Midseason NFL Draft outlook: Linebacker

The college football season continues to churn on, so there’s no better time to take an early look at the top five players position-by-position who are eligible for the NFL Draft as well as two other players to watch.

Today, we move on to the defensive tackle spot.

NFL Draft outlook: Quarterbacks | Running backs | Wide receiver | Tight End | Offensive line | Defensive end | Defensive tackle

Recruiting: Foster had one of the most interesting recruitments in Rivals.com history. The five-star linebacker made an early commitment to Alabama, only to de-commit and pick Auburn. He even got an Auburn tattoo on his forearm. Foster then took official visits to Washington and San Diego State weeks before Signing Day and then reportedly left his Auburn official early to take a trip to Alabama one last time before decision day. He ended up signing with the Crimson Tide.

Stats: On a defense that’s allowing only 15 points per game and has given up only three rushing touchdowns this season, Foster is leading the team with 41 tackles (four for loss) with 1.5 sacks. He also has three quarterback hurries and two pass breakups.

Farrell’s take: Foster was a huge linebacker with a ton of potential who could thump downhill but also move laterally. But he also had a major bust factor tag between a knee injury that limited him late in high school and his bizarre recruiting process. But he waited his turn and has panned out while having a breakout season. Despite all the questions, we still had him as the No. 13 player in 2013 and No. 1 inside linebacker because he was so talented and he’s showing he can put it all together.

Recruiting: The five-star and top-rated inside linebacker in the 2014 class picked Ohio State over Alabama, Auburn, Clemson and Georgia in December of his senior year. McMillan intrigued Crimson Tide fans by grabbing the Alabama hat quickly before picking Ohio State.

Stats: McMillan is second on the Buckeyes with 36 tackles (2.5 for loss). He has also forced one fumble so far this season.

Farrell’s take: McMillan is one of those rare prospects who started off as a five-star, lost that fifth star and then earned it back. He had added too much bad weight at one point, but re-dedicated himself to conditioning and became a monster out of high school who has been a star in college. He’s big, has great anticipation and instincts and he can move. He’s also a sure tackler and always has been, showing proper technique and not trying to go for the big hit all the time.

Recruiting: Alabama was Williams’ first offer and soon after his official visit to Tuscaloosa in January, the four-star prospect committed to the Crimson Tide. Miami was also a serious contender, along with Florida State and LSU.Stats: Much like last season, Williams isn’t posting huge tackle totals, but he’s constantly in the backfield and forcing the quarterback to run out of the pocket. So far this season, Williams has 13 tackles but 7.5 of them are for loss and he has 4.5 sacks. He also has a team-high seven quarterback hurries, he’s forced two fumbles and has one recovery.

Farrell’s take: Situational pass rushers are all the rage in the NFL Draft lately, or at least uber-talented ones like Aldon Smith, Dion Jordan, Vic Beasley and Leonard Floyd. Williams fits that role perfectly and is so disruptive off the edge as a situational pass rusher. We saw him as a hybrid guy who would eventually have his hand down permanently, but he can come off the edge in so many ways and isn’t shabby running down plays to the outside in the run game. He started slow this season but has come on lately.

Recruiting: Davis, a former Auburn commitment, pledged to the Gators shortly after his official visit to Florida in mid-December. Tennessee and Duke were two other programs involved in the three-star’s recruitment.

Stats: Davis leads the Gators with 48 tackles (3.5 for loss) with two sacks so far this season. He also has four pass deflections and three quarterback hurries. Florida is allowing just 12 points per game and 3.2 yards per rush.

Farrell’s take: Davis had good size and was a kid who covered a lot of ground and could tackle but needed work at the point of attack and shedding blocks. He was overlooked in the Florida linebacker class by bigger names like Alex Anzalone, Matt Rolin and Daniel McMillian, but he’s getting the last laugh. His ability to drop in coverage is off the charts and he’s having another excellent season.

Recruiting: Beckwith picked LSU over Alabama and many others during the Under Armour All-America Game. Rated as an athlete, Beckwith was projected as either a linebacker or defensive end in Baton Rouge.

Stats: Beckwith leads the team by far with 60 tackles, including 5.5 for loss and one sack. The Tigers are giving up just 14 points per game and have allowed only three rushing and three receiving touchdowns.

Farrell’s take: Ranked as an athlete, Beckwith was a natural talent and the question was whether he’d be a defensive end or a linebacker. He’s emerged as one of the best jumbo-sized linebackers who can also get after the passer and he showed off all those talents especially at the end of last season and into this year. He does not overwhelm with speed, but he takes tremendous angles, anticipates plays well and has an extra gear when he needs it.

Recruiting: On National Signing Day, Cunningham chose Vanderbilt over Auburn, Colorado, Miami, Oregon, UCLA, Texas and Tennessee. He finished with 194 tackles (43 for loss) and 12 sacks in his senior season of high school.

Stats: Cunningham has 33 more tackles than anyone else on the Vanderbilt defense with 81. The former four-star has 13 tackles for loss along with one forced fumble and one recovery.

Farrell’s take: Cunningham was a tall, skinny linebacker who continued to rise in our rankings throughout his cycle. He started off as a three-star and ended up as a four-star outside of our Rivals250. He was a tackling machine during his high school career especially as a senior where he nearly eclipsed 200 tackles. He was always in the backfield and made a living making tackles for a loss, but his thin frame was what kept him back from a higher ranking. Those tackling instincts have obviously continued in college.

Recruiting: Originally part of North Carolina’s recruiting class out of Jacksonville (Fla.) University Christian School, Haynes went to Fork Union (Va.) Military Academy for a prep year and decided to pick Ole Miss over the Tar Heels, Miami and South Carolina.

Stats: Haynes is fourth on the team with 26 tackles and he leads the team with six tackles for loss and four sacks. He has also recorded three quarterback hurries and two forced fumbles.

Farrell’s take: A prep school prospect who started off as a mid-level three-star out of high school as a UNC signee and pushed up to a high three-star after a year at Fork Union Military Academy, Haynes was ranked as a weakside defensive end both years. At FUMA he had 16 sacks and forced an amazing nine fumbles in his one year and in college he’s been in the backfield often as well. He projects as a linebacker at the NFL level because he’s so good in space.