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OLB in the 2008 Draft: Round 4

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Posted 04-04-2008 at 11:36 AM by hagan714
Updated 06-12-2008 at 07:16 AM by hagan714

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 turned inside for help. Bryan can hold his own in coverage. He has a good football frame and possesses the necessary instincts to drop in coverage -- being better in zone than on man-to-man coverage. He is a ball hawk-type of player, who has good balance and moves smoothly laterally. Has shown consistent improvement in the passing game. Hard worker..Smart and mature with premier intangibles.

Strength is probably his greatest weakness besides lack of experience. He is a good (not great) tackler who can hit with force, but tends not to do so. He is not the best open field tackler and needs more coaching and experience. He sometimes plays with overconfidence, causing him to miss coverage assignments. Doesn't really play up to his workout numbers. He has trouble shedding blocks. He doesn't play with a nasty demeanor. Marginal pass rusher. May not have a lot of upside. Only a two year starter after taking two years off for a LDS Church Mission.

He is truly athletic and agile, but needs more coaching and playing time with better competition (but the instincts are there). A pretty good all-around player whose physical tools are passable and gets pushed over the top by doing all the little things

Following a solid combine, Bryan Kehl dropped his 40 by close to .1 seconds, notching a 4.56 at his Pro Day.

Bryan Kehl looked solid at the combine; one of the NFL Network analysts compared him to Brady Poppinga.


17. Bruce Davis, UCLA, 6026, 252, 4.72, (DE/OLB)

Davis has made a habit of being in the opponent's backfield. Davis uses great quickness and speed to rush the passer, with 26.5 career sacks at UCLA. He has good moves and simply beats his tackle around the corner into the backfield. In the NFL, Davis' lack of size and strength at the point of attack will force a move to linebacker. Davis has a long, linear athletic frame that can carry extra bulk on it without effecting his speed. A terror off the edge with an outstanding quickness with a burst to close. Good recognition and flashed improved lateral quickness to flatten out and extend plays to the sideline while practicing as a linebacker at the Senior Bowl. Versatile and has played both DE and OLB. Has dominate games at times. Rangy and makes plays in pursuit. Very active with a non-stop motor. A team leader with great intangibles

Davis is vastly undersized and desperately needs to bulk up. A liability versus the run and struggles to hold his ground or get a push. Strength is well below average. Davis has very little experience as a linebacker and has VERY limited experience in coverage. Bruce has the speed to become an effective DE/LB hybrid but lacks the experience that some of the others have. One trick pony with a meager pass rush repertoire

A one-dimensional pass rush specialist who will probably have to move to outside linebacker at the next level.

Had a wonderful combine in which he weighed in at 252 pounds, 18 more than what he weighed at UCLA. He also ran a 4.72, one one-thousandth of a second behind consensus top DE Chris Long. He has a never ending motor, and could easily move to the 3-4 DE/LB hybrid.


18. Jordon Dizon, Colorado, 5119, 229, 4.63

Colorado WLB Jordon Dizon plays 100 miles per hour and is so active that he has been getting an IV drip at halftime of every game due to dehydration. Dizon isn't going to impress anyone physically, which is why he'll likely be on the board until the latter rounds.Has excellent range and makes plays sideline-to-sideline. Field fast, active and reactive. Really breaks through trash and finds the ball carrier. Can still add some muscle mass, and if done sveltely, he could be a terror at MLB because of his awareness, smarts and leadership qualities. Project best to the WILL position but can play anywhere. Productive and pretty tough. Good blitzer. Has a lot of experience. In 13 games, Dizon recorded 173 total tackles (127 solo, 46 assists), 11 TFL, four sacks, 8 QB hurries, and two interceptions. As a result, he was named a consensus first-team All-American, first-team All-Big 12, the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year, and was the runner-up for the Butkus Award.

Although he is very productive and flies to the ball, he is not a physical tackler and can be knocked backward. Is vastly undersized and needs to add weight. He may wind up playing strong safety in the pros if he times well enough, but he does not show a lot of fluidity in coverage for how little he is asked to cover in the Buffaloes’ defense. Does not flip his hips well, has poor ball skills and really struggles in man coverage. Flashes pass coverage ability, but height will be a concern on an ongoing basis in pass defense. Sometimes bites on misdirection. Not fast enough or tall enough to be tried outside. Limited versatility hurts.

However, as hung up as evaluators can be on the physical, Dizon's numbers and his accolades speak for themselves. Also, he makes plays when it matters - he had 17 third-down stops as a junior and posted a single-season school record of 19 as a senior. Classic case of a great college player who just doesn't project well to the next level. Probably won't be anything more than a backup in the pros but he has all the makings of a special teams ace.



19. Stanford Keglar Purdue 6-15/8 239 4.58


Stanford Keglar has had a solid, but unspectacular career at Purdue. He has good size and bulk to go with great athleticism. Excellent instincts and great sideline-to-sideline range. Holds his own in zone coverage because of his high football IQ. Has a very good motor. Hard worker with solid intangibles.

One of the issues scouts are going to have with Keglar is his lack of production, given his athleticism. He is a big outside linebacker at 6'2" and 247 lbs. Keglar also possess remarkable speed for his size, but was often burnt in coverage and rarely got to the quarterback on blitzes throughout his career. Can be too aggressive at times. Has trouble matching up in man coverage. Struggles when he has to take on and shed blockers.

Keglar's athletic ability will lead someone to draft him in the late rounds. He should be a good special teams contributor and with time and coaching could develop into a starting linebacker in the NFL. A good player with starting potential but could get overdrafted

Stanford Keglar attended the 2008 East-West Shrine Game. He played well, but didn't particularly stand out amongst the linebackers. This would have been a good opportunity to showcase his play making skills, but as usual, he put on a lackluster performance. Keglar should hear his name called between rounds 5 and 7.

Stanford Keglar raised his stock by leaps and bounds at the NFL Combine. Keglar scored toward the top of every event in Indianapolis. He ran a 4.58 40 yard dash and finished the 20 yard shuttle in just 3.98 seconds. Keglar also hoisted 29 reps on the bench press. Keglar is a bigger 4-3 outside linebacker, but showed he has the speed to play at the NFL level. Keglar was a late fifth or sixth round pick before the Combine, but now could go as early as the end of round four.
Posted in 2008 NFL Draft
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