OLB conversion candidates

[Armchair Quarterback]

Any thoughts on these potential senior OLB candidates? Haven't heard much on most of these players but the seem to have the physical requirements regarding size and speed. Can any of them make the conversion? Projected to be drafted 2nd round and after.

NFL Draft - 2011_DE Draft Prospects - CBSSports.com - NFLDraftScout.com

Greg Romeus DE Pittsburgh 6-5 270 4.79
Jabaal Sheard DE Pittsburgh 6-3 260 4.76
Sam Acho DE Texas 6-3 260 4.72
Pierre Allen DE Nebraska 6-4 265 4.78
Cliff Matthews DE South Carolina 6-4 268 4.77
Ricky Elmore DE Arizona 6-5 260 4.83
Ugo Chinasa DE Oklahoma State 6-5 256 4.74
Brooks Reed OLB Arizona 6-3 262 4.73
Markus White DE Florida State 6-4 262 4.69
Eddie Jones DE Texas 6-3 260 4.75
Karl Klug DE Iowa 6-3 270 4.79

 

[Peachhead]

I love Purdue's Ryan Kerrigan and Arizona's Brooks Reed for that role.

BTW, that 40 number isn't close for Reed. He should easily break 4.6/40 in postseason testing. A sub 4.5 won't even surprise me much.

 

[Snake Eyes]

I love Purdue's Ryan Kerrigan and Arizona's Brooks Reed for that role.

BTW, that 40 number isn't close for Reed. He should easily break 4.6/40 in postseason testing. A sub 4.5 won't even surprise me much.

That's pretty impressive, he might be a steal. I was big on Ryan Wynterswyk but I think he'll drop like a stone with a 5 second .40 time, he might not be able to cover very well.

 

[Armchair Quarterback]

I love Purdue's Ryan Kerrigan and Arizona's Brooks Reed for that role.

BTW, that 40 number isn't close for Reed. He should easily break 4.6/40 in postseason testing. A sub 4.5 won't even surprise me much.

Is Reed really that fast? If he is he'll go a lot higher than the projected 5th round. A player to keep an eye on.

 

[Armchair Quarterback]

That's pretty impressive, he might be a steal. I was big on Ryan Wynterswyk but I think he'll drop like a stone with a 5 second .40 time, he might not be able to cover very well.

I've heard that he's a heck of a player but you're right he'll have a tough time playing OLB in the pros with a 5 second forty.

 

[Box_O_Rocks]

Any thoughts on these potential senior OLB candidates? Haven't heard much on most of these players but the seem to have the physical requirements regarding size and speed. Can any of them make the conversion? Projected to be drafted 2nd round and after.

NFL Draft - 2011_DE Draft Prospects - CBSSports.com - NFLDraftScout.com

Greg Romeus DE Pittsburgh 6-5 270 4.79 Too stiff.
Jabaal Sheard DE Pittsburgh 6-3 260 4.76 Maybe, he's good against the run and a decent rusher, I'm not sure about him in space.
Sam Acho DE Texas 6-3 260 4.72 I was unimpressed with him.
Pierre Allen DE Nebraska 6-4 265 4.78 Too stiff.
Cliff Matthews DE South Carolina 6-4 268 4.77 Inconsistent, seems stiff.
Ricky Elmore DE Arizona 6-5 260 4.83 Good going forward, not as strong setting the edge and I'm not confident he can play in space.
Ugo Chinasa DE Oklahoma State 6-5 256 4.74 I need to watch him again, I got a fair impression the first time, but not enough for confidence.
Brooks Reed OLB Arizona 6-3 262 4.73 Yes.
Markus White DE Florida State 6-4 262 4.69 Haven't watched him much, he didn't catch my eye when I was scouting their OG.
Eddie Jones DE Texas 6-3 260 4.75 No.
Karl Klug DE Iowa 6-3 270 4.79 It depends on how he shows at the Combine/Pro-Day. I think he can be slimmed down to 255 and plugged in at LOLB, but if he was playing at 280 or better this season it might be better to use him in Jarvis Green's old role. One thing I really like about him, besides his strength and leverage against blockers, he has a great nose for the ball in trash.

None of the following are perfect, but I've seen good things from them that BB could use to improve the defense.

Ryan Kerrigan, Purdue, 6-4/263
Pernell McPhee, Mississippi State, 6-3/285
Von Miller, Texas A&M, 6-2/243
Dontay Moch, Nevada, 6-1/242
K.J. Wright, Mississippi State, 6-3/250
Bruce Miller, Central Florida, 6-2/248
Justin Houston, Georgia, 6-3/258 (Jr.)
Andre Branch, Clemson, 6-5/260 (Jr.)
Vinny Curry, Marshall, 6-4/252 (Jr.)

 

[Armchair Quarterback]

Thanks, just the type of info I was looking for. That's encouraging about Chinasa with that size/speed combo. I'll keep an eye on Reed along with Kerrigan and the juniors you listed. The Pats were intersted in Miller last year (for good reason) and I've heard Moch runs a sub 4.3 so hopefully they can grab one or two of these guys.

 

[Sciz]

I have no idea where Klug is projected to go, but I want him, maybe as a 5th OLB behind Cunningham, Ninko, TBC, and a higher-round rookie (DaQuan Bowers

). He doesn't have ideal height (under 6'3''), but he's a fairly big buy (270) and is great against the run, to the point where he plays defensive tackle for Iowa. When watching him, one thing that always sticks out to me is how when pass rushing, he always gets his arms up when the QB throws the ball. That's the kind of underrated attribute that gives the guys behind him more pick opportunities.

Miller and Moch are pretty much the opposite. They are both also short, but are also not bulky enough and are useless against the run. There's a reason Bill passed on all these 240 pound OLBs for his 260 pound Cunningham. Miller and Moch are nickel rushers at best in our scheme, in my opinion.

 

[Box_O_Rocks]

I have no idea where Klug is projected to go, but I want him, maybe as a 5th OLB behind Cunningham, Ninko, TBC, and a higher-round rookie (DaQuan Bowers

). He doesn't have ideal height (under 6'3''), but he's a fairly big buy (270) and is great against the run, to the point where he plays defensive tackle for Iowa. When watching him, one thing that always sticks out to me is how when pass rushing, he always gets his arms up when the QB throws the ball. That's the kind of underrated attribute that gives the guys behind him more pick opportunities.

Miller and Moch are pretty much the opposite. They are both also short, but are also not bulky enough and are useless against the run. There's a reason Bill passed on all these 240 pound OLBs for his 260 pound Cunningham. Miller and Moch are nickel rushers at best in our scheme, in my opinion.

The thing that first drew my eye to Klug was the pile of bodies that usually develops when teams try to run at him. The more you watch the more you see opposing offenses double-team him on close to 2/3 of the snaps - the only OG I've seen who had any consistency moving him one-on-one was Wisconsin's Moffett, and they still doubled Klug more than any other DL in that game. People like to boast about Ballard, but when you watch the DL play you see the one player opposing offenses will leave unblocked the most is Ballard - terrific athlete, but the guy has no nose for the ball and needs to play off the edge so he has time to find the ball and engage that athleticism.

I think Klug slimmed down to 255 again and working with Woicik & Nash on lateral agility could be Vrabel-like in the sense that he and Ty Warren would own the left side against the run, and he's a pretty good pass rusher. If NE didn't have Spikes, I'd say draft Klug to be the SILB.

No question Miller and Moch are speed rushers who don't hold up against the run as well as we'd like, but depending on where they go in the draft, I could see getting someone who is a relentless speed rusher to complement the strong interior rush and the power rush Cunningham is growing into.

EDIT: NFL Draft Scout has him projected as a 6th round pick at the moment, which is why I'm more than willing to "waste" a pick to see where and how he could fit on the defense. :rocker: