Von Miller and Linebacker Notes Vol.2

Von Miller and Lber Notes Vol. 2 Josh Bynes (Auburn) – 6013, 239.
Plays well from tackle to tackle. Good initial read and react. Quick first step.
Somewhat tight in the hips, average change of direction. On a straight line
could get to the ball. Good inside fills. Physical attacking blocks. Used his
hands well and separated. Struggled when the play was outside the box. Did
not play well in space. Needs work on pass drops. Inconsistent reactions to
the thrown ball and tended to get hung up in transition. Good motor, active
and hustled in pursuit. He looks like a two down inside player.
Nate Irving(North Carolina State) –
6012, 242. Arms 33 1/8”, hands 10 ¼”.
Looks the
part and moves well initially. Athletic and instinctive. When he sees it he
reacts well from tackle to tackle. Shows a quick first step as a blitzer but
tended to lock up if he did not win on the first move. Has a burst in pursuit.
Shows tools to take on blocks but did not always finish and would take a side
and get out of position. He was not extremely quick in space and took some
false steps in coverage. Overall he flashed good skill and linebacker tools but
was inconsistent in reactions and needs to finish better. Colin McCarthy(Miami) –
6012, 235. Hands 10 3/8”.
Top effort player with a high motor.
Quick initial read and react, doing a nice job getting downhill and to the ball.
Smart player, good angles to the ball and quality drops in coverage with good
zone awareness. Good technique, uses his hands well to take on blocks and
redirects off the block to the ball. Above average footwork when attacking a
block. Occasionally will under run a play but for the most part is extremely
instinctive with an excellent nose for the ball. Takes good drops in coverage,
reacts well on the throw with no wasted steps. Good coverage awareness, sees
the receiver and the quarterback. Has good range in pursuit and plays fast
with no wasted movement. He is a quality linebacker who played well both
inside and outside. Has a chance to be a productive “blue collar” NFL starter.
Von Miller (Texas A&M) – 6025, 237. Arms 34”. Demonstrates ability to
play over a tight end and get leverage on the block. Locks up at times getting
upright looking for the ball instead of defeating the block and getting to the
ball. Uses his hands well and gets separation. Good upper body strength. Has
a quick first step and gets upfield in a hurry. Shows good pass rush tools and
the ability to turn the corner to get to the quarterback. Fluid for the most
part in linebacker drills. Lacks sudden change of direction and will struggle in
space at times on the perimeter. Has a nose for the football and can run down
a back getting outside. Physical hitter with a good burst to the ball. Needs
some coverage work as his depth of drop was inconsistent and he did not
always take good angles reacting on the throw. Plays like a classic 3-4 outside
linebacker as his strengths are what is needed at that position. At his best on
the edge rushing the passer. Kelvin Sheppard (LSU) – 6021, 2
Excellent
initial read and react. Good first step and gets downhill with no hesitation.
Solid tackle to tackle player with good inside run instincts. Decent range and
can get to the ball outside. Very aggressive taking on blocks but tends to get
locked up as he looks for the ball instead of defeating the block. At his best
with a clear path to the ball. Takes a decent drop in coverage but has average
range and change of direction reacting to the throw. Plays the run well but
struggles some in coverage and in space.
Chris White (Mississippi State) –6027, 244.
Good initial movement and read and react. Physical at the point
of attack. Solid technique taking on blocks. Redirects well off a block and
gets to the ball. Works well with his hands on shed. Physical when playing
over a tight end and could be a Sam linebacker in a 4-3 or be a 3-4 outside guy.
A little tight hipped but has some quickness on the edge. Takes decent drops
and has OK zone awareness but not dynamic in space or reacting on the
throw. Good effort player who can fit with the right team.
KJ Wright>(Mississippi State) – 6031, 246.
Long arms 34 ½”. Marginal on initial read
and react. He was physical taking on blocks and looked like a “thumper
type” middle linebacker. Change of direction was OK but he struggled some in
space and got out of position tracking downhill at times. Good range in
pursuit and filled well outside. A fringe space player. Did not always have
good depth of drop in zone coverage but showed good awareness and reacted
well to routes. Did a nice job playing the route and the quarterback. Showed an
understanding of pattern pressure. Was physical and flashed ability in most areas.