LaMarr Woodley, Michigan (6-1, 268)
Strengths: Woodley has tremendous quickness off the ball. He has experience standing up as an outside linebacker but was more productive as a senior playing with his hand down at defensive end. Woodley is relentless when it comes to getting to the quarterback. He looks like he’s shot out of a cannon when the ball is snapped and doesn’t give up until the play is over. Woodley blows by bigger tackles with his speed off the edge but he also has good power on inside pass rushing moves. He has a motor that never stop and keeps fighting even when double-teamed. Woodley sets the edge well against the run, ending his career at Michigan with 48.5 tackles for a loss. There’s no question that Woodley is one of the best pure pass rushers available in this draft.
Weaknesses: Some question where Woodley will play in the NFL, Regardless of where he lines up, Woodley showed that he’s an animal getting after the quarterback in college. While he has experience playing linebacker, Woodley was much more productive as a defensive end. The people I’ve talked to say Woodley doesn’t have the instincts or coverage ability to play linebacker in the 3-4. There are some concerns about his size but it didn’t effective him much last year at Michigan. Also, how many times does Rosevelt Colvin drop back in coverage? I know he’s asked to do it sometimes but during the course of a game, his primary job is to rush the passer. In my opinion, Woodley isn’t as versatile as Mike Vrabel (few players are) but he certainly can come in and do everything Colvin does on the Patriots defense.
Overall: I think Woodley is one of the best “football players” in the draft and will be a future stud at the pro level. I keep hearing about his size and questions about where he’s going to play in the NFL but when you watch him on tape, he’s a monster that does a lot of things well. Both Mike Mayock and Mel Kiper told us emphatically that Woodley can’t play outside linebacker in a 3-4 defense. However, his style of play is very similar to a guy the Patriots just paid a lot of money to acquire this offseason. Woodley is a tremendous athlete, versatile, extremely quick and works his tail off. When you’re talking about value at the end of Round 1, there will be very few, if any, players left on the board more talented than Woodley. Whether or not he’s a good fit for the Patriots is up to Bill Belichick and Scott Pioli. If they decide he is, Woodley could be a pass rushing terror on New England’s defense for years to come.
Draft Projection: Late-first round
