Ask Farrell: When grading LBs, is size becoming less of an issue?
MORE ASK FARRELL: Should ranking reflect rise of undersized QBs?
There were two linebackers selected in the first round of the NFL Draft and nobody else was really seriously considered leading up to the event.
It was clear that LSU’s Devin White and Michigan’s Devin Bush were the cream of the linebacker crop and that’s how it played out last Thursday night as White went fifth overall to Tampa Bay and Bush was picked five spots later by Pittsburgh.
In high school, though, neither was a future first-round lock. Not by a long shot.
From Springhill (La.) North Webster, White was rated as a four-star fullback in the 2016 class. He ended up moving to linebacker and tallying 157 tackles in his last two seasons with the Tigers.
Bush, from Pembroke Pines (Fla.) Flanagan, was also a four-star prospect and while he was productive in high school his ranking might have been held back a little bit because there were concerns about his height, since he was about 5-foot-11. He had 161 tackles the last two seasons in Ann Arbor.
At the combine, White measured at 6-foot, 237 pounds. Bush was 5-foot-11 and 234 pounds.
Size continues to be a significant factor for linebackers when considering rankings. Roquan Smith was a four-star. This past recruiting cycle top inside linebacker Nakobe Dean ended up as a four-star as he was listed at 6-foot, 220. Owen Pappoe was an athletic specimen but he also ended in the four-star group. Those are just some examples.
FARRELL'S TAKE
We ask Rivals.com National Recruiting Director Mike Farrell whether there should be a shift in thinking when it comes to linebacker rankings where performance and production - not “ideal” size - should be weighted more heavily, since it seems that’s an ever-more important factor for college and NFL teams when looking at that position.
“I think that’s valid if it continues the way it has been trending. NFL teams still want long and big linebackers if they can find them, but guys like Smith and Bush are too talented and athletic to pass up. I’ll be very interested to see how Dean pans out because he’s a kid I had dropped from five-star status because of a lack of size. If he has a great career and ends up as a No 1 draft pick like Roquan and Devin I’m going to feel pretty foolish.
"To answer the question: Yes, size matters less at linebacker than it has in the past because of the success of some of these guys.”