A.J. Klein, LB, Iowa State Cyclones: 2013 NFL Draft Player Profile
Oct 13, 2012; Ames, Iowa, USA; Iowa State Cyclones linebacker A.J. Klein (47) warms up prior to a game against the Kansas State Wildcats at Jack Trice Stadium. Kansas State defeated Iowa State 27-21. Mandatory Credit: Peter G. Aiken-USA TODAY Sports
Height: 6’1″
Weight: 250 pounds
Position Rank: 4
Drafted By:
40 Yard Dash: 4.66
Bench Press: 20
Vertical Jump: DNP
Broad Jump: 113″
2012 Statistics
| G | Int. | Yards | TD | Int./G |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13 | 1 | 87 | 1 | 0.08 |
| G | Solo | Assisted | Total | Total/G |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13 | 59 | 58 | 117 | 9.00 |
| G | TFL | TFL Yards | TFL/G |
|---|---|---|---|
| 13 | 3.5 | 7 | 0.27 |
| G | Sacks | Sack Yards | Sacks/G |
|---|---|---|---|
| 13 | 1.0 | 5 | 0.08 |
Career Highlights (via Iowa State athletics site)
Awards and Honors
Preseason All-Big 12 First Team … Preseason All-Big 12 First Team (media) … 2012 Butkus Award Watch List … 2012 Rotary Lombardi Award Watch List … 2012 Nagurski Award Watch List … 2012 Bednarik Award Watch List … Phil Steele’s College Football Preview 2012 first-team All-Big 12 and fourth-team All-American … 2012 Lindy’spreseason first-team All-Big 12 and second-team All-American … 2012 Athlon Sports preseason first-team All-Big 12 … USA Today first-team All-Big 12 … 2011 Big 12 Co-Defensive Player of the Year … 2011 first-team All-Big 12 (coaches) … 2011 second-team All-Big 12 (AP) … Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week (Nov. 21, 2011) … 2011 Pete Taylor MVP Award … 2010 Honorable mention All-Big 12 (AP, Coaches) … First-team Academic All-Big 12 (2010, 2011) … Big 12 Commissioner’s Honor Roll (F09, S10, S11, F11) … Scholar Athlete (2012).
2011
Big 12 Co-Defensive Player of the Year … earned first-team All-Big 12 honors from the coaches and second-team all-conference from The Associated Press … earned Iowa State’s Peter Taylor MVP Award recipient … started all 13 games … led Iowa State with 116 tackles and 7.5 tackles for loss … finished second in the Big 12 and tied for 45th nationally in tackles … broke up six passes, had two sacks and grabbed an interception as well … had five games with at least 10 tackles … up to 12 career games with double-figures in tackles … enters senior season with 244 career tackles, including 16.5 for a loss … led Iowa State with 14 tackles, one for loss, in win over Oklahoma State … tied a career-high with 15 tackles against Rutgers in the Pinstripe Bowl … recorded Iowa State’s longest play from scrimmage, returning an interception 78 yards for a touchdown at Missouri, the longest interception return in the Big 12 in 2011 … return touchdown was third of his career, which makes him Iowa State’s all-time leader in interception returns for touchdowns and ties him with former defensive tackle Brent Curvey (2003-06) for Iowa State’s most career defensive touchdowns (three) … also recorded 12 tackles, 1.5 for loss, against the Tigers … also posted 12 tackles at Oklahoma … finished with 10 tackles against Texas A&M … posted sacks vs. Baylor and Kansas.
2010
Earned honorable mention All-Big 12 Conference honors … averaged 9.25 tackles per game, ranking him fifth in the Big 12 in that category … made 13 tackles against Oklahoma …had 10 stops against Kansas State and returned an interception 69 yards for a touchdown … returned a pick 25 yards for a touchdown the following week against UNI to become the first Iowa Stater to return interceptions to the house in consecutive games since 1996 … led the Cyclones with 11 tackles, including one for a loss, at Iowa … made auspicious performance in first career start, making career-high 15 tackles, one for a 3-yard loss against Northern Illinois.
2009
Played in every game as a true freshman … finished season with 17 tackles … also caused and recovered a fumble … had four tackles at Nebraska.
Scouting Report/Player Notes
Klein, like his ultra-productive teammate Jake Knott, has racked up over 300 career tackles and is one of the top senior linebackers in the entire group of 2013 prospects. Klein has excellent size and is a thumper in the middle, but he’s also a pretty good athlete. He picked off a pass and took it 87 yards for a touchdown early in the season against Baylor, and even in Knott’s absence, he has been spectacular throughout his career. In fact, speaking of pick-sixes, Klein has picked off five passes in his career, and all but one of those picks has gone back for a touchdown. The 2011 co-defensive player of the year in the Big 12 has had 111 and 117 tackles in the last two seasons, and has really proven that he can be a starting inside linebacker at the NFL level with range, strength, and sure tackling ability. This is a really solid inside linebacker prospect who should go within the first three rounds.
Video Highlights (via YouTube)