Kevin Minter, LB, LSU Tigers: 2013 NFL Draft Player Profile

Oct 20, 2012; College Station, TX, USA; LSU Tigers linebacker Kevin Minter (46) in action against the Texas A

Height: 6’0″

Weight: 246 pounds

Position Rank: 3

Drafted By: Arizona Cardinals (2nd round, 45th overall)

40 Yard Dash: 4.81

Bench Press: 25

Vertical Jump: 33″

Broad Jump: 119″

2012 Statistics

Career Highlights (via LSU athletic site)

2012 Butkus Award Finalist
2012 First Team All-American (Sports Illustrated)
2012 Second Team All-American (AP, Walter Camp, Scout.com)
2012 Third Team All-American (CBSsports.com)
2012 All-SEC First Team (AP, Coaches, CBSsports.com, ESPN.com)
2012 SEC Academic Honor Roll
2012 Walter Camp Nat Defensive Player of the Week (at Texas A&M)
2012 Chuck Bednarik Nat Defensive Player of the Week (at Texas A&M)
2012 Bronko Nagurski Nat Defensive Player of the Week (at Texas A&M)
2012 SEC Defensive Player of the Week (at Texas A&M)
2012 SEC Co-Defensive Player of the Week (at Florida)

CAREER
Hard-hitting linebacker who capped his career with one of the best seasons for a player at his position in school history … Earned first team All-America honors and was a finalist for the Butkus Award after recording 130 tackles, 15.0 tackles for loss and 4.0 sacks as a junior in 2012 … Capped his career with 206 total tackles, 18.5 tackles for loss and 5.0 sacks … Played in 38 games with 24 starts … Graduated in December of 2012 with a degree in general studies … Opted to forgo senior season at LSU and enter the 2013 NFL Draft.

JUNIOR SEASON (2012)
Started all 13 games at middle linebacker … Finished year with 130 total tackles, which ranks as the fourth-highest single-season total in LSU history … The 130 tackles ranked third in the SEC and 14th in the nation … Received the Charles McClendon Award as the team MVP and was named a permanent team captain for the 2012 season in a vote by his teammates … His 15.0 tackles for loss led the Tiger and ranked No. 4 in the SEC …  It also tied for ninth on the LSU all-time single-season list … Had six games of at least 10 tackles, including a career-best 20 vs. Florida … His 20 tackles against Florida rank No. 2 in LSU single-game history, equaling the total that Rudy Harmon (1988) and Toby Caston (1986) produced, and one short of the school-record 21 recorded by Al Richardson against South Carolina in 1982 … His 17 solo tackles at Florida were the most by anyone in college football during the 2012 season and the most in a single-game in LSU history, bettering the previous mark of 15 set by Ali Highsmith (2007), Trev Faulk (2000) and Charles Smith (1999) … Earned SEC Co-Defensive Player of the Week for his play vs. Florida … Closed out season with 19 tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss and a sack in Chick-fil-A Bowl game vs. Clemson … The 19 tackles were an LSU Bowl Game record and ties for eighth in college football bowl game history … Other double-figure tackle games came vs. Texas A&M (12), Ole Miss (11), and Arkansas (10) … Earned several National Defensive Player of the Week honors, as well as SEC Defensive Player of the Week, for his performance against Texas A&M (12 tackles, 1.0 TFL, 1.0 sack, 2 QB hurries, 1 pass breakup and an interception) … Played key role in LSU holding eventual Heisman Trophy winner Johnny Manziel to his worst offensive day of the year with just 23 rushing yards and three interceptions in the 24-19 LSU victory … It was the only game in 2012 that Manziel did not account for either a touchdown  … Led the team with nine stops, including 1.5 tackles for loss vs. Towson …   Tallied nine tackles and two pass breakups in win over Washington … Posted eight tackles, including two tackles for a loss, against Mississippi State … Tied for the team lead with seven tackles against Alabama, and he added a PBU and QB hurry against the Tide … Racked up nine tackles and one QB hurry versus South Carolina.

SOPHOMORE SEASON (2011)
LSU’s starting middle linebacker who played in 14 games and made 11 starts … Ranked fifth on the team in total tackles with 61, including 40 solo stops … Added 3.5 tackles for a loss off 15 yards, one sack, one fumble recovery and one forced fumble … Notched his first career sack for a loss of seven yards and finished with five tackles in the BCS Championship Game against Alabama … Scored his first career touchdown on a fumble recovery in the endzone at Ole Miss … Set a career high with 11 tackles versus Western Kentucky … Earned his first PBU against Georgia … Forced a fumble versus Florida and posted a tackle for a loss against Kentucky … Made his first career start against Oregon and produced four tackles including a half tackle for a loss.

REDSHIRT FRESHMAN SEASON (2010)
Saw action in 11 games with no starts … Finished the year with 15 total tackles … One of the strongest players on the team as he squatted a team-best 545 pounds in May 2010 … Third on the team in tackles in the opener against North Carolina as he recorded six stops, including four solo tackles … Served as the backup to senior Kelvin Sheppard at Mike linebacker.

FRESHMAN SEASON (2009)
Redshirted as a true freshman in 2009 … Graduated high school early and enrolled at LSU in January 2009 … Participated in spring practice prior to his true freshman season in 2009.

Scouting Report/Player Notes

Minter is coming off of an astonishing junior campaign where he finished with 130 tackles and 15 tackles for loss at the inside linebacker position. He’s not speedy, as evidenced by his 4.81, but that doesn’t mean he can’t make plays on the ball. Minter has better instincts than most of the linebackers in his class, and he can make plays for you all over the field. Sports Illustrated pegged him as a 2012 All-American, and for good reason. He has an intriguing build for an inside linebacker at just 6’0″, but he packs a punch at 246 pounds. This is a guy who could very well wind up being a first round pick, and I think he has the talent to be a Pro Bowl starter in the NFL for the next 8-10 years.

Video Highlights (via YouTube)