2010 Outside Linebacker Rankings

OLB

Here are the rankings of 85 draft eligible outside linebackers as we head down the stretch of the college season. This year's group of seniors offers quality, depth and versatility. The prospects at the top are explosive defensive ends we expect will make the transition to outside linebacker in the NFL. There are a good number of potential 3-4 linebackers as well as one gap defenders available in this class.

Rank	Rnd	Name	Analysis
1	1st	Jerry Hughes TCU	Terrific college defensive end who projects to rush linebacker in the NFL.
2	1-2	Sergio Kindle Texas	Athletic prospect who usually lines up at defensive end in the UT defense. Breaks down well, fluid and fast moving about the field and effective dropped off the line playing in space. Must really polish his game and start to stand out.
3	2nd	Eric Norwood South Carolina	Solid athlete who moves well on his feet, making plays in every direction of the field. Primarily lines up in a three point stance yet effective when occasionally asked to make plays in space. Likely a rush linebacker in the NFL.
4	2nd	Roddrick Muckelroy Texas	Knockout linebacker with a great amount of upside. Athletic, explosive and forceful. Runs down carriers in pursuit, gets depth on drops and covers a lot of area on the field. Hard hitting and very strong.
5	2nd	Bruce Carter North Carolina	Instinctive linebacker who makes a lot of plays on the ball. Fluid moving about the field, covers a lot of area and possesses a terrific closing burst to the action. Tremendous special teams player.
6	2nd	Sean Weatherspoon Missouri	Explosive, one-gap/weak side linebacker who covers a tremendous amount of area on the field. Makes plays sideline to sideline, cuts the corners of from running backs and effective in coverage.
7	2nd	Navorro Bowman Penn State	Outstanding junior prospect. Athletic linebacker that stands out in space.
8	2nd	Thaddeus Gibson Ohio State	Developing junior with a high upside.
9	3rd	Daryl Washington TCU	Underrated linebacker that can play over tight end.
10	3-4	Darryl Gamble Georgia	Good athlete who covers a large amount of area on the field, making plays sideline-to-sideline. Effective in pursuit and also in coverage.
11	3rd	Perry Riley LSU	Underrated linebacker who could make a move up draft boards this year. Fast in every direction, plays with terrific quickness and instincts. Terrific in pursuit and rounding into a complete defender.
12	3rd	Von Miller Texas A&M	Pass rusher on the move. Projects to OLB in a 3-4.
13	3rd	Rennie Curran Georgia	Effective flowing linebacker who displays speed in every direction. Aggressive, shows great suddenness to his game and constantly flying around the field. Looks like a solid prospect to play on the defensive right side.
14	3rd	Mark Herzlich Boston College	Dominate playmaker that has developed into a complete three down linebacker. Diagnosed with Ewings sarcoma and trying to make his way back on the field.
15	3rd	Lawrence Wilson Connecticut	Athletic linebacker who blows up plays. Better going forwards then in reverse.
16	3-4	Dekoda Watson Florida State	Athletic linebacker who makes plays in pursuit or up the field. Has shown a lot of potential in the past but watched his game regress last season. Potential top 120 pick if he gets it back together.
17	3-4	Spencer Paysinger Oregon	Solid, one-gap linebacker who can play over the tight end and covers a great amount of area on the field. Good speed and skill in pursuit.
18	4th	Dexter Davis Arizona State	Explosive yet undersized college defensive end who'll have to make the transition to outside linebacker in the NFL.
19	4th	Michael Morgan USC
20	4th	Travis Lewis Oklahoma	Explosive linebacker who flashes on the scene and has a physical presence. Plays heads-up football, always looking to hit someone and effective in space. Offers terrific upside potential.
21	4th	Justin Cole San Jose State	Size/speed guy who needs to complete his game.
22	4-5	Alacce Shofield Wisconsin	Another college defensive end who must learn to play in space at the next level.
23	4-5	AJ Edds Iowa	Strong, stout linebacker who flashes ability in pursuit. Offers an upside and must be monitored.
24	4-5	Chris Walker Tennessee
25	5th	Keenan Clayton Oklahoma	Fluid linebacker who looks like a safety on the field. Athletic, covers a lot of area on the field and stands out in pursuit.
26	5th	Jason Beauchamp UNLV	Solid three down linebacker. Has a solid, consistent game.
27	5th	Craig Stevens Auburn	Solid playmaking linebacker who shows a lot of athleticism and awareness on the field.
28	5th	Sedric Griffin Georgia Tech	Explosive linebacker who plays with great suddenness. Shows outstanding ability in pursuit and covers a lot of area on the field.
29	5-6	Antonio Coleman Auburn	Athletic college pass rusher with ability at several spots. Fast off the edge, can bend then make plays in pursuit. Quickly regains balance off the initial block, immediately gets back to playing for and finds the ball. Can be a liability against the run.
30	5-6	Rico McCoy Tennessee	Fluid, one-gap linebacker effective in space. Small, has ball carriers run through his tackles and has watched his play level off in recent seasons.
31	5-6	Keaton Kristick Oregon State	Fast, physical linebacker who flies around the field making plays sideline-to-sideline. Fluid, sells out on the blitz yet also plays disciplined football. Solid prospect.
32	5-6	Marlon Williams Texas Tech	Athletic linebacker who stays with the action. Nifty, effective in pursuit and makes plays in space. Small and handled at the point by wide receivers. One-gap type of linebacker.
33	5-6	Ryan Stamper Florida	Aggressive linebackers who works hard to make plays. Lacks a burst to the action, possesses just average skill in coverage and easily blocked from the action.
34	6th	Boris Lee Troy State	Quick, explosive linebacker with a good change of direction and ability in the box. Chases the action hard and has been very productive.
35	6th	Nate Irving North Carolina State	Athletic linebacker who makes plays sideline-to-sideline and gets depth on drops.
36	6th	Arthur Moats James Madison	Small school defensive end starting to raise eyebrows. Fast, explosive and plays hard.
37	6-7	Kion Wilson South Florida	Swift, nimble linebacker who covers a lot of area on the field. Lacks top size and easily taken out of the action by blocks.
38	6-7	Archie Donald Toledo	Terrific junior prospect with a nice combination of size and athleticism.
39	7th	Jaevery McFadden Wisconsin	Forceful linebacker who displays speed, makes plays sideline-to-sideline and is also strong. Lacks top instincts and all too often gets confused.
40	7th	Sylvester Stevenson Utah	One-time solid prospect in the middle of a poor senior season.
41	7th	Brandon Fanney North Alabama	Undersized college defensive end likely to move to outside linebacker in the NFL. Chases the action, makes plays in all directions and wraps-up tackling. Transferred to North Alabama and will not be playing for the Tide in '09.
42	7-FA	Jarvis Geathers Central Florida
43	7-FA	Chris McCoy Middle Tennessee
44	FA	Noah Keller Ohio	Smallish but fierce linebacker who makes plays sideline-to-sideline. Plays big but size is a limiting factor.
45	FA	Jason Werner Purdue
46	FA	Korey Bosworth UCLA	Hard working defender constantly flying around the action. Fluid transition to run with tight end sin coverage and remains disciplined with assignments.
47	FA	Elijah Joseph Temple	Quick, explosive weak side prospect who makes plays sideline-to-sideline and looks good in coverage.
48	FA	Ricky Brewer Colorado State	Highly rated coming into the season then was suspended for the year.
49	FA	J.T. Thomas West Virginia	Explosive one-gap linebacker who makes plays in every direction of the field. Plays bigger than his size.
50	FA	Albert McClellan Marshall	Explosive college defensive end who projects to outside linebacker in the NFL. Plays with good speed, fast in every direction and quickly alters his angle of attack. Knee issues may raise red flags.
51	FA	Cameron Sheffield Troy State	Undersized college defensive end likely to move to outside linebacker in the NFL. Shows a great burst off the snap, plays with great pad level and fluid changing direction. Handled by tight ends.
52	FA	Reggie Carter UCLA	Athletic linebacker who does not do the little things well. Inefficient, does not take good angles to the action and shows a lot of hesitation in his game.
53	FA	Kavell Conner Clemson	Hard-hitting, athletic linebacker who covers a large amount of area on the field. Forceful on the blitz and has a closing burst. Lacks top instincts.
54	FA	Jeremy Maddox Alabama A&M
55	FA	Simoni Lawrence Minnesota
56	FA	Patrick Lavine Oklahoma State	Relatively strong linebacker who covers a good amount of area on the field, getting depth on drops. Must take his game to the next level.
57	FA	Donald Butler Washington	Instinctive one-gap linebacker who chases around the field. Small and easily taken from the action by a single block.
58	FA	Denzel Burrell Virginia	Adequate linebacker who flashes skill in run defense. Must learn to protect himself and take better angles to the action.
59	FA	Zach Watkins Washburn
60	FA	Cam Martin Virginia Tech	Solid pass covering linebacker who stays downfield with running backs or tight ends, making plays in all directions.
61	FA	Dustin Doe Florida	Fluid, one-gap linebacker who covers a lot of area on the field, making plays sideline to sideline.
62	FA	Samuel Scott West Chester	Good athlete who plays big and fast.
63	FA	Darius Dewberry Georgia
64	FA	Adam Gunn Pittsburgh	Up and coming senior with a long injury history.
65	FA	Olu Hall Kansas State?
66	FA	Freddie Fairchild Arkansas Pine Bluff
67	FA	Coleby Clawson BYU	3-4 linebacker prospect.
68	FA	Hunter Haynes Wake Forest
69	FA	Caleb Bostic Miami-Oh	Athletic, outside backer who makes a lot of plays on the ball. Potential late round pick with a good senior campaign.
70	FA	Will Patterson Indiana	Quick, fluid linebacker with limited size.
71	FA	Dane Fletcher Montana State
72	FA	Lee Campbell Minnesota	Fluid, feisty linebacker who covers a lot of area on the field.
73	FA	Cory Reamer Alabama
74	FA	Chauncey Mixon Southern Illinois
75	FA	Luther Brown USC
76	FA	E.J. Savannah Washington
77	FA	J.T. Gilmore Western Oregon
78	FA	Chris Brown Sam Houston State
79	FA	Josh Thompson La-Monroe	Quick, run defending linebacker who struggles handling tight ends.
80	FA	Fred Garrin Iowa State
81	FA	Patrick Trahan Mississippi
82	FA	John Haley Temple
83	FA	Larry Hart Central Arkansas
84	FA	Andre Hatchett Eastern Michigan	Small, speedy linebacker who makes plays sideline-to-sideline. Possible 8th linebacker/special teams player in a one gap system.
85	FA	Walter Blair Delaware

Updated 1/31

Rank	Rnd	Name	Pos	Year
1	1st	Ndamukong Suh Nebraska	DT	5Sr
2	1st	Eric Berry Tennessee	S	3Jr
3	1st	Gerald McCoy Oklahoma	DT	4Jr
4	1st	Russell Okung Oklahoma State	T	4Sr
5	1st	Joe Haden Florida	CB	3Jr
6	1st	Dez Bryant Oklahoma State	WR	3Jr
7	1st	Anthony Davis Rutgers	T	3Jr
8	1st	Jason Pierre-Paul South Florida	DE	3Jr
9	1st	Damian Williams USC	WR	4Jr
10	1st	Brian Price UCLA	DT	3Jr
11	1st	Derrick Morgan Georgia Tech	DE	3Jr
12	1st	Sam Bradford Oklahoma	QB	4Jr
13	1st	Taylor Mays USC	S	4Sr
14	1st	Bruce Campbell Maryland	T	3Jr
15	1st	Rolando McClain Alabama	ILB	3Jr
16	1st	Earl Thomas Texas	S	3So
17	1st	Jared Odrick Penn State	DT	4Sr
18	1st	Sergio Kindle Texas	OLB	4Sr
19	1-2	Bryan Bulaga Iowa	T	3Jr
20	1-2	Demaryius Thomas Georgia Tech	WR	4Jr
21	1-2	Charles Brown USC	T	5Sr
22	1st	Jerry Hughes TCU	OLB	4Sr
23	1-2	Brandon Graham Michigan	DE	4Sr
24	1st	Ricky Sapp Clemson	DE	4Sr
25	1st	Jimmy Clausen Notre Dame	QB	4Jr

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