2006 Draft, linebackers: 

 

Two prior articles purported a lack of talent on the offensive side of the ball.  The opposite was found on the D-line; there the talent pool is deep and wide.  At LB, not so much: as we�ll see the ILB pool is average and, while the OLB set is excellent, that talent, generally, distributes to other positions.   Commencing with our standard survey:

 

Table 1: Linebackers: 7 years of Combine history, against this class

 

	# OLB Invitees	Did all KEI drills	Achieved 70> KEI	# ILB Invitees	Did all KEI drills	Achieved 70> KEI
7 year average, �99-�05	20	13	4	15	10	2
2006	24	18	7	16	11	2
Remarks	3rd high year	2nd high year	(8) in 2002 and 2005	3rd high year	2nd high year	(3) in 2001 and 2005

 

This ILB crop may be described as standard good.  There is no standard with respect to OLB; results have varied wildly, with two seasons (2002 and 2005) providing 16 of those 28 >70 KEI prospects noted above (in C4, R2).  Last spring�s set leads the way, provisionally, (20/14/8) although, considering that those prospects have just completed their rook seasons, on-field results are inconclusive. 

 

Not so for 2002, #2 in the OLB KEI countdown.  That group (18/15/8) exceeds this in both participation and KEI %.  It is worth noting that high KEI mid-round graduates include: Will Witherspoon (R3), Akin Ayodele (R3), David Thornton (R4) and Scott Fujita (R5).   Of those, Fujita played SOLB in the Boys� 2005 3-4 SOLB; the same team recently picked up Ayodele, who now is projected to start at SILB.  While Witherspoon hasn�t played in any 3-4, he would figure as a WILB, IMO.  That�s one illustration of the range of options among OLB prospects.  Another, closer to home: both Joey Porter and Larry Foote drilled as OLB. 

 

As an aside: combining ILB and OLB as Combined, 2005 presented the best crop of athletes, so far.  Then, the Steelers drafted Rian Wallace, one of the lesser prospects (athletically) in that crop.  2002 presented considerable OLB workout monsters too, but the Steelers picked Larry Foote, was one of the lesser athletes in that group.  So too with Haggans in 2000, that year boasting the largest number of invitees and, although few participated in all drills, there�s no questioning the athleticism from the top (Arrington) to the bottom (Adalius Thomas).    

 

On the flip side, the Steelers have picked a couple athletes too: Porter, 76+ circa 1999, and surprisingly, Andre Frazier, who fell (2) reps short of the KEI magic kingdom.  So, there�s that.  Returning to the Fujita/Ayodele/Witherspoon section above, which prefaced problems parsing 3-4 prospects from their twin Combine clumps; the following tabular tandem is offered as a start. (Note: Table 2 revised, deleting Ayodele but adding Marcus Washington).   

 

Table 2:  Notable 3-4 OLB,  (mainly) in the League last season

 

260# or more			Lighter, but big frame			Standard issue (prior standard)
	H	W		H	W		H	W
Shawn Merriman	6043	272	D. Ware	6040	255	Joey Porter	6024	250
Willie McGinest	6050	270	S. Fujita	6050	250	Rosey Colvin	6023	250
Andre Carter	6041	265				Marc. Washington	6032	247
Steve Foley	6034	265				Clark Haggans	6033	243
Shaun Phillips	6032	262				Matt Stewart	6035	235
Mike Vrabel	6041	261				Julian Peterson	6033	235
Kalimba Edwards	6053	265				Chaun Thompson	6017	242

 

Table 3:  Notable 3-4 ILB, (mainly) in the League last season

 

6�-2�, rounded up			6�-1� rounded up
	H	W		H	W
Kailee Wong	6030	250	Andra Davis	6007	250
Bradie James	6023	250	Tedy Bruschi	6005	243
Akin Ayodele	6021	246	Jeff Ulbrich	6003	240
Derek Smith	6020	237	Morlon Greenwood	6003	238
Randall Godfrey	6017	245	Brian Urlacher, 6037, king of the 4-3 beasts
Donnie Edwards	6017	227	With McGinest in the fold, Brown ROLB Chaun Thompson (6017) may move to WILB.
James Farrior	6016	243	Zach Thomas, Al Wilson and Dat Nguyen all are under 6�-0�.

 

There�s some overlap in the 602x height range but, generally (in that aspect), OLB are trending towards DE while ILB trend towards SS.  In parsing LB prospects, inside or out, on a performance/task basis, the same polarization applies, broadly.  Three down 3-4 ILB must, at minimum, get effective zone drops in the pass game, while 3-down OLB, (to set that run game edge), must win hand to hand on the LOS.   Obviously, ILB do play the run and OLB do drop into coverage; that above merely sets the outer warp in a D-side field of dreams, within which championships are woven.  Ok then

 

Table 4: The ILB, the long and the short, as per Combine assignment: 

 

Name/ School	H/W	Reps	VJ	KEI	40/10 Yard	SS	Remarks
Gerris Wilkinson, WILB/ROLB   Georgia Tech	6030     233#	19	39�	68.16	4.66/ 1.67	4.18	Durable, solid tackler, played several positions.  Made the calls, like Farrior led by example.  WILB or ROLB candidate
Spencer Havner, WILB     UCLA	6033       242#	DNP	39�	x	4.69/ 1.65	4.09	Not a great athlete but was clutch for the Bruins.  Has to be covered up, WILB only.  Durability concerns and nowhere near strong enough.
Tim McGarigle, ILB       Northwestern	6005         242#	DNP	38�	x	4.73/ 1.63	4.08	Great tackler.  Some athletic limitations but good instincts to contribute in coverage.  Short arms are a problem but he does have the whiff of a (classic) ILB Day 2 contributor.  Jerry O.
D�Qwell Jackson, WILB   Maryland	6004     230#	19	37�	65.67	4.73/ 1.64	4.37	Instinctive, plays hard, great football IQ, good tackler.  Good in zone but size and COD limit man coverage ability.
Tim Dobbins   Iowa State	6011   246#	23	35.5�	67.66	4.59/ 1.65	4.39	Great effort and desire.  Straightline guy who, reportedly, needs a lot of reps.
Kai Parham, SOLB           Virginia	6030           256#	30	35�	74.67	4.98/ 1.70	4.36	Once overshadowed by Brooks and Blackstock, took control last year.  Makes plays behind the LOS but long speed limits him in coverage.  A 2-down guy at ILB but could make it at LOLB.   Red flag: Lingering back injury, per PFW
Abdul Hodge, WILB       Iowa	6003         236#	DNP	31�	x	4.76/ 1.65	4.35	Great leader who plays with passion.  Finds the ball.   Small and not a great athlete.  Is limited in coverage, man or zone.  Could be Zach Thomas, could be a 2-down guy

 

  Notes:

 

• DNP:  None, although several did not participate in all drills

 

• Several safety-sized prospects were eliminated on a DNF basis.  Those include:  Freddy Keiaho, Stanley Tulloch and Dale Robinson.  As a matter of interest, KEI achieved by that trio were, in order: 60, 69.91 and 60.  They may be fine players, elsewhere

 

• Anthony Schlegel, Oliver Hoyte and Freddy Roach may contribute as 2-down stuffers but that is exactly why they won�t reach the SBBV. 

 

• Leon Williams may be drafted as an ST player, but if he didn�t call signals at the U, he won�t call them in the show.  Here�s what you need to know:  Williams is a great athlete, unlike that troika of stuffers noted above, but, like that trio, was removed in passing situations. 

 

• Dobbins is a good athlete but, as we�ll see, better exist in the OLB ranks. 

 

Wilkinson and McGarigle have been extremely durable, both having made every start for 3 straight seasons.  For Parham, the numbers are 23/24 over two.  Wilkinson and Parham can play with their hand down; both made plays behind the LOS: (2 yr. totals, Wilkinson 34.5, Parham 34.0).  McGarigle does not make plays behind the LOS (23 including 4 sacks in 36 starts over 3 seasons); however, like Wilkinson, McGarigle did make the calls, and, reportedly, he does have a coaches� understanding of the game.  Finally, while both Parham and McGarigle have some athletic limitations, Wilkinson does not.  While little jumps out in his game, on balance, Wilkinson (among all drilling at ILB) is the best fit at the spot.  Still, both Parham and McGarigle do remain contenders for SBBV honors (?).  Onward: 

 

Table 5: 2006 OLB Prospects (some may be 3-4 WILB):   

 

Name/Position/ School	H/W	Reps	VJ	KEI	40/10 Yard	SS	Remarks
Rocky McIntosh, WILB   Miami	6021     237#	19	41.5�	69.41	4.63/ 1.61	DNP	Smart, mature, comes from a military family.  Plays with great energy and has been productive.  Red flag: training room fixture
Ernie Sims, WILB   FSU	5111   231#	25	41�	76.5	4.50/ 1.54	4.23	Thomas Davis type, SS/OLB.  Better athlete and a better player too; no chance he reaches 1.32
James Anderson, WILB     Virginia Tech	6026       229#	DNP	41�	X     (51.09)	4.59/ 1.57	4.08	Good coverage backer, zone or man.  Plays fast and can blitz, but cannot rush from the LOS.  Solid character.  Needs more meat and play strength.
AJ Hawk, ILB   Ohio State	6010   248#	24	40	73.56	4.59/ 1.56	3.96	Prototype in all aspects.  Top 10 for sure.
Jon Alston, safety           Stanford	6006           223#	30	41	81.00	4.40/ 1.56	4.14	In the last two seasons made 40.5 plays behind the line, more than either Parham or Wilkinson.  This prospect is the top S candidate in this class, Polamalu-esque in his impact potential.  As a LB, Tampa 2 type.
Manny Lawson, OLB         NC State	6053           241#	23	39.5�	72.83	4.43/ 1.55	4.21	Here�s what you need to know.  Lawson played opposite Mario Williams at NC State.  In both of the past two seasons, Lawson was named NCS D-lineman of the year.  The best 3-4 OLB prospect in this class, without exception
Terna Nande, SILB   Miami North	6001   232#	41	39�	90.33	4.51/ 1.59	4.12	Workout monster.  Football is important to him.  Overcame a lacerated liver to play last season.
Thomas Howard, WILB   UTEP	6032     239#	21	39�	70.33	4.42/ 1.59	4.29	DNF:  Lacks the sand to hold the point, lacks the instinct to play inside.   Does not figure to thrive in LeBeau�s magic circus.
DeMeco Ryans, WILB     Alabama	6012       236#	23	39�	72.75	4.65/ 1.64	4.18	Smart and instinctive, plays fast, finds the ball.  Has great presence on field and equally good character off.  Average size, no tremendous burst.
Omar Gaither, WILB   Tennessee	6010     234#	23	37�	69.56	4.78/ 1.65	4.32	DND:  Lacks flat speed, mediocre agility and comes with toughness questions.
Brandon Johnson, none   Louisville	6047     228#	11	37�	57.83	4.44/ 1.59	4.34	DND:  too weak to be a LB.  Could be a safety in the Pat Watkins mode, maybe but he�s DND too.
Jamar Williams, WILB     AZ State	6002       236#	21, Pro Day	37�	68	4.59/ 1.61	4.29	3 yr. starter.  Good instincts.  Has some coverage ability and is a good ST player.  Chase player; he cannot play on the LOS.  Red flag: character issues, reportedly.
Anthony Trucks, ILB   Oregon	6007     233	22	37�	69.41	4.76/ 1.72	4.21	Made a lot of plays at Oregon, (11) sacks last season.  Some good attributes but flat speed is at issue.  ST player.
William Kershaw, ROLB         Maryland	6026           240#	21	37�	67.25	4.63/ 1.72	4.20	Good play strength; can set the edge.  Plays with energy, good competitor.  Has enough movement skills to play man coverage but is stiff in zone. Red flag: not a great learner, may need many, many reps.
Chad Greenway, WILB   Iowa	6024     242#	16	33.5�	59.25	4.76/ 1.61	4.22	WO numbers could undermine R1A/B play grade rendering this prospect the LB equivalent of Heath Miller.
Bobby Carpenter     OSU	6024     256#	DNP	DNP	x	4.66*	DNP	* Pro Day result on a very fast track.  DNP at Indy.  Porter-frame lacking Porter-quick twitch.  Not R1 worthy, but versatility is a plus.

 

Notes:

 

• DNP: Bobby Carpenter and Brian Iwuh, likely a safety conversion. 

 

• DND: Joining Johnson and Gaither (above), athletic limitations eliminate: Keith Ellison, Cameron Vaughn, Charlton Keith and Kevin Simon.  AJ Nicholson is eliminated on that basis too, but Nicholson deserves special mention, combining bad athleticism and repellent behavior.  This prospect is in a class alone. 

 

• The mournful tale of Charlton Keith: Playing for Kansas, this prospect led Division 1 with 28.5 plays behind the line, including 20 TFL and 8.5 sacks.  He has many attributes: plays hard, long first step, good agility and balance.  Kansas is a member of the Big 12, so LOC is not at issue.  Athleticism is: Keith did (12) reps, 2^nd worst among all OLB; he jumped 30�, 2^nd worst among all OLB; he clocked 4.78, 3^rd worst among all OLB.  Contrary to opinion found at some (other, amateur) draft sites, Keith is not a comer; he is a 2-year developmental UDFA, at best.  The caution is this: sometimes, high production at a high level of competition is not enough.  Remember, most D-1 schools field a number of guys that are headed for a career in the security industry.  Athleticism sufficient to defeat those types may be entirely insufficient to flourish in the show. 

 

Strangely, this OLB class adds little to the pool of 3-4 OLB.  Lawson certainly, and maybe Bobby Carpenter as well (although he looks like an ILB prospect too); toss in Kershaw for three.  There are (provisionally) seven ILB candidates (8, with Carpenter), although, as it�s certain neither Hawk nor Sims will get out of the top fifteen, say 5, or 6.  Last, but far from least, numero uno safety prospect Jon Alston for a total of 9, or 10, PS-presentable OLB prospects, strewn across a broad range of applications.   

 

That said: the PS could do far worse than select OLB in both R1 and R2.  Not just any two of course but specifically: Manny Lawson and Jon Alston.  Both prospects are among the top ten/fifteen athletes, regardless of position, in this class; both prospects were productive players and, to my knowledge, neither have any character issues.  In fact, Lawson drew raves Senior Week for the manner in which he conducted that business. 

 

Ideally the Steelers could snag Lawson, the only big frame, quick twitch OLB in this class, R1, and Alston, a Lake-like S conversion project, R2.   At the present time, that take can be projected from standard rankings but, well, not-for-long, IMO.  Still, we are where are, now; therefore, the following tables post some (presently relevant) comparisons.  Draw your own conclusions. 

 

Table 6:  Manny Lawson v. last year�s fast riser, DeMarcus Ware.

 

Player	H	W	Reps	VJ	KEI	10	40	SS	Cone
DeMarcus Ware	6040	251	27	38.5	75.66	1.62	4.56	4.07	6.85
Manny Lawson	6053	241	23	39.5	72.83	1.55	4.43	4.21	6.90

 

• Close, but advantage Ware.  Ware went 1.11 last so, as to Lawson, well, hello Cleveland, presently picking at 1.12.  And:

 

Table 7:  Jon Alston v. several safeties, or safety prospects. 

 

	H	W	Reps	VJ	KEI	10	40	SS	Cone	Wonderlic
Chris Hope	5115	210	28	37	74.83	1.60	4.58	4.40	7.35	16
Michael Boulware	6020	225	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP	3.96	6.91	24
Jon Alston	6006	223	30	40	81	1.56	4.40	4.14	6.90	NF
Donte Whitner	5101	204	18	40	69	1.53	4.40	DNP	DNP	NF
Antoine Bethea	5110	203	19	36.5	66.09	1.53	4.39	4.13	6.99	NF

 

• Hope demonstrated excellent explosion, but Alston shows more.  It is notable that Alston and Whitner had the same 40 and the same leaps: 40� VJ and (an incredible) 11�-0� LJ.  Of the five noted above, Bethea flashed slightly more flat speed (very slightly); both Whitner and Alston are close but Hope is/was not.  Boulware, who was DNP in most aspects, showed exceptional agility in two drills. He and Alston are 1,2 in this aspect; Bethea is close too but Hope, on this parameter, falls way, way back. At this date, 2006 Wonderlic scores have not been posted.  However, it�s a good bet that Stanford�s own Jon Alston did ok; better than Hope�s (16) anyway. 

Close:

 

The closing table does not constitute any final SBBV; it�s way too early for that.  Rather, it is intended to illustrate that value cluster paradigm. In general, this notion crosses any current crop, at any position, with certain historical facts (pick/position/R).  In the table below, take ranges over the past five years are displayed, against rankings for this season�s crop.  The latter are compiled, provisionally, as the average from PFW and Draft Scout rankings.   

 

Numbers taken per position tend to converge because, year after year, teams tend to draft for need.  Need, summed over all teams, tends to remain constant, if only because injury is a constant.  Then too, it could be that busts are a constant because teams constantly draft for need. Busts create need too�and around we go.      

 

On the flip side, talent per crop per position varies wildly.  Earlier, we gave R3 RB as an example; consider too, LB, circa 2000, as was highlighted previously, in our Roster Overview.  The short form is: the #5 guy at any given position in any given year is unlikely to an equivalent prospect when compared to the #5 at that same spot in any other year.  In the end, it�s a matter of judgment.  If you believe, say, Gerris Wilkinson compares favorably with #3 ILB prospects taken in prior years, and with classes oncoming, then Gerris Wilkinson constitutes R2/3 value.  If not, not; so, if just for now: 

 

Table 8: Summary of tables 4 & 5 above, parsing Combine ILB and OLB prospects to serve the PSD machine.

 

	R1	R2	R3	R4	R5	R6	R7	Info missing
3-4 OLB				Parham
3-4 ILB	Jackson	Wilkinson Hodge	Dobbins	Havner		McGarigle
ILB pool: 6 yr. Aver.	1-2	2-3 (5)	4-6 (3), twice	6-8 (4)	7-9 (5)	10-11 (7), twice	10-12 (8)
3-4 OLB	Lawson	Carpenter, (ILB too)			Kershaw
3-4 ILB	Hawk Greenway Sims Ryans	Howard	McIntosh	Anderson Nande	Williams		Trucks
OLB pool: 6 yr. Aver.	0-1 (2) (3)	6-8 (2), thrice	7-11 (4)	10-14 (8) (15)	11-16 (9) (18)	16-19 (9) (14)	17-21 (11)

 

• OLB low, 1999: (11) in total, (4) Day 1.  OLB highs, 2000 & 2004: (21) in total, 14-15 thru R4.  Extreme volatility in R2. In (6) years, three instances at the low end and (3) at the high.  This time, expect the high side. 

 

• ILB numbers are steady throughout, pretty much. 

 

• Boldface denotes high KEI, even if +37� VJ is a better upfront indicator. 

 

• Jon Alston is ranked #8 among OLB, a R2/3 slot, which is a reasonable target at 2.64.  However, as Alston is considered a safety (here), he not listed above, but will be shown with the DB.  Anthony Trucks fits a similar profile; however, Trucks� lack of flat speed eliminates him from S consideration.  Still, he was a quality college player, and so is noted above, if for information purposes only. 

 

• Table 8 suggests a considerable R1 value cluster at ILB.  Typically, the Steelers draft R1 for immediate need; in that regard, ILB is not among the numbered.  However, it is worth noting that Kevin Colbert has uttered high praise for this ILB class so, you know�maybe.

 

The following table summarizes all Front 7 prospects, including those noted previously along the D-line.  Positions are arrayed per need: DE, OLB, ILB and NT.  Finally, OLB prospects include those from both the DE and OLB pools. 

 

Table 9:  Front 7, towards the SBBV. 

 

	R1	R2	R3	R4	R5	R6	R7	Info missing
DE   9		Wright	Cofield Dvoracek Jenkins	Hatcher	Adeyanju	Golston Oliver	Rice	Oliver Rice
OLB   10	Lawton	(Anderson) * Gocong * Carpenter	McClover	Ninkovich Parham	LaCasse Kershaw		*Guillory	Guillory (*) >70 likely
ILB   10 (8)	Greenway Ryans	*Wilkinson * Carpenter * Gocong	McIntosh	Anderson Nande	Williams	McGarigle
NT   4							L. Smith	A. Smith Fifita Montgomery

 

Notes:

 

• Top D-line prospects Mario Williams, Broderick Bunkley and Haloti Ngata are omitted for clarity; so too, AJ Hawk and Ernie Sims.  No chance any get to 1.32.

 

• R2 may present some versatility to the 2006 PS LB corps, presuming Wilkinson, Carpenter and Gocong may be considered ILB/OLB prospects.  Both Wilkinson and Carpenter have played both spots.  Gocong has played neither but he did play NT one season at Cal Poly.  Additionally, while this prospect does have many athletic attributes, �long frame� is not among the numbered.  If only for now, in the early evaluation period, this factor is worth noting. 

 

• In anticipation of events likely to follow, DE prospects Hatcher and Adeyanju are relocated from those R-slots shown in our initial D-line survey.

 

• Pro Day results suggest that, if any prospect at all, Anthony Montgomery is a NT not a DE, as shown previously.  A good Big Ten 2-gap DT, his WO results indicate marginal athleticism forward.