrifying offense, but Matthews is one Ducks defender who won’t be overlooked.
Brother of Green Bay Packers star Clay Matthews, Casey is a similarly high-motor linebacker, but one who lines up on the inside.
His three INTs and five pass breakups last season bode well for his ball skills at the next level. Between his pedigree and his performance, Matthews will get a look from an NFL team, but probably not before the late third round.
6. Quan Sturdivant, MLB, North Carolina
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Despite missing five games with a hamstring injury, Sturdivant still racked up 61 tackles and three sacks as a senior. He also iced North Carolina’s double-OT Music City Bowl victory with an interception on his last college play.
He’s a hard hitter who has the versatility to play OLB or MLB at the next level. Expect him to be off the board by the early third round.
5. Martez Wilson, MLB, Illinois
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At 6’4”, 250 lbs, Wilson has a prototype body for a linebacker. What’s not typical is that he can also run a sub-4.6 40 yard dash.
That combination has helped scouts overlook some sloppiness in his play, especially in the early part of his college career. He put up 111 tackles last season, a figure that should help him climb to the second or third round of the draft.
4. Greg Jones, MLB, Michigan State
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A tackling machine at the college level, Jones was an All-American in both his junior and senior seasons. He’s only about six feet tall, which has hurt his stock with scouts. He also looked out of his depth in pass coverage at the Senior Bowl.
Still, he’s the kind of linebacker who’s always around the ball, and that’s a quality some team will take a chance on in the early rounds of the draft.
3. Mason Foster, OLB, Washington
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Stuck on losing teams and playing in the Pacific time zone, Foster didn’t get a lot of publicity in his four years at Washington. Nonetheless, after putting up 162 tackles as a senior, he’s in a position to make some defensive coordinator very happy in this draft.
Foster had one of the strongest Senior Bowls of any linebacker (including a game-high eight tackles), and while his size and athleticism don’t jump out at you, he may well have played himself into a second-round selection.
2. Bruce Carter, OLB, North Carolina
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A torn ACL derailed Carter’s senior season, but if he retains even most of his explosiveness, he'll be a fine NFL linebacker. He also avoided the suspensions that ravaged the Tar Heel defense, suggesting that his character won’t be a major issue for scouts.
The injury cost Carter a third straight 60-tackle season in Chapel Hill. If he can prove he’s recovering on schedule, he should be a solid second-round selection.
1. Akeem Ayers, OLB, UCLA
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In all probability, Ayers will be the only 4-3 type linebacker chosen in the first round. He has tremendous athleticism and better coverage skills than most LBs at the college level (6 career INTs).
He also has the advantage of being one of the only OLBs with the versatility to play in the 4-3 and the speed to play in the 3-4, so any team could pick him.
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