Cravens can be expected to be able to beef up in the pros to 230 pounds+ and play the WILL linebacker position. He\u2019d also be an outstanding candidate to play the \u201cBig Nickel\u201d position the Patriots like to use a big safety\/LB in sub-packages.<\/p>\n
Cravens can go from zero-to-top-speed in the flash of an eye. He can be a sideline to sideline presence and is an extremely smart player that can be a ball-hawk. He\u2019s very good in coverage and an outstanding blitzer off the edge.<\/p>\n
Cravens finished his college career with 33.5 tackles for loss, 10.5 sacks, 16 pass breakups, nine interceptions and two forced fumbles. For those who say he\u2019s too small to play LB in the pros, he\u2019s about the same size as Ryan Shazier (6\u20191,230), for the Steelers.<\/p>\n
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Pros:<\/strong><\/p>\n – Outstanding explosion at the snap<\/p>\n – Excellent football I.Q.<\/p>\n –\u00a0Good in coverage with the ability to take the ball away (9 INTs)<\/p>\n – Very good Special Teams contributor<\/p>\n Cons<\/strong><\/p>\n – Will have issues setting the edge in the running game<\/p>\n – Sometimes loses focus in coverage<\/p>\n – Lack of length could be a concern<\/p>\n What his Role Will Be:<\/strong> Will his Role Change from Year 1-2? How Many Downs Can He Play? What Current Player on the Roster Will He Replace? What is his ST Value? Conclusion: If the Patriots view him as the latter, he\u2019d be an interesting addition to the defense. With the uber-athletic Jamie Collins and Dont\u2019a Hightower already in place, Cravens would provide the team with another attacking, aggressive piece of the puzzle. He\u2019s a versatile player who is at his best closer to the line of scrimmage and with the league in sub-packages nearly 60-65 percent of the time, he\u2019d be an outstanding fit as the \u201cBig Nickel\u201d LB\/S hybrid.<\/p>\n The only caveat is that the Patriots already use Pat Chung in that role and could be grooming LB\/S Brandon King for a larger piece in the same role. But there is no doubting his ability to fit in to the right defense and be a very productive player.<\/p>\n He projects in the Patriots system to be a Potential<\/strong> Starter<\/strong> on Day 1. He should fit in very well into the NE defense. Cravens is slotted to go somewhere around the 2nd<\/sup> Round of the NFL Draft. If the Patriots are interested in him, they\u2019ll probably have to move with one of their 2nd<\/sup> round picks.<\/p>\n Cravens\u2019 highlight film can be found here, courtesy of Just Bombs Productions:<\/p>\n
\nHis role will be competing for one of the outside linebacker roles. His best fit would be as a \u2018WILL\u2019 or the weak side linebacker. The team could opt to play him at safety where the position is already packed with depth.<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>Yes, with an added year under his belt and learning some better pass rush moves, he could push for more reps and possibly as a starter in the base defense.<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>Three<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>His roster slot would be in competition with guys like Martin, Johnson and Snyder.<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>Very Good, he would immediately find himself on coverage units given his athleticism<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>Cravens is an interesting player in that how will teams look at him as an NFL player. Some will look at him as an oversized box safety in the Deone Buchanon, Mark Barron mode or as an undersized, instinctive WILL linebacker in the Shazier type.<\/p>\n