NFL Draft 2019: Midseason stock report for LBs
About midway through the college football season is a great time to take stock of linebackers who will be eligible for the NFL Draft. Here are some players whose stock is up, steady and down.
MORE: Where QBs stand at season's midpoint | RBs | WRs/TEs | OL | DT | DE
STOCK UP
Recruiting: Allen committed to Kentucky during his official visit to Lexington in January. The Wildcats were his only listed offer.
Stats: Allen is third on the Wildcats with 37 tackles and leads the team in tackles for loss (10.5) along with six sacks. He’s added five quarterback hurries and two forced fumbles.
Farrell’s take: Allen was a low three-star out of high school, a big linebacker who we had some concerns about when it came to lateral movement and what position he would end up playing. He’s turned into a tackling machine who can also blitz and get after the passer. His ability to cover in space as well as rush off the edge has scouts intrigued.
*****
Recruiting: In October of his senior season, Coney committed to Notre Dame over Florida and Miami during a ceremony at his high school. Before his decision, the four-star visited with the Irish and the Gators, who finished a close second.
Stats: Coney leads Notre Dame with 56 tackles and he’s also added 5.5 stops for loss and a sack. He has five quarterback hurries, an interception and a fumble recovery, too.
Farrell’s take: Coney was a big and powerful inside linebacker coming out of high school who arrived at the football with a thump but wasn’t very long or tall. He is similar to Devin Bush in many ways and has surprised us in a similar fashion. Now he is rising on NFL Draft boards because he can cover so much ground and is a sure and aggressive tackler. We had him highly rated, but he’s playing even better than that.
STOCK STEADY
Recruiting: Rated as a four-star fullback and tops at his position in the 2016 class, White committed to LSU over Arkansas, Ole Miss and Alabama in January of his senior year.
Stats: White leads the Tigers in tackles by a wide margin with 66 so far this season along with seven stops for loss and a sack. The LSU linebacker also has two fumble recoveries, a forced fumble and five quarterback hurries.
Farrell’s take: We knew White was a four-star talent; we just couldn’t figure out at which position to rank him. I remember when he first came onto the radar he was considered the next Leonard Fournette in the state – a massive and fast running back prodigy. However, he kept getting bigger and lost speed, so he was projected either as a linebacker or a fullback/H-back, or even a kid who could grow into a defensive tackle. He wasn’t very good covering in space at all, so we ranked him as a fullback and now he’s showing us we should have kept him at linebacker. He’s a big hitter, always has been, and is the clear No. 1 linebacker for me.
*****
Recruiting: In December of his senior season, Bush committed to Michigan over Florida State, Georgia, Auburn and others. He picked the Wolverines even though his father played for the Seminoles.
Stats: Bush leads the Wolverines in tackles with 45 including six for loss and 3.5 sacks. He also has added one quarterback hurry and two pass breakups.
Farrell’s take: We had Bush ranked in the Rivals250 and as a top 10 inside linebacker, but I never expected him to be as dominant as he has been this early in his career. He’s a much bigger hitter at the college level than I expected, and his lack of length – something we worried about – hasn’t hurt him at all. He explodes to the football, arrives with a thump and has been a huge key for Michigan’s defense.
STOCK DOWN
Recruiting: Lamar committed to Clemson at its summer cookout leading up to his senior season. The Tigers beat out Auburn for his services.
Stats: With 43 tackles, Lamar leads the Clemson defense in tackles and he’s also added 3.5 tackles for loss and two sacks. Lamar has five quarterback pressures as well.
Farrell’s take: Lamar was a five-star player out of high school because he was big and powerful, and also rangy and solid in coverage. To add quickness at the college level he actually gained weight and power. He’s come along a little slower than expected, but last season showed his range and physical abilities. His physical skills have NFL scouts encouraged, but he hasn’t taken the next step and is in the second- or third-round range now.
*****
Recruiting: After USC offered, the Trojans emerged as the frontrunner in Smith’s recruitment, and he committed in the spring before his junior season. UCLA was an early leader and then Oregon and Wisconsin also got looks.
Stats: In five games this season after missing last week with a hamstring injury, Smith leads the Trojans with 45 tackles, including five for loss and one sack. He’s added three pass breakups as well.
Farrell’s take: Smith had a very strong freshman season and hasn’t looked back since, showing off excellent instincts and pure form tackling. He was just outside the Rivals100 for us, mainly because of questions about his lateral ability and quick-twitch athleticism. But he takes such good angles, he's so physical in shedding blocks and he diagnoses plays so well that he overcomes any lack of natural speed. He’s a great example of a guy who struggles in camp settings but dominates with pads. However, he’s been battling injuries again, and that coverage ability keeps being mentioned by scouts.
