Very deep draft for 3-4 OLBs

The more you exam this draft, the more excited you get in seeing all of the potential 3-4 OLBs (and it gets deeper/richer if a few of these juniors declare). So here's my first pass at putting together a comprehensive list, though keep in mind, it's not really a ranked order at this point and some of these are projected to potentially play 3-4 OLB but could either be a pure 4-3 DE or a 4-3 OLB:

Player - college - measureables - projected round (subject to change)
Derrick Morgan, Georgia Tech (6'3", 270)* - 1st
Brandon Graham, Michigan (6'2", 265) - 1st-2nd
Jerry Hughes, TCU (6'3", 255) - late 1st-2nd
Sergio Kindle, Texas (6'4", 250) - 2nd
Von Miller, Texas A&M (6'3", 245)* - 2nd-3rd
Brandon Sharpe, Texas Tech (6'3", 255) - 2nd-4th
Eric Norwood, South Carolina (6'1", 250) - 2nd-4th
Jeremy Beal, Oklahoma (6'3", 260)* - 2nd-3rd
Ricky Sapp, Clemson (6'4", 240) - 3rd-5th
Jermaine Cunningham, Florida (6'3", 255) - 3rd-5th
Austen Lane, Murray State (6'7", 260) - 2nd-5th
Antonio Coleman, Auburn (6'3", 260) - 3rd-5th
Greg Hardy, Ole Miss (6'5", 270) late 1st-2nd
George Selvie, South Florida (6'4", 250) - 2nd-4th
Sean Witherspoon, Missouri (6'2", 245) - late 1st-2nd
O'Brien Schofield, Wisconsin (6'3", 250) - 3rd-5th
Jarvis Geathers, UCF (6'2", 240) - 3rd-6th
Brandon Lang, Troy (6'4", 255) - 3rd-6th
Aaron Morgan, La-Monroe (6'4", 240) - 4th-7th
Lindsey Witten, UConn (6'5", 260) - 3rd-6th
Willie Young, NC State (6'4", 250) - 4th-7th
Dexter Davis, Arizona (6'2", 255) - 4th-7th

Feel free to add someone that I missed. Fyi, I didn't add McClain as I see him as an ILB, but he could definitely be considered an OLB prospect by some teams.

[ Edited by GoFD74 on Dec 17, 2009 at 11:37:42 ]

I'm excited to see how Brandon Lang fairs this offseason. With a strong performance, he could move into the 2nd round, maybe even into the top 50. He's been invited to the Senior Bowl and the East-West Shrine game. He may play in both as well. The Senior Bowl practices could be huge for him if he can have success in the pass rushing drills.

Greg Hardy is another guy that needs a strong offseason. He has elite talent, but his production and durability could hurt his stock. He'll be very interesting to watch. He considered coming out last year, but only received a 3rd round grade, even though many projected him as a 1st rounder. He might be this year's Michael Johnson.

Originally posted by strickac:
I'm excited to see how Brandon Lang fairs this offseason. With a strong performance, he could move into the 2nd round, maybe even into the top 50. He's been invited to the Senior Bowl and the East-West Shrine game. He may play in both as well. The Senior Bowl practices could be huge for him if he can have success in the pass rushing drills.

Greg Hardy is another guy that needs a strong offseason. He has elite talent, but his production and durability could hurt his stock. He'll be very interesting to watch. He considered coming out last year, but only received a 3rd round grade, even though many projected him as a 1st rounder. He might be this year's Michael Johnson.

I would definitely grab Greg Hardy in the 2nd round if he was still there. Greg Hardy=Ahmad Brooks in terms of pure talent, but also in terms of the question marks (attitude, motivation, injury history) going into the draft. I can easily see Singletary and his coaching staff developing Hardy in the way they did Brooks...with those two guys coming off the edge, we'd be set for years in the pass rush game.

How about the guy from Murray State?

Originally posted by GoFD74:

Originally posted by strickac:
I'm excited to see how Brandon Lang fairs this offseason. With a strong performance, he could move into the 2nd round, maybe even into the top 50. He's been invited to the Senior Bowl and the East-West Shrine game. He may play in both as well. The Senior Bowl practices could be huge for him if he can have success in the pass rushing drills.

Greg Hardy is another guy that needs a strong offseason. He has elite talent, but his production and durability could hurt his stock. He'll be very interesting to watch. He considered coming out last year, but only received a 3rd round grade, even though many projected him as a 1st rounder. He might be this year's Michael Johnson.

I would definitely grab Greg Hardy in the 2nd round if he was still there. Greg Hardy=Ahmad Brooks in terms of pure talent, but also in terms of the question marks (attitude, motivation, injury history) going into the draft. I can easily see Singletary and his coaching staff developing Hardy in the way they did Brooks...with those two guys coming off the edge, we'd be set for years in the pass rush game.

Definitely. Work ethic certainly hasn't been an issue since Singletary. Our players (especially on defense) are really reacting to him and developing pretty nicely.

Originally posted by Ninefan56:
How about the guy from Murray State?

If you're referring to Austen Lane (6'7", 260), I really see him as a 4-3 DE....but understand how he might project as a 3-4 OLB given his athleticism.

nice list ghost

Originally posted by GoFD74:

Originally posted by Ninefan56:
How about the guy from Murray State?

If you're referring to Austen Lane (6'7", 260), I really see him as a 4-3 DE....but understand how he might project as a 3-4 OLB given his athleticism.

That is the one. Would he be able to be a 3-4 OLB? What round would he go in?

Originally posted by GoFD74:
The more you exam this draft, the more excited you get in seeing all of the potential 3-4 OLBs (and it gets deeper/richer if a few of these juniors declare). So here's my first pass at putting together a comprehensive list, though keep in mind, it's not really a ranked order at this point and some of these are projected to potentially play 3-4 OLB but could either be a pure 4-3 DE or a 4-3 OLB:

Derrick Morgan, Georgia Tech (6'3", 270)*
Brandon Graham, Michigan (6'2", 265)
Jerry Hughes, TCU (6'3", 255)
Sergio Kindle, Texas (6'4", 250)
Von Miller, Texas A&M (6'3", 245)*
Brandon Sharpe, Texas Tech (6'3", 255)
Eric Norwood, South Carolina (6'1", 250)
Jeremy Beal, Oklahoma (6'3", 260)*
Ricky Sapp, Clemson (6'4", 240)
Jermaine Cunningham, Florida (6'3", 255)
Austen Lane, Murray State (6'7", 260)
Antonio Coleman, Auburn (6'3", 260)
Greg Hardy, Ole Miss (6'5", 270)
George Selvie, South Florida (6'4", 250)
Sean Witherspoon, Missouri (6'2", 245)
O'Brien Schofield, Wisconsin (6'3", 250)
Jarvis Geathers, UCF (6'2", 240)
Brandon Lang, Troy (6'4", 255)
Aaron Morgan, La-Monroe (6'4", 240)
Lindsey Witten, UConn (6'5", 260)
Willie Young, NC State (6'4", 250)
Dexter Davis, Arizona (6'2", 255)

Feel free to add someone that I missed. Fyi, I didn't add McClain as I see him as an ILB, but he could definitely be considered an OLB prospect by some teams.

Missing players:

Adrian Tracy, William & Mary 6-3 243
Danny Batten, South Dakota St. 6-3 250
Jammie Kirlew, Indiana, 6-2 259
Carl Thenaco, San Jose St. 6-3 256
Cameron Sheffield, Troy 6-2 249
Koa Misi, Utah 6-2 263
Arthur Moats, James Madison 6-0 250
Chris McCoy, Tennessee St. 6-4 245

Great list Ghost.

What happened to the LB/DE from Oregon?? i know his last name is Rowe but can't remember his first name. A lot of people were talking about him in the beginning of the year.

Originally posted by calikid49:
What happened to the LB/DE from Oregon?? i know his last name is Rowe but can't remember his first name. A lot of people were talking about him in the beginning of the year.

Kenny Rowe...he's a junior who started out pretty hot but really cooled off in November. If he declares, I'll probably include him, but he might be more of a 4-3 OLB.

O'Brien Schofield would be perfect for us between rounds 3 and 4.

I think the important thing to remember is not to get enamored with just the first round projected guys. Making the transition to the nfl, especially in the 34, is difficult. Matthews has done that well this year in GB, but many others have struggled. I know of the guys projected in the first round, my fave is Hughes from TCU, but who are some 2nd-3rd round value guys, we could go after? You mentioned Hardy, but he scares me a bit too much to take that high.....imo he conjures up memories of Quentin Moses in terms of attitude, etc...

Thanks for compiling the list Ghost. I'm very interested in how you (and OTC) would rank them as well. I know it's a little early for that, but a round grade will be very helpful. I have been working out of the country since sept, so I don't have much idea of what's going on in college football.