Overview
Thick-framed inside linebacker with a taste for contact. Bentley's physical approach and ability to attack and defeat blockers make him an ideal candidate as a run-down thumper along the inside. However, Bentley has athletic limitations that hinder his effectiveness as an NFL finisher and he's ill-suited to handle coverage duties against the pass. Bentley lacks ideal speed and reaction time, but his size and toughness could make him a solid backup inside linebacker who could find reps down the line.
Strengths
- Built like a stack of bricks with the frame of an old school inside linebacker. Muscular and thick through his arms, chest, and lower half. Extremely strong for his position with 31 bench reps at his pro day. Tough, willing banger at the point of attack who is hard to move in heads-up battle. Able to drop his anchor and leverage his gap with force. Uses early, heavy hands to challenge blocks. Uncoils into climbing blockers giving them a taste of his power. Above average playing off blocks and finding tackles. Strikes with his full weight behind his pads and is a wrap-up tackler
Weaknesses
- Diagnose to reaction time is average. Play lacks knee bend and is unable to gain good ground with lateral slide steps when scraping. Forced to open hips and run to the gap rather than slide. Struggles to disengage quickly from angle blocks on his edge. Build-up speed limits his sideline to sideline range. Below average agility to unlock tackle opportunities at challenging angles. Change of direction is labored. Has missed games in three straight seasons including an ACL tear in 2015. Stiff in his drops and open field coverage on passing downs
