Pros: Very athletic outside linebacker who has a high ceiling at his position. Has the necessary speed to play the pass as well as the run. Diagnoses plays well and rarely misses tackles he should make. Listens to coaches, wants to be a better player. Can rush the passer as an effective blitzer although he spent some time as a middle linebacker at Purdue.
Cons: Bites on play-action fakes. Can get washed out by pulling linemen on sweeps and pitches. Often takes improper angles of pursuit on red zone defense. Still learning his position as he voluntarily moved to linebacker from his original recruited position of running back. Only played 2 full seasons on defense.
Overall: SEC-style linebacker who played in the Big Ten. The bright spot on a pretty poor defensive unit. Made all-conference accolades and is somewhat of a prodigy in terms of learning a new position and excelling at it in such a short amount of time. His speed and tackling ability are worth drafting alone without the benefit of being a humble and coachable player.
