VJCPatriot

He weighed in at 6'2 254 lbs at the Senior Bowl. Larry English also won the MVP of the MAC. So his college production is there (31.5 career sacks).

English had a standout performance in the Senior Bowl and is now considered variably between the 3rd and 4th best linebacker in the draft and he realistically could be there when the Pats select at #23.

"Kiper has English as his third best linebacker in the draft. Scout.com has him listed as the fourth-best linebacker."

According to one writer he is in the Demarcus Ware mold as a passrusher. I'm not sure why Atlanta wouldn't want Demarcus Ware... but apparently it's because he's suited for the 3-4!

"Here's all you need to know about him and why he's not a suitable player for what Atlanta does. He played defensive end in college. He's projected as an end/outside linebacker in the pros. They call that a "pass-rush specialist," in the vein of players like Dallas' DeMarcus Ware, and it's typically a position better utilized in a 3-4 scheme."

Atlanta Falcons Examiner: Mel Kiper's mock draft selects Larry English for Atlanta Falcons

Here are the mandatory highlight clips:

YouTube - NIU DE Larry English Career Highlight Video (Part 1)

YouTube - NIU DE Larry English Career Highlight Video (Part 2)

Here are some scouting reports:

Scout.com: Larry English Profile

Larry English*|*Northern Illinois,*OLB*:*2009 NFL Draft Scout Player Profile

WalterFootball.com: 2009 NFL Draft Prospects - Larry English Profile

Thoughts on Larry English and how you view him in relation to other OLB prospects for the Pats? IE Cushing, Sintim, Maybin etc.

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dryheat44

He's a nice linebacker, he'll provide some youth at the position, but he's not the pass-rushing superstar that we yearn for. The comparisons to Ware are beyond absurd. Wait for the combine...I have a feeling that we're going to see a lack of explosion in his 10 and 20 yard splits and his shuttle runs. A slow first step, and NFL tackles are going to lock you out and ride you 10 yards downfield.

I think he's more Tully Banta-Cain than Mike Vrabel. Personally, I think he's a mid-round guy. I wouldn't take him before the third.

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BradyManny

I think he's a former basketball player as well, if I'm not mistaken - I'd like to know which position he played, but in general, it always makes me feel good about his athleticism, [particularly pertaining to coverage].

VJCPatriot

Wow did he run over your dog or something? LOL. Your assessment of English differs a lot from most of the scouting reports out there which have him now rated as a 1st round prospect. English also practiced impressively at the senior bowl, being nearly unblockable by the tackles he went up against and also performed well on game day. How many games of English have you watched to form your opinion and did you get to view his performance during the Senior Bowl?

From what I've seen of his clips, English looks like he has very good gameday speed to get the QB and also on weakside pursuit. His tackles are textbook wrapup which I like to see in a linebacker. I understand that these are culled from highlights, but it's always good to see the potential in a LB to be good against the run as well as the pass. I'll also be interested to see how English runs at the combine, particularly his splits. He might 'only' run a 4.6-4.7 40 but if he displays a fast burst in his split times, that's enough to convince me he has the athleticism to get after the QB.

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patchick

Totally agree on the Ware comparisons -- I like English, he looks strong and aggressive, but he's simply not the kind of rare athlete Ware is. And for good measure, Ware is 2 inches taller with very long arms. I don't see the resemblance at all.

EDIT: How about a LaMarr Woodley comparison instead?

mayoclinic

Woodley seems physically a good deal stouter. He's more like 6'2" 270#, I think. I'd be thrilled if English turned out to be like Woodley, and agree that comparing him to Ware is ridiculous. It seems like every hybrid prospect who comes out gets compared to Ware or Merriman.

I haven't seen enough of English to make up my mind about him yet. He doesn't seem like first round material to me, though I would have guessed that he's a legitimate 2nd rounder rather than a 3rd at this point. I could see him conceivably going late 1st, but I think we can get more value for #23.

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dryheat44

I thought he disappointed at the Senior Bowl. He didn't look very quick off the snap, and he ran himself out of plays more than a couple of times trying to get the passer. I also harbor serious doubts of his ability to set the edge.

To answer your questions, I don't have a dog, and I didn't watch any Northern Illinois games this season.

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Box_O_Rocks

You have him confused with Barwin.

As to the English question: He's no Ware, in time he could be a Vrabel (but VJC doesn't belive in transition time so we'll skip that part), I've not seen him drop into coverage, but one of the Jays around here reportedly has and speaks glowingly of him. English has all the basic tools to convert to OLB (see, no transition needed ), but he'd still need at least two years to get there. I have him with a second round grade, I don't believe he's a strong enough edge rusher to work into the first round and his MAC pedigree is going to cool things off a little unless he has a great Combine. As to where he relates to other Day One OLB prospects (for NE):

(skipping Ev Brown and Orakpo who are going too high - unless Cassel pays off)

1. Sintim
2. Barwin
3. Matthews (tie) - Matthews has a slight early edge because he's played some 3-4, but over time both level out.
3. English (tie)
5. Cushing
6. Maybin

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dryheat44

I don't know...Woodley performed well for two years against top competition. I think TBC is the more apt comparison...a guy who can be a situational pass rusher, but ask him to be more and you might be in trouble.

Jason Jones out of Eastern Michigan went fifty-somethingth overall last year. He was a bit heavier, 275 I think, but a quickly rising pass rusher out of the same type of school. That's probably a good starting point for slotting English.

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dryheat44

That looks about right, although I might have Kruger and Mike Johnson in the mix. But I think there's a sizeable gap from Sintim to Barwin, and another one from Barwin to everybody else. I have Matthews slotted at ILB.

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When it's third and 10, you can have the milk drinkers and I'll take the whiskey drinkers every time. -- R.I.P. Max McGee