By John Sarianides
The 2017 outside linebacker class is top heavy. There are five prospects could who go in the first round in this group. Late riser Haason Reddick of Temple headlines the group. Reddick has gone from being a potential third rounder to possibly going in the top 15. UCLA’s Tak McKinley, Alabama’s Tim Williams Vanderbilt’s Zach Cunningham and Wisconsin’s T.J Watt could also go in the first round as well.
Here are our top 20 outside linebackers.
1. Haason Reddick, Temple, 6-1 27, NFL Comparison: Ryan Shazier
Strengths
-Explosive short area athlete who can plant, drive and re-direct. A quick twitch player who is fluid.
– Offers pass rush potential both at inside and outside linebacker. Can be an effective blitzer from depth and can rush off the edge.
-Reddick has above average coverage skills. He can marry and match up against a back in man coverage and he can gain depth and cover in space in zone coverage.
– Can play down the line of scrimmage and chase and finish plays from the backside.
-High motor player who can rally the troops. Outstanding leadership qualities.
Weaknesses
-Undersized. Reddick has to be moved around in whatever scheme he plays in because if he is stationary, he is an easy target to block.
-Struggles to get off of blocks. Reddick has short areas and can’t extend and seperate.
– Gets walled off in run support at times. Olays too many blocks. Needs to play the run more as a linebacker not a safety.
-Limited pass rushing skills. He is speed and dip and rip guy. Needs to develop secondary moves.
-Needs protection on early downs. Must be aligned to where he doesn’t have to engage second level blocks.
Final Thoughts: Reddick is a worker who has made himself an elite prospect. His rise this pre-draft season has been impressive. It would not be surprising if he were a top 15 pick in next month’s draft.
2. T.J Watt, Wisconsin, 6-4 252, NFL Comparison: Aaron Lynch
Strengths
-Tall, lanky edge rusher with an explosive first step. Watt covers a lot of ground in pursuit.
-Plays with a high motor. Watt is never out of a play. Takes great angles and has good enough foot work to plant and re-direct in space.
-Moves well laterally. Watt is effective on T.O stunts involving the defensive end and outside linebacker.
-Has a diverse repertoire of pass rusher moves. Watt knows how to use his hands and arms and disengage from blockers. Sets up his pass rush moves well.
-Can stick, extend and shed blocks and get to the ball carrier. Solid tackler who wraps and finishes.
Weaknesses
-Watt is not a natural bender. Plays too tall. He is not a quick twitch athlete who can plant and re-direct naturally.
-Limited experience. Watt doesn’t have a lengthy body of work for teams to look at.
-Needs to play more under control, especially in run support.
-Watt needs to bulk up. He can play at 260-265 and still be effective.
-Ankle tackler. When he tackles with proper technique, Watt is fine. When he doesn’t, he is ankle grabber and doesn’t finish plays.
Final Thoughts: Watt might just have the most upside of any outside linebacker in this class. Name aside, the work ethic and attitude are there for Watt to thrive in the right scheme. I don’t think he Watt will ever be the player his brother J.J is but he could be a double digit sack guy.
3. Tim Williams, Alabama, 6-3 244, NFL Comparison: Vic Beasley
Strengths
-Williams is explosive out of his stance. Can play and be effective from a three point or two point stance.
-A pure speed pass rusher who plays with natural bend and lean. Can transition in and out of moves and get to the quarterback.
-Williams has strong hands. Once he gets inside hand position, he can stick and shock blockers and knock them on their heels.
-Closes quickly on the quarterback and can finish plays from the backside.
-Raw skill set that could be refined over time and when it is, Williams could be a star.
Weaknesses
-Williams takes himself out of a lot of plays because he gets too far up the field.
-Struggles to disengage from bigger offensive lineman once they lock onto him.
-Thin mint. Williams needs to add bulk and get stronger. The lack of strength really shows up in run support.
-Runs hot and cold. Not a consistent performer.
-Underperformed at the combine. Not as impressive as he was on film at times.
Final Thoughts: Williams has tremendous upside but he needs to get bigger and he must become a better all around player otherwise he will fail to meet his massive potential.
4. Takkerist McKinley, UCLA, 6-2 250, NFL Comparison: James Harrison
Strengths
-McKinley is a short, explosive outside linebacker who wins with get, bend and speed around the edge.
-Changes direction in space and can plant, re-direct and make plays on the backside.
-Strong on contact. Can shock, stack and disengage off of blocks.
-Despite his lack of height, McKinley has long arms and uses them to his advantage both as a run defender and pass blocker.
-Great combination of power and speed as a pass rusher. He can win with a bull and rip or a pure slap, speed rush.
Weaknesses
-Lack of height is a concern. Despite having long arms, McKinley struggles with tackles that are athletic to get on him and lock on.
-Limited production. One year wonder. Lacks the body of work.
-Needs to develop and refine pass rush moves. Lacks the hand work to be an elite pass rusher. Tries to win with power too much.
-Average tackler. Despite playing with a low center of gravity naturally, he doesn’t deliver any thump on contact.
-McKinley will have to overachieve in order to reach his ceiling. He is not naturally gifted athletically.
Final Thoughts: McKinley has terrific upside but his ceiling is limited because of his lack of athleticism. Teams will over value him and draft him higher than they should despite the fact that McKinley has an injury history and lacks certain physical traits.
5. Zach Cunningham, Vanderbilt, 6-3 234, NFL Comparison: Alec Ogletree
Strengths
-Cunningham was highly productive at Vanderbilt. Versatile in that he can play off the line in a technique or on the line as a 3-4 outside linebacker.
-Very instinctive. Diagnoses plays and works through traffic to find the ball.
-Moves well laterally and can play over the top and make plays against off-tackle running plays.
-Cunningham is a physical tackler who has a wide tackle radius. He can fit and finish on contact or make plays from the backside.
-Athletic enough to match up and marry a running back or tight end in man coverage. Quick twitch, athletic linebacker who can depth and match up in zone coverage.
Weaknesses
-Limited pass rush ability. More of a 4-3 SAM linebacker than a 3-4 WILL linebacker.
-Thinly built. Lacks the muscle and physical make up to play up to his potential on a consistent basis.
-Not a natural bender. Plays too tall and struggles to collision blocks. Needs to play with a lower pad level on a more consistent basis.
-Average tackler who doesn’t finish plays because he struggles to bend.
-Didn’t impress at the combine although he made up for it with a solid pro day.
Final Thoughts: Cunningham is a pure 4-3 SAM linebacker. He can’t really play on the line of scrimmage on a consistent basis and be effective. Teams have to draft him with the mindset that he will be a three down linebacker but won’t be a factor as a pass rusher.
Next Five
6. Tyus Bowser, Houston, 6-3 247, NFL Comparison: Eli Harold
Bowser has been climbing up teams boards. He is a quick twitch, athletic linebacker who is better fit to play on the line as 3-4 outside linebacker. Can play in tight quarters and has the change of direction skills teams look for. Played two years of College Basketball so there is no doubt he is a high level athlete. Matches up with tight ends and running backs effectively in man coverage. Bowser needs work as a pass rusher. Unrefined. He will struggle to engage and separate from blocks. Struggles as a stack or off SAM linebacker. Needs freedom to play loose. Can’t be over coached.
7. Alex Anzalone, Florida, 6-3 240, NFL Comparison: Jake Ryan
Anzalone is a big, physical outside linebacker who is ideally suited to play the SAM linebacker spot in the 4-3. Physical tackler who fits into ball carriers, drives his feet and finishes them. Attacks blockers with his hands and does a good job of sticking them and shedding them. Diagnoses plays effectively and can get to the ball. Moves well enough in space to be effective in zone coverage. Anzalone has an extensive injury history at Florida which could hurt his stock. Plays high and lacks the functional strength to hold up against second level lineman. Average in coverage. Tight hipped in his drops. Doesn’t plant and turn like teams expect from a 4-3 SAM linebacker.
8. Ryan Anderson, Alabama, 6-2 253, NFL Comparison: Larry English
Anderson is a bit undersized to play the five technique defensive end in the 4-3 but he can play outside linebacker in the 3-4. Anderson gains ground in his first step and he plays with good lean and bend. He has the closing speed to chase and finish plays from the backside. A pure speed rusher who must develop secondary moves in order to effectively rush the passer at the next level. Height is a concern with Anderson. He struggles to disengage from long armed tackles and tight ends. Anderson has experience in a pro-style defense and that should help him at the next level.
9. Devonte Fields, Louisville, 6-2 236, NFL Comparison: Kevin Minter
Fields can play MIKE or WILL linebacker. Better suited as weakside linebacker because of his ability to run and chase plays from the backside. Active. Can come off the edge as an on line linebacker and get to the quarterback. Fields is a sound tackler who finishes plays on contact. Has a tendency to lock on his reads too long and struggles to disengage. Runs hot and cold at times.
10. Vince Biegel, Wisconsin, 6-3 246, NFL Comparison: Frank Zombo
Biegel is an active SAM linebacker who is best suited to play in the 3-4. He uses his length to his advantage and can stick and separate from blockers. Biegel is strong at the point of attack against the run. He does a good job of forcing running backs and ball carriers to make the inside cut. Plays a bit tall and stiff. Doesn’t bend like he should. Benefited from playing opposite T.J Watt last season. Saw a lot of single blocks.
Next Ten
11. Duke Riley, LSU, 6-0 232
12. Carroll Phillips, Illinois, 6-3 242
13. Matt Milano, Boston College 6-0 223
14. Elijah Lee, Kansas State 6-2 229
15. Jaylen Reeves Maybin, Tennessee, 6-0 230
16. Calvin Munson, San Diego State, 6-1 245
17. Dylan Donahue, West Georgia 6-3 248
18. Tashawn Bower, LSU, 6-5 250
19. Jimmie Gilbert, Colorado, 6-4 231
20. Dylan Cole, Missouri State, 6-0 233