The Butchers’ Toll
Part 1

No one can tell me we played the same system as in 2006. By the end of 2006 the fans and the rest of the NFL knew how to kill the Saints’ defense. Attack it. So in 2007 the Saints went for a safer approach and decided it was safer to read and react to opposing offense and try to minimize the bleeding. Well that did not work. The Saints’ Defensive blood had to be cleaned for the field every Sunday. Napoleon would always ask for “What’s The Butchers’...

7. Philip Wheeler, Georgia Tech, 6019, 248, 4.66, OLB/ILB

Philip Wheeler will not be the biggest or strongest linebacker of this class. However, despite those concerns, Wheeler has great athleticism. Wheeler is a solid cover man for a linebacker and will be able to match up well with most backs and tight ends in the league. Smooth, natural and a great athlete with loose hips. Wheeler is a strong player who can shed blocks and stuff the run with seeming ease. He has good quickness...

3. Erin Henderson, Maryland, 6028, 244, 4.73, ILB/OLB

Linebacker Erin Henderson has great size and speed and one of the top LB’s in the nation that should be one of the top linebackers on most draft boards. He is quite instinctive and will always be around the ball and deliver some big time hits. He reads the action quickly, and is athletic and strong enough with his hands to get through blocks on his way to the ball carrier. Can beat the running back to the edge. Has decent range...

1. Dan Connor, Penn St., 6-3 233 4.67

Blue collar. That's the word heard most often when describing Dan Conner. The Penn State Senior linebacker has been nothing short of a tackling machine since the first game of his freshman year. Conner led Penn State with 145 tackles this year. Conner doesn't just wait for backs to come at him to be tackled. Conner has experience playing both inside and outside on the line backing core, both with equally impressive results. The best...

16. Bryan Kehl, B.Y.U., 6023, 242, 4.56

Kehl is not a typical BYU linebacker having adequate size and bulk. Kehl is a very fast and a decent athletic player. Bryan has good instincts in the running game evident by the number of tackles he makes. Capable of delivering the big hit. He is active with nice range showing excellent instincts and awareness. He does an excellent job in open space and taking on blockers at the edge. Has a knack for getting to the sideline and keeping runners...