Fascinating cat.
Hasn't played MidFielder for 2 years, now, but I'd love to see'm switch
back.
Absolutely RAVING Report about him at NFL DraftScout:
"
Called the "heart and soul" of the Arizona defensive unit, opposing offensive coordinators feared the dominant and versatile defender.
Whether lining up at outside linebacker in a 4-3 alignment or playing inside in a 5-2 formation,
few teams could contain Larsen with just one blocker.
The two-time team captain made a triumphant return to the gridiron in 2005 after missing the previous two seasons while on a church mission. During his freshman year at Arizona in 2002, the new coaching staff considered his return as an added recruiting bonus. Opposing ballcarriers considered his return a nightmare for fullbacks trying to block him and halfbacks trying to elude him on end-around runs."
And there's
much more:
NFL Draft Scout----Powered By: The Sports Xchange
"Has a well-proportioned frame with developing upper-body muscles and good thickness in his thighs and calves, with room to add at least another 10 pounds of bulk without losing quickness...High-motor type who plays with good intensity and aggression...
Very alert and active to key and diagnose plays, showing the awareness, vision and instincts to call defensive assignments...
Demonstrated much better ability and strength taking on blocks as a senior than he did in the past, as he refined his hand placement and improved his hand technique to prevent the blocker from gaining leverage...
More quick than fast, but keeps his pad level down and shows the loose hips to redirect and chase down plays from the backside (see 2007 Southern California, Stanford and Washington games)...
Has the power to take on fullbacks and clog the interior rush lanes. Does a nice job of staying on his feet and making plays moving down the line...Has the hip swerve to redirect and close from the outside (looked a bit stiff in his hips earlier in his career, but has shown a quicker flow to the ball as a senior. See 2007 Brigham Young and Stanford games)...
Shows the lateral agility to flow with the play, staying low in his stance to extend his arms, wrap and secure the ballcarrier near the line of scrimmage...
Unquestioned team leader who will not hesitate to take underperforming teammates to task...
Shows no hesitation closing on the ball and is quick to track down ballcarriers, doing a nice job of redirecting the corner runners back inside...Has good tackling form, taking the ballcarrier's outside leg to impede the opponent's forward progress...
Rare to see him fooled by misdirection or eye the backfield too long when playing in the zone...
Uses his hands with force to jolt the blockers back and also in redirecting and jamming the tight ends at the line...Gets physical when taking on the tight ends, delivering strong hand placement to reroute his man away from the play, as he uses his strength effectively to easily jam the opponent...When he keeps his pads down, he shows the ability to slip through blocks...
Combative working through trash, using his hands well to defeat the blockers attacking his feet...Has greatly improved his body control as a senior, as he no longer overextends when attempting to make tackles...Shows aggression filling the rush lane, lowering his head and driving with his legs to engage the fullback...
Versatile athlete who can play the "Will" or "Mike" position...Reliable tackler who can break down and face up...Does not have the speed to play in the deep zone, but has the functional quickness to stay with slot receivers and tight ends in the short area...More of a downhill tackler, but is capable of making plays in front of him...Shows good anticipation skills and has developed good rip and swim moves to generate a quick outside blitz...
Very intelligent, both on the field and in the classroom...Generally in position to make plays and engages the bigger blockers well, playing at the proper pad level with good knee bend...On the blitz, he has a solid hand jolt to maintain separation knifing through traffic and the closing burst to disrupt the quarterback in the pocket."
Screw FullBack!! I want this kid to play MidFielder for us!! :rocker:
