OLB in the 2007 NFL Draft

hagan714 · 04-21-2007, 03:45 PM

Damaja Jones - 6005, 208, 4.55, San Jose St.

Lettered in football (Coach Gordon Wood) Helix High in La Mesa, Calif. Also was an impressive track guy who finished ninth in the 100 meters at the 2002 California state high school track and field championships.

Highly productive OLB who has the wheels to be looked at as a SS at the next level. Closes very quickly on the ball carrier. Very disruptive when rushing the QB. Makes lots of plays in the backfield.

A classic "tweener" who will need lots of reps and coaching up to switch to safety. has the speed for OLB but will take a long time in the weight room to ever be big enough.

Priority UDFA based on his senior year productivity.

Mike D'Andrea - 6030, 248, 4.70, Ohio St.

Came to Ohio State as one of the most prized recruits coming out Avon High School in Ohio. Had numerous injuries including 2005(knee), 2004 (knee), 2003(separated shoulder). Played a healthy year in 2002, but that was the only one.

We have had a hard time evaluating Mike because he hasn't seen a lot of time. He has the size and strength to play at the next level, but injuries will be a major concern. Could be a great value to a team willing to risk a pick based on his reputation.

Damaja Jones - 6005, 208, 4.55, San Jose St. (LB/SS)

Lettered in football (Coach Gordon Wood) Helix High in La Mesa, Calif. Also was an impressive track guy who finished ninth in the 100 meters at the 2002 California state high school track and field championships. Highly productive OLB who has the wheels to be looked at as a SS at the next level. Closes very quickly on the ball carrier. Very disruptive when rushing the QB. Makes lots of plays in the backfield.

A classic "tweener" who will need lots of reps and coaching up to switch to safety. has the speed for OLB but will take a long time in the weight room to ever be big enough.

Priority UDFA based on his senior year productivity.

Funtaine Hunter - 6021, 230, 4.43, Vanderbilt

Funtaine Hunter is a special teams demon with an outstanding size/speed ratio for a linebacker.

At his pro day workout he ran the 40s in 4.43 and 4.46 and had an impressive 36" VJ. He also threw up 23 reps on the bench. He ran the short shuttle in 4.31 and the three-cone in 7.22.

Abe Brown - 6030, 240, 4.69, Louisville

Brown has been a solid but unspectacular player for the Cardinals during his career. Has plenty of experience and also was a standout on the kickoff unit. Nice size and speed for the position. Tackels pretty well.

May need to add some bulk to his lanky frame to compete in the NFL. Not much of a factor in pass defense. Has never really put it all together. Will need lots of reps and patient coaching to amount to much.

Adecent LB that kind of got lost in the shuffle at Louisville.

Adam Hayward - 6004, 235, 4.48, Portland State

On paper the 6-foot, 230-pound Hayward enjoyed a collegiate career only conjured up in a dream. At the conclusion of his senior season he was flooded with hardware, collecting a first-team Associated Press All-American selection, Big Sky Conference Defensive Player of the Year award and fourth place finish in voting for the Buck Buchanan Award, given to the best defensive player in Division I-AA.

At Portland State's Pro Day last month, he scampered to a 4.48 40-yard time in front of scouts from Tampa Bay, Seattle, Kansas City and San Francisco. His most recent taste of success came with many more eyes watching as the fleet-footed linebacker put on a show last Thursday, impressing over 40 NFL scouts and undoubtedly boosting his draft stock with the fastest time of the day.

"His performance on Thursday absolutely boosted his draft stock. He had already done well for the few scouts he ran for on campus where he ran a 4.48, which is unheard of for his height and weight. Then [in Carson, CA.] he had a fantastic day. What it does is make the teams watch additional film, and that is really the deeper process of the draft," said his agent, Derrick Fox. "Everyone I have talked to agrees he is really the talk right now. I would be really surprised if Adam isn't a sixth or seventh rounder."

Kyle Shotwell - 6004, 235, 4.56, Cal Poly ILB/OLB

A bit undersized for LB by NFL standard but clearly can get the job done. Led the nation with 21 tackles for a loss. Combined 279 tackles the last 2 years. Winner of the 2006 Buchanan Award for most outstanding defensive player in D1-AA.

Stock Rising: Shotwell took over the inside linebacker position with Beck moving on in 2005, though most scouts feel his size (6-1, 235 pounds) makes him a better fit at weak-side linebacker in the NFL. Shotwell, another player not invited to the Combine, had a reputation as a solid football player who wasn't viewed by as athletic enough to make the jump to the NFL. After a Pro Day performance that included a 4.52 40, 35.5-inch vertical and 6.96 three-cone drill, scouts are being forced to re-evaluate him.

"I thought he did a great job," the scout said. "I thought the whole squad did a really good job. They prepared. Kyle did some workouts. He's athletic. He's ready to play in the NFL. You look at Jordan Beck and the (Mustangs') track record, you have to be impressed with the numbers (Shotwell) put up and how he competed at the East-West Shrine Game."

short shuttle in 4.42 and the three-cone drill in 6.94. He also had a 35½-inch vertical jump, a 10-foot-1 broad jump and did 23 bench presses.

Danny Verdun Wheeler - 6008, 246, 4.62, Georgia

Wheeler is an experienced player and a leader on defense. He has some injury problems and can tackle very well. He isn’t too fast or quick, but he is effective and does a mediocre producing.

Will Herring - 6025, 229, 4.57, Auburn

Gil Brandt, of NFL.com, reports Auburn LB Will Herring measured a height of 6-foot-2 1/2 and a weight of 229 pounds at his Pro Day. He ran the 40-yard dash in 4.57 seconds and 4.58 seconds, the short shuttle in 3.99 seconds and the three-cone drill in 6.56 seconds. He measured a 35-inch vertical jump, a 10-foot-5 broad jump and completed 18 repetitions on the 225-pound bench press.

Derron Ware OLB Arizona State 6-4 218 4.62 36 437
Ware has great physical gifts, and a true FS mentality.

Brian Smith OLB Missouri 6-4 235 4.65
Larry McSwain - 6003, 242, 4.68, UAB
Edmund Miles 6-0, 228, 4.64, Iowa
Devraun Thompson 5-11, 225, 4.79, Rutgers
Larry Edwards 6-1, 235, 4.74, North Carolina
Devrett Wade 6-0, 232, 4.68, Arkansas State
Nick Bunting 6-1, 232, 4.73, Tulsa
Marcus Bacon 6-2, 225, 4.72, Missouri
George Hall - 6015, 243, 4.72, Purdue
Brian Kelly - 6045, 215, Dayton
Orlandis King - 6030, 215, Alabama-Birmingham
Jamar Leath - 6013, 230, 4.65 Coastal Carolina
Patrick Lowery - 6010, 242, 4.75 North Carolina State
Mike Alston - 6020, 212, 4.70, Teledo
Brandon Archer - 6003, 237, Kansas St.
Lance Gray - 6025, 235, Richmond

04-21-2007, 03:45 PM	#7
hagan714 LB Mentallity Join Date: Dec 2005 Posts: 15,870 Blog Entries: 68	Damaja Jones - 6005, 208, 4.55, San Jose St. Lettered in football (Coach Gordon Wood) Helix High in La Mesa, Calif. Also was an impressive track guy who finished ninth in the 100 meters at the 2002 California state high school track and field championships. Highly productive OLB who has the wheels to be looked at as a SS at the next level. Closes very quickly on the ball carrier. Very disruptive when rushing the QB. Makes lots of plays in the backfield. A classic "tweener" who will need lots of reps and coaching up to switch to safety. has the speed for OLB but will take a long time in the weight room to ever be big enough. Priority UDFA based on his senior year productivity. Mike D'Andrea - 6030, 248, 4.70, Ohio St. Came to Ohio State as one of the most prized recruits coming out Avon High School in Ohio. Had numerous injuries including 2005(knee), 2004 (knee), 2003(separated shoulder). Played a healthy year in 2002, but that was the only one. We have had a hard time evaluating Mike because he hasn't seen a lot of time. He has the size and strength to play at the next level, but injuries will be a major concern. Could be a great value to a team willing to risk a pick based on his reputation. Damaja Jones - 6005, 208, 4.55, San Jose St. (LB/SS) Lettered in football (Coach Gordon Wood) Helix High in La Mesa, Calif. Also was an impressive track guy who finished ninth in the 100 meters at the 2002 California state high school track and field championships. Highly productive OLB who has the wheels to be looked at as a SS at the next level. Closes very quickly on the ball carrier. Very disruptive when rushing the QB. Makes lots of plays in the backfield. A classic "tweener" who will need lots of reps and coaching up to switch to safety. has the speed for OLB but will take a long time in the weight room to ever be big enough. Priority UDFA based on his senior year productivity. Funtaine Hunter - 6021, 230, 4.43, Vanderbilt Funtaine Hunter is a special teams demon with an outstanding size/speed ratio for a linebacker. At his pro day workout he ran the 40s in 4.43 and 4.46 and had an impressive 36" VJ. He also threw up 23 reps on the bench. He ran the short shuttle in 4.31 and the three-cone in 7.22. Abe Brown - 6030, 240, 4.69, Louisville Brown has been a solid but unspectacular player for the Cardinals during his career. Has plenty of experience and also was a standout on the kickoff unit. Nice size and speed for the position. Tackels pretty well. May need to add some bulk to his lanky frame to compete in the NFL. Not much of a factor in pass defense. Has never really put it all together. Will need lots of reps and patient coaching to amount to much. Adecent LB that kind of got lost in the shuffle at Louisville. Adam Hayward - 6004, 235, 4.48, Portland State On paper the 6-foot, 230-pound Hayward enjoyed a collegiate career only conjured up in a dream. At the conclusion of his senior season he was flooded with hardware, collecting a first-team Associated Press All-American selection, Big Sky Conference Defensive Player of the Year award and fourth place finish in voting for the Buck Buchanan Award, given to the best defensive player in Division I-AA. At Portland State's Pro Day last month, he scampered to a 4.48 40-yard time in front of scouts from Tampa Bay, Seattle, Kansas City and San Francisco. His most recent taste of success came with many more eyes watching as the fleet-footed linebacker put on a show last Thursday, impressing over 40 NFL scouts and undoubtedly boosting his draft stock with the fastest time of the day. "His performance on Thursday absolutely boosted his draft stock. He had already done well for the few scouts he ran for on campus where he ran a 4.48, which is unheard of for his height and weight. Then [in Carson, CA.] he had a fantastic day. What it does is make the teams watch additional film, and that is really the deeper process of the draft," said his agent, Derrick Fox. "Everyone I have talked to agrees he is really the talk right now. I would be really surprised if Adam isn't a sixth or seventh rounder." Kyle Shotwell - 6004, 235, 4.56, Cal Poly ILB/OLB A bit undersized for LB by NFL standard but clearly can get the job done. Led the nation with 21 tackles for a loss. Combined 279 tackles the last 2 years. Winner of the 2006 Buchanan Award for most outstanding defensive player in D1-AA. Stock Rising: Shotwell took over the inside linebacker position with Beck moving on in 2005, though most scouts feel his size (6-1, 235 pounds) makes him a better fit at weak-side linebacker in the NFL. Shotwell, another player not invited to the Combine, had a reputation as a solid football player who wasn't viewed by as athletic enough to make the jump to the NFL. After a Pro Day performance that included a 4.52 40, 35.5-inch vertical and 6.96 three-cone drill, scouts are being forced to re-evaluate him. "I thought he did a great job," the scout said. "I thought the whole squad did a really good job. They prepared. Kyle did some workouts. He's athletic. He's ready to play in the NFL. You look at Jordan Beck and the (Mustangs') track record, you have to be impressed with the numbers (Shotwell) put up and how he competed at the East-West Shrine Game." short shuttle in 4.42 and the three-cone drill in 6.94. He also had a 35½-inch vertical jump, a 10-foot-1 broad jump and did 23 bench presses. Danny Verdun Wheeler - 6008, 246, 4.62, Georgia Wheeler is an experienced player and a leader on defense. He has some injury problems and can tackle very well. He isn’t too fast or quick, but he is effective and does a mediocre producing. Will Herring - 6025, 229, 4.57, Auburn Gil Brandt, of NFL.com, reports Auburn LB Will Herring measured a height of 6-foot-2 1/2 and a weight of 229 pounds at his Pro Day. He ran the 40-yard dash in 4.57 seconds and 4.58 seconds, the short shuttle in 3.99 seconds and the three-cone drill in 6.56 seconds. He measured a 35-inch vertical jump, a 10-foot-5 broad jump and completed 18 repetitions on the 225-pound bench press. Derron Ware OLB Arizona State 6-4 218 4.62 36 437 Ware has great physical gifts, and a true FS mentality. Brian Smith OLB Missouri 6-4 235 4.65 Larry McSwain - 6003, 242, 4.68, UAB Edmund Miles 6-0, 228, 4.64, Iowa Devraun Thompson 5-11, 225, 4.79, Rutgers Larry Edwards 6-1, 235, 4.74, North Carolina Devrett Wade 6-0, 232, 4.68, Arkansas State Nick Bunting 6-1, 232, 4.73, Tulsa Marcus Bacon 6-2, 225, 4.72, Missouri George Hall - 6015, 243, 4.72, Purdue Brian Kelly - 6045, 215, Dayton Orlandis King - 6030, 215, Alabama-Birmingham Jamar Leath - 6013, 230, 4.65 Coastal Carolina Patrick Lowery - 6010, 242, 4.75 North Carolina State Mike Alston - 6020, 212, 4.70, Teledo Brandon Archer - 6003, 237, Kansas St. Lance Gray - 6025, 235, Richmond