LB Top Ten and First Look:
1. Tremaine Edmunds, Virginia Tech (shown right)
2. Cameron Smith, USC
2. Cameron Smith, USC
3. Jerome Baker, Ohio State
4. Josey Jewell, Iowa
5. Keishawn Bierria, Washington
6. Shaun Dion Hamilton, Alabama
6. Shaun Dion Hamilton, Alabama
7. Malik Jefferson, Texas
8. Azeem Victor, Washington
9. Micah Kiser, Virginia
10. Skai Moore, South Carolina
First off let me apologize for not getting these rankings done before the CFB season started. I am a new freshman at Virginia Tech, and I got caught up in schoolwork and college life. I am back on track now though, and ready to finish up my rankings and move forward. First up: linebackers. This year's class is confusing and analysts are all over the map on it, so read on to see where yours truly has them ranked. Note: All stats given are from the 2016 season unless otherwise noted.
If you are reading this and have read other linebacker rankings, you're probably wondering who the hell Tremaine Edmonds is and why on Earth I am so high on him. To put it simply, Edmunds is a freak tailor made for the NFL. Edmunds is about 6'4'' and 240 pounds, but he is a fluid athlete with great movement skills. He has good instincts and is a sure tackler (94 total tackles, 16.5 TFLs) who can rush the passer (4.5 sacks) and drop into coverage (1 interception, 3 pass deflections). He is a versatile player and potential game changer on defense. Next on the list is Cameron Smith, the latest in a long line of stud linebackers from USC. Smith is a big (6'2'', 250 lbs), instinctive linebacker who has started since he was a true freshman. He may get the Scooby Wright unathletic linebacker treatment by some analysts, but I see a player who moves much better than Wright and is much better in coverage than most linebackers. I expect him to have another big year for USC. Jerome Baker, like former Buckeyes Ryan Shazier and Darron Lee, is all about speed. Baker is a little undersized at 6'1'' and almost 230 pounds, but that light weight allows him to fly around the field and make big plays. Add in that he can cover, and Baker is one of the best linebackers in college football. Josey Jewell helped the Hawkeyes throttle Wyoming this past weekend with 14 tackles and 2.5 tackles for loss (including two sacks), but Jewell has been the model of consistency for Iowa. Jewell has racked up at least 124 tackles and 6 TFLs in each of the last two seasons, plus he looked very good in coverage from the tape I watched. Another big year will cement his status as top five linebacker. Rounding out the top five is Keishawn Bierria. Bierria is a little undersized at 6'1'' and 223 pounds, but like Jerome Baker, Bierria is all about speed. A player as instinctual and athletic as Bierria will always be highly ranked on my board.
If you are reading this and have read other linebacker rankings, you're probably wondering who the hell Tremaine Edmonds is and why on Earth I am so high on him. To put it simply, Edmunds is a freak tailor made for the NFL. Edmunds is about 6'4'' and 240 pounds, but he is a fluid athlete with great movement skills. He has good instincts and is a sure tackler (94 total tackles, 16.5 TFLs) who can rush the passer (4.5 sacks) and drop into coverage (1 interception, 3 pass deflections). He is a versatile player and potential game changer on defense. Next on the list is Cameron Smith, the latest in a long line of stud linebackers from USC. Smith is a big (6'2'', 250 lbs), instinctive linebacker who has started since he was a true freshman. He may get the Scooby Wright unathletic linebacker treatment by some analysts, but I see a player who moves much better than Wright and is much better in coverage than most linebackers. I expect him to have another big year for USC. Jerome Baker, like former Buckeyes Ryan Shazier and Darron Lee, is all about speed. Baker is a little undersized at 6'1'' and almost 230 pounds, but that light weight allows him to fly around the field and make big plays. Add in that he can cover, and Baker is one of the best linebackers in college football. Josey Jewell helped the Hawkeyes throttle Wyoming this past weekend with 14 tackles and 2.5 tackles for loss (including two sacks), but Jewell has been the model of consistency for Iowa. Jewell has racked up at least 124 tackles and 6 TFLs in each of the last two seasons, plus he looked very good in coverage from the tape I watched. Another big year will cement his status as top five linebacker. Rounding out the top five is Keishawn Bierria. Bierria is a little undersized at 6'1'' and 223 pounds, but like Jerome Baker, Bierria is all about speed. A player as instinctual and athletic as Bierria will always be highly ranked on my board.
Shaun Dion Hamilton is back, ladies and gentleman. Hamilton played next to Reuben Foster last season and was quite impressive before he tore his ACL. Now that he is fully healthy, Hamilton looks ready to destroy the SEC with his instincts and tenacity. If he keeps on performing like he did against Florida State (8 tackles, 3.5 TFLs, 1 sack), he will go up this draft board. Next on the list is a guy who I think is, unfortunately, overrated. Malik Jefferson definitely has every tool a linebacker needs for the NFL, including athleticism and size, but he just needs to put it all together. Until he develops his football instincts, Jefferson will stay low on my board. Azeem Victor is the other, more well-known linebacker at Washington. The senior impressed last year with 68 tackles in nine games, but he missed the rest of the season due to a broken leg. He needs to overcome his injury and off-field issues (suspended for week one due to a failed drug test) to be considered a top prospect. Micah Kiser has been a beast for the Cavaliers the past two seasons, racking up 250 tackles, 24 TFLs, and 14 sacks. Kiser isn't very athletic, but he has great instincts and a nose for the ball. He isn't likely to crack the top fifty picks, but I think he will be a steal later on in the draft. Last on our list is Skai Moore. Moore is one of the best linebackers in the SEC when he is healthy, but Moore's problem is that he is rarely healthy. He missed almost all of last season with a neck injury, which is sure to scare some teams. That being said, Moore is on this list for a reason. He is a leader and a fierce player who is athletic and excels in coverage. A healthy, productive year from Moore could rocket him up draft boards.
Match-ups to Watch:
Virginia Tech vs Clemson, September 30th
I will be at this game in person, and boy am I excited. I will be keeping a close eye on Tremaine Edwards of Tech and Kendall Joseph of Clemson, two talented linebackers who will hopefully put on a show in this game.
USC vs Texas, September 16th
USC and Texas both have explosive offenses,and it will fall onto Cameron Smith's and Malik Jefferson's shoulders to slow their respective opponents down. If they can succeed, it will be a major win for their draft stock,
Washington vs Arizona State, October 14th
Keishawn Bierria and Azeem Victor are the primary focus of this matchup, as they will have to go against the freak athlete that is running back Kalen Ballage. A big game from that duo will greatly help their stock. For the Sun Devils, the man to watch is hard-hitting linebacker DJ Calhoun, one of my favorite college football players.
Keishawn Bierria and Azeem Victor are the primary focus of this matchup, as they will have to go against the freak athlete that is running back Kalen Ballage. A big game from that duo will greatly help their stock. For the Sun Devils, the man to watch is hard-hitting linebacker DJ Calhoun, one of my favorite college football players.
Follow 4 Down Scouting on Twitter @4DownScouting
All stats come from www.sports-refrence.com unless otherwise noted
No comments:
Post a Comment