NFL Draft debate: Linebacker

As the NFL Draft nears, there will be more debates about which player should be chosen first at a specific position. Linebacker is the next position National Recruiting Director Mike Farrell and Rivals.com National Recruiting Analyst Adam Gorney discuss as to who should be taken first and why.

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Why Lee is No. 1: I’m a big fan of what Myles Jack brings to the table and Reggie Ragland is clearly the top inside linebacker in the draft, but Darron Lee wowed me with his NFL Combine performance. When you couple that with his tape, you have a guy who covers a ton of ground moving forward or backward.

Lee is a freakish athlete with quick-twitch ability who can blitz on passing downs or just as easily drop into coverage and make plays. He has long arms and he diagnoses plays quickly, takes good angles and makes up for any size issues with his ability to get skinny when needed. He will cover a ton of ground in the NFL if he’s put in the correct scheme.

I compare him to emerging star Brandon Marshall because of his ability in coverage and how he closes. Lee needs to shore up his tackling a bit, which is a concern, but he’s a better natural football player than Jack in my mind.

Farrell’s NFL comparison: Brandon Marshall, Denver Broncos

1. Darron Lee, Ohio State

2. Myles Jack, UCLA

3. Reggie Ragland, Alabama

4. Leonard Floyd, Georgia

5. Noah Spence, Eastern Kentucky

Why Jack is No. 1: Here’s the simple way to put this: From anywhere on the field, Myles Jack tracks down the player with the ball and makes tackles.

The former four-star linebacker has really progressed at UCLA and has become the top linebacker in this draft because he has superior athleticism, playmaking ability and versatility. Jack can weave through traffic to attack the ball carrier. Or he can level a wide receiver coming across the middle. He’s great at tracking plays to the sideline and then making a big-time hit.

A former running back (some believed that was his better position), Jack has a tremendous understanding of offensive schemes and has the instincts to make plays.

No, he doesn’t have a long, prototypical linebacker body a la Jaylon Smith, but no one in this draft at linebacker is the playmaker and hitter that Jack has shown to be at UCLA. Jack proved at the UCLA pro day that his rehabbed knee is perfectly fine and he blew away expectations at that workout a couple weeks ago. Let Jack loose at any of the linebacker positions, allow him to roam the field and make plays and that’s really his strength. It’s also why he’ll be the first linebacker taken in this draft and it could be within the first couple picks.

I understand why Farrell is getting more enamored with Lee and the Ohio State standout will move up draft boards, but he won’t be taken before Jack and that’s the smart play.

Gorney’s NFL comparison: Jamie Collins, New England Patriots

1. Myles Jack, UCLA

2. Reggie Ragland, Alabama

3. Leonard Floyd, Georgia

4. Darron Lee, Ohio State

5. Jaylon Smith, Notre Dame