2011 NFL Draft - Top 5 OLBs

The-Mainboard.com 2011 NFL Draft Initial Top 5 OLBs

List is from NFL Draft aficionado, Neal Olson.

1. OLB Travis Lewis, Oklahoma
-Lewis is an extremely impressive linebacker prospect heading into April and for me has taken over the top spot at the OLB position. He might be a tad undersized but it isn't a big concern at 6'3 and 232 pounds right now. On film you can see he is a very instinctive linebacker and has a nose for where the play is developing and doesn't hesitate in attacking the play head on. A big part of Lewis's game is the ability to come off of the edge. He has shown a great ability of getting into the backfield and creating havoc on the other team's quarterback. With his speed comes the ability to cover sideline to sideline with relative ease. Even if a play is developing away from him he has the ability to chase it down and make the play. The one knock on him going into the season is the ability to take on blockers head on and blow up running plays more often. He often gets taken out by an opposing offensive lineman looking to open up a hole for the running game. More strength will help but needs to consistently use his hands to disengage and not get driven out of plays like can sometimes happen.

2. OLB Bruce Carter, North Carolina
-Carter is the second member of the Tar Heel defense in my initial 32 players. Like Quinn, he is an extremely impressive athlete from the linebacker position. He is outstanding at changing directions quickly and getting to the other side of the field. He isn't quite on Lewis's level but shows very good pursuit and has a great motor as well. His sack numbers aren't in the class of Von Miller from Texas A&M, which surprised me a bit given his quickness all around the field. However I don't think that speaks to him as a pass rusher rather than how he is used in the North Carolina defense. Carter isn't used to the best of his abilities at Carolina and rather than getting after the QB he is used in coverage mostly. This is surprising as he isn't a great player in reading routes is often late to see a play materialize which leads to not being able to break up a pass he should be able to get to. As of right now I would think he fits better in a 4-3 scheme just based on his college experience, however an NFL team may want to transition him to an OLB role in a 3-4 and work on him in using his hands and develop him into a freak pass rusher.

3. OLB Von Miller, Texas A&M
-Miller is an interesting case to me. I was very high on him coming out of the spring and still think he is a very good prospect but I have some concerns as well. There is no doubt that Miller has excellent speed coming off of the edge. He uses his speed to great advantage when taking the edge to get to the quarterback. It is also a plus that Miller does have experience at the 3-4 outside linebacker position. It is always a risk for NFL teams to try and evaluate undersized 4-3 defensive ends and try to see how they translate to the adjustment that is required to play the 3-4 scheme. The big concern I have with Miller is that he uses his speed to often. In college, the speed off of the edge is a great asset that catches many offensive tackles off guard. However in the NFL he is going to get burnt relying on that as he will have to take wider routes leaving more time for the quarterback to get rid of the ball. Other than that I am interested in seeing how he does with the increased weight. I know someone referred to him as a heat seeking outside linebacker in a safety body, I don't think that assessment is far off with the frame of his body last year. I think with a year to prove that last year wasn't a fluke and playing at an increased weight level, he can see his stock rise quickly and challenge a guy like Bruce Carter.

4. OLB Adrian Robinson, Temple
-Like Worthy, Robinson is a relative unknown to most of the national media due to playing at a smaller school. However that shouldn't be an excuse as he is poised to be a household name to many after the 2010 season if he plays like he is capable of. He is an undersized defensive end in a 4-3 scheme for the Owls. However at the next level he is likely to be transitioned to a 3-4 outside linebacker. It is tough to make the adjustment, but looking at Robinson it shouldn't be to hard to make the adjustment. He is extremely quick off of the ball and does an extremely good job of fighting through blockers and shedding opposing offensive linemen. He has enough explosiveness to come off of the edge in a 3-4 and speed likely won't be a huge issue for NFL scouts. He does a good job at staying home on his assignment which minimizes the liability to the defense overall. He is able to drift off of the line of scrimmage and make plays in coverage in tipping passes that try to go over him. Although there are plenty of positives for Robinson, he isn't quite the athlete that a Von Miller or a Bruce Carter is. He does have more pass rushing moves than Miller, however just doesn't have the heat seeking missile quality that could push him out of the first round and into the second round. However with a quality 2010 season, Robinson can have a similar rise like Larry English of Northern Illinois did a few years ago.

5. OLB Nick Perry, Southern California
-Although Perry plays defensive end for the Trojans, I think his best position at the next level will be at the 3-4 outside linebacker spot. He is explosive off of the ball and showed great speed for the Trojans in his first full season playing at Southern California. He uses his hands very well and they are very active throughout the play. This allows him to make up for his lack of strength in fighting through opposing linemen and he is able to break away quicker by doing so. He has a tremendous first step burst in addition to the explosiveness that caught many linemen off guard last year and allowed him to get up field in a hurry. He demonstrates excellent tackling ability and drives through opponents to bring them down with relative ease and normally doesn't require help from his teammates which is a definite plus. Perry does need to show a bit better pad level more consistently. When he keeps low to the ground he proved to be almost unstoppable for the Trojans, however on occasion he shot up out of his stance to quickly and gave up the initial advantage he had by jumping the snap. I would also like to see Perry drift back into coverage and see how he does, but the athlete that he is I don't expect that to be a major issue with him.