Draft Rewind 2009 - James Laurinaitis - St. Louis Rams

What Ourlads NFL Scouting Services said about JAMES LAURINAITIS: Ohio State, 6017 244 4.80. Three-year starter. An instinctive three down linebacker that is a good technician. Nose for the ball. Plays square to the line of scrimmage. Good lateral quickness to shuffle through traffic. Downhill player that breaks down and wraps up the ball carrier. Good use of hands to bench press blocker down and escape to make the tackle. Breaks up quickly on a ball thrown in front of him. Will throw his body around to make a tackle. Effective high tackler on the goal line. Bends his knees and plays with leverage. Plays with a good base and the quickness to slip blocks. Generally keeps blockers away from his body. Gets under the blocker. Good open field tackler. Can run with tight ends. Made 18 tackles in the 2008 national championship game against LSU. Sudden to read and react. Explosive hitter. Consistent tackler. Productive and active. Intense. Physically and mentally tough. Loves contact. Focused and smart. Reads quarterback and reacts very well in coverage. Has route awareness. Can play short man coverage. Can run man to man with most tight ends and fullbacks. An athletic blitzer with good instincts to time blitz. Big hands. Shorter arms than ideal. Can use more overall body strength. Sudden change of direction. Two-time team captain. Had 366 tackles, 24 1/2 tackles for loss, 13 sacks, and 9 interceptions in career. OSR:6/ 12. First/second round. (A-31 5/8, H-10, BP-22, SS-4.25).