Vanderbilt is not exactly a pro football pipeline. There last first round pick was offensive tackle Chris Williams in 2008. Fortunately, that streak should end this year with Zach Cunningham. The SEC's leading tackler is the second best linebacker prospect in this years draft and is the pro typical linebacker for the modern game. Here's why:
Measurables:
Height- 6'4''
Weight- 230 lbs
Year:
Junior (21)
2016 stat line:
125 tackles (71 solo), 16.5 TFL, 3 PDs, 2 FFs
Pros: Zach Cunningham has an excellent body for the modern NFL game. He is long, strong, and extremely fast. Against the run, Cunningham uses his instincts to quickly read plays and break on the ball. He does an excellent job of knifing through blockers to find the ball carrier. Stretch runs mostly fail against him, as he is too fast to beat around the edge. On runs where a blocker does get his hands on Cunningham, Cunningham uses his length, strength, and instincts to rip off the blocker and immediately lunge at the runner for the tackle. He simply cannot easily be blocked, no matter how big the blocker. Cunningham excels in the passing game as well. He can be lined up as a blitzer (he had 4.5 sacks as a sophomore) and in coverage and be fine. He is athletic and quick enough to play man to man against pass catchers and is solid in zone. While he is not a lockdown guy, he will not be the reason a defense is being burned in the passing game. The final pro about Cunningham is his versatility. Against South Carolina, he played corner, EDGE, special teams, and linebacker. He will not need to come off the field for anything but offense.
Cons: For a guy who makes a lot of tackles, Cunningham misses quite a few too. He too often tackles too high, letting ball carriers get around him. This will require good coaching to iron out. Cunningham also needs to be more disciplined on fakes. He is prone to bite of play actions and option plays, but not too often to be a major concern.
Pro Comparison: A bigger Telvin Smith, LB, Jacksonville Jaguars
Smith is one of the fastest linebackers in the NFL and is a tackling machine. He has superb instincts, but he tackles high, so sometimes he misses some plays. Smith is one of the 10 best linebackers in the league right now and I believe Cunningham can join him in that group.
3 teams that could use him: The Dolphins have terrible linebackers outside of Kiko Alonso, so drafting Cunningham would be a great way to fill the void. The Giants have spent lots of money rebuilding their defense, but they cannot be satisfied with their linebacking core. The Gmen would love to have Cunningham the next time they play Dallas and their strong running game. The Raiders are also in the market for a linebacker, and Cunningham could take some weight off of the shoulders of Bruce Smith and Khalil Mack.
Conclusion: Zach Cunningham is a linebacker built for modern football. He has speed, speed, strength and instincts. While he may need to refine his tackling, that should not stop him from being a top-40 player in this draft.
All stats from www.sports-reference.com
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