Draft Preview 2020: Inside Linebackers

Posted on by

February 26, 2020

by Steve Thomas

Our beloved Washington Redskins currently have a very long list of need that the team must address either in free agency or, preferably, through this year’s draft.  To that end, The Hog Sty is ready and willing to provide you, our dear readers, with all of the information you need to follow the draft effectively.  We previously covered the following:

This week, we’ll preview the inside linebacker class.  It’s no secret that the Redskins have a dire need at linebacker, generally, but particularly at the middle linebacker position as they transition back to their historical base 4 – 3 defense after a decade-long, mostly misguided dalliance with the 3 – 4.  Fortunately, there are some outstanding candidates should the Redskins choose to go this route (spoiler alert: they should).  For the sake of completeness, I’ve included players best suited to the 4 – 3 MIKE position and as 3 – 4 inside linebackers, because, frankly, given the style of defenses used in college to combat today’s spread offense, some of these players will need to find the right spot in the NFL game.  Let’s get into it.

1) Isaiah Simmons, 6’4” / 230, Clemson: Simmons is the unanimous top linebacker in the class and a consensus top 5 overall selection.  He played 44 games in for years for the Tigers, making a total of 238 tackles, including 148 solo and 28.5 tackles for loss, 11 sacks, and 4 interceptions, including 1 returned for a touchdown.  In 2019, he played all 15 games, making 104 tackles, including 67 solo, 8 sacks, and 3 interceptions, and was a unanimous First Team All-American.  He also won the 2019 Butkus Award given to the top linebacker in the country.  Simmons is an uber-talented, elite athlete and is projected to run the 40 yard dash in the 4.5 second range.  The most important thing his film shows is his incredible versatility.  Clemson lined him up all over the defense – at inside linebacker, on both edges, as an outside linebacker, as a safety, and on occasion he even stepped into an outside defensive back position when the offense dictated it.  Simmons is an elite-level playmaker with good coverage skills, and is able to consistently use his athleticism to his advantage.  I’ve ranked him as the #1 overall middle linebacker, because he’s good enough to play everywhere, but his body type – he has a long frame makes him look a bit lanky by inside linebacker standards – and ability and skillset may ultimately make him better suited to an outside linebacker position in the NFL.  Simmons will probably be on the top of those rankings as well.  In many ways, Simmons is the archetype of the modern versatile linebacker.  If drafted by the Redskins, he would automatically become the Redskins’ best linebacker at a position of critical need.

2) Kenneth Murray, 6’2”/ 234, Oklahoma: Murray played 40 games in 3 seasons for Oklahoma, earning a total of 325 tackles, including 176 solo and 36.5 tackles for a loss, and 9.5 sacks.  In 2019, he made 102 tackles, including 69 solo, and 4 sacks.  He earned Second Team All-Big 12 honors in 2018 and First Team All-Big 12 honors in 2019.  Murray is a tough, interior linebacker who is strong against the run and can shoot interior gaps very well to make plays in the backfield.   Murray is another player who was used in various roles in college, and it’s likely that he can do the same in the NFL, but I think his strength and tackling ability make him an ideal 4 – 3 MIKE backer.  Most view Murray as either end of round 1 or early day 2 prospect.

3) Patrick Queen, 6’1” / 227, LSU: Queen spent 3 years at LSU, playing in 29 games, with 131 tackles, including 59 solo, 4 sacks, and 1 interception. Queen has a good combination of athleticism, football intelligence, and good instincts.  His downside is that he’s slightly undersized for a 4 – 3 middle linebacker, but he’s known as a player who is quick to diagnose plays in the interior of an offense.  He has good coverage skills and the potential to be a quality three-down starter as a rookie, although some analysts see his fit more at the weakside in the 4 – 3 than in the middle.  Most analysts place Queen as a mid – to low 1st round pick.

4) Jordyn Brooks, 6’1” / 240, Texas Tech: Brooks was a four year starter for the Red Raiders, playing a total of 36 games, making 360 tackles, including 224 solo tackles and 32 tackles for loss, 6.5 sacks, and 2 interceptions.  He had 108 tackles, with 66 solo, and 3 sacks in 2019, and earned Second Team All-American honors in 2019.  Brooks isn’t an elite athlete by NFL standards, but is known as a high motor, tackling machine type of linebacker.  He has good burst, but a few analysts believe may not be best suited for an interior linebacker role in the NFL due his inability to shed blocks.  He’s viewed by most as a day 2 pick, although opinions vary.

5) Troy Dye, 6’4” / 226, Oregon: Dye spent 4 seasons with the Ducks, playing 38 games and making 391 tackles, including 234 solo and 41.5 tackles for loss, 13 sacks, and 5 interceptions.  In 2019, Dye made 84 tackles, with 52 solo tackles and 2.5 sacks, and 2 interceptions.  Dye was a 3x Second Team All Pac 12 selection.  Dye is known as being a tough, physical player, with good athleticism and range, but not great in traffic, and is occasionally inconsistent.  If he’s drafted into a 4 – 3 system, he may be better suited for the weakside rather than the middle as a result of his physical characteristics.

6) Evan Weaver, 6’3” / 235, Cal: Weaver played 46 games in 4 years at Cal.  During that time, he made a total of 407 tackles, including 230 solo and 23.5 tackles for loss, with 8.5 sacks and 2 interceptions.  In 2019, Weaver made 181 tackles, with 103 solo, and 2.5 sacks, and was named as a unanimous First Team All-American and was selected as the Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year.  He’s an average athlete by NFL linebacker standards and isn’t explosive, but he’s a hard hitter and quality run defender in the box, and was highly productive in college.  He lacks coverage skills.  Most analysts view him as an NFL 2-down starter and either a late day-2 or early day 3 selection.

7) Malik Harrison, 6’3” / 246, Ohio St.: Harrison played in 42 games for the Buckeyes over four years, accumulating a total of 205 tackles, including 136 solo and 29 tackles for loss, 9 sacks, and 1 interception.  In 2019, he made 75 tackles, including 49 solo, and 3.5 sacks, and was a First-Team All Big 10 selection.  Harrison is in the mold of a true, traditional 4 – 3 MIKE linebacker, which is exactly what the Redskins need.  He has the body type for the role and plays with a physical style.  His down side is that many view his coverage skills as marginal, so he may not be a three down player, at least not immediately, and he doesn’t have elite athleticism.

8) David Woodward, 6’2” / 235, Utah St.: Woodward played in just 26 collegiate games in 3 years.  In that time, he posted a total of 252 tackles, including 116 solo and 20.5 tackles for loss, 8 sacks, and 2 interceptions.  This is a high-risk, high-reward type of selection.  His 2019 season was cut short in October due to serious injury, a vertebrae fracture and multiple concussions, so he only played 7 games, making 93 tackles, including 53 solo, and 2 sacks.  Woodward isn’t known to have much athleticism by NFL standards, but he can play and is known as a smart, instinctual player and is an aggressive tackler.  His injury history should be a big concern that will likely drop him down to a day 3 selection.

Best of the Rest:

Shaquille Quarterman, 6’1” / 241, Miami: 2x First Team All-ACC selection.

Joe Bachie, 6’2” / 231, Michigan St.: 4 year starter with 3 years at middle linebacker.

Logan Wilson, 6’2” / 250, Wyoming: First Team All-Mountain West in 2019.  A tackling machine with 421 total in four years.

Mykal Walker, 6’3” / 230, Fresno St.:  Experienced small school prospect.

Michael Divinity, Jr., 6’2” / 241, LSU: Has experience in the middle but is more of an outside linebacker in the NFL.  Will need NFL coaching on his technique.