Take Your Pick: Best Outside Linebacker Prospects

This is a multiple-part series that encourages readers to participate in the draft discussion. Don’t agree with my top prospects at a respective position? Tell me who should be or shouldn’t be included and why, I want to hear your opinions!

While this draft certainly has positions with less depth than others, outside linebacker is one of the deepest for teams looking for players who can get after the quarterback.  With the large overhaul of 3-4 defenses making their appearance in the league in the last 5-10 years, outside linebackers with great acceleration off the edge have become almost essential for those teams that run that type of scheme. Looking back to Super Bowl XLV in February, both the Steelers and Packers ran the 3-4 defenses that helped them get to Dallas. Each had playmakers at the outside linebacker in Pittsburgh’s Lamarr Woodley and Green Bay’s Clay Matthews that put pressure on opposing quarterbacks all season long. Here is the list of my top three outside linebackers for the 2011 NFL Draft. Be sure to give me your opinions on this position and who you think has the most potential to be an elite player in the NFL.

1. Von Miller, Texas A&M

I am quite confident in saying that I am with the majority with having Miller as my No. 1 outside linebacker. He led the nation in sacks as a junior with 17 in 2009, playing more of a hybrid defensive end/outside linebacker position.  After switching fully to an outside linebacker for the 2010 season, he recorded 10 sacks along with 68 tackles. Over his career, Miller has recorded 33.5 sacks (not an official stat) and 178 tackles. He was named a consensus first-team All-American and first-team All-Big 12 following his senior season. Miller was also named the 2010 Butkus Award winner, given to college football’s best linebacker.

Miller is an overall great athlete with a quick first step off the edge that can give him the advantage against offensive tackles who do not have quick feet. He has tremendous instincts, being able to diagnose the run and deliver violent blows to the ball carrier. You will rarely see him miss tackles as he shows great technique in wrapping up the runner and bringing him down. His weakness against the run sometimes comes from that explosion. At times he will show that burst off the edge and overrun the play, letting the running back get by him inside. He also can get beat down the seam by tight ends with straight-line speed when trying to cover them one-on-one. This might be a concern to teams that run a version of the cover 2 defensive scheme as linebackers are depended upon more in pass coverage.

2. Robert Quinn, North Carolina

It can be debated whether or not Quinn should be listed as a defensive end or an outside linebacker and that debate will likely be settled in late April when he is selected. A 4-3 team such as the Minnesota Vikings could be looking at him as a defensive end at the No. 12 pick and a 3-4 defensive team could see him as an outside linebacker who can rush the quarterback and also drop into coverage. Even with his suspension for the entire 2010 season due to his lying to NCAA investigators about whether or not he received improper benefits, he still will most likely be a top 20 pick in the draft. Over his career at North Carolina which totaled 2 seasons, Quinn recorded 86 tackles and 4 forced fumbles.

Quinn is equal to Von Miller in his skill to beat tackles off the line with his burst. He is tremendous at getting leverage on blockers and has the strength to push them back into the pocket against the pass. He has good size (6’4”, 265 lbs.) to play defensive end but still has the mobility to play outside linebacker. He has a non-stop motor and can run down running backs from the backside of the play. Quinn could add moves when he is engaged with a pass blocker. Tackles in the NFL will be better prepared for what he brings to the table than his opposition in college and he needs more than couple of ways to get after the quarterback.

3. Justin Houston, Georgia

Houston is another prospect who can play either the at the defensive end spot or at outside linebacker. The 6’3”, 270 lbs. Houston was a finalist for the Nagurski Award following the 2010 season, given to the best defensive player in the nation as voted on by the Football Writers Association of America. He was also a finalist for the Butkus Award, losing out to Von Miller for the nation’s best linebacker. Over his three year career as a Georgia Bulldog, Houston recorded 110 tackles and unofficially 19 sacks. His 2010 junior season was his best as a college player, one in which he recorded 56 tackles and 10 sacks, again an unofficial stat.

Houston is best from a pass rushing aspect, showing good burst off the line and possessing the ability to bull rush. He is stout against the run, showing good form when tackling the ball carrier. He consistently wraps up and doesn’t just throw a shoulder into the runner. His football instincts are also one of his strengths. He is able to diagnose a play and make a quick first step in order to get to the ball. Houston rarely takes bad angles on the ball carrier. One of his big weaknesses is shedding the block. I would like to see him utilize his hands more to rip away from blockers and get to the ball.

It is no mystery that this is one of the strongest positions in the 2011 NFL Draft. With as many players who can effectively rush the passer as well as stop the run, I find these three guys as the best of the bunch and the most likely to be successful in the NFL. Don’t agree with me? Tell me in the discussion area below. Let’s hear your thoughts on this year’s class of outside linebackers.