With the Super Bowl just 2 weeks away, many teams and fans around the league are gearing up for the 2018 draft. For Packer fans, we have been ready ever since the Packers final game ended. This is going to be a big draft year for the Packers with a class full of great prospects. We are going to have some great draft content here at Pack To The Future, and I am excited to cover my all time favorite position with the inside linebackers. I am going to take a look in this article at who I believed was the top 10 inside linebackers from what I saw on tape.

Before we begin, I’d like to say that with each of these prospects I have reviewed 3 game tapes before taking any notes, just to make sure I didn’t jump to any conclusions. This list may not fit in with some draft prospects, but this list is tailored to how these prospects would fit in with the Packers.

1.) Rashaan Evans – Alabama

Several draft analysts have Evans as the second best inside linebacker, but after watching a lot of his tape, he is by far my favorite prospect. Evans comes in at 6’3, 231 lbs. He has good size to play the inside linebacker position at the professional level. One thing that really stood out to me is his ability to put pressure on the quarterback. He is the best blitzing linebacker in this class in my opinion. When it comes to playing the run, he definitely holds his own. Evans has violent hands and can shed the blocks of offensive blockers. Every inside linebacker most possesses violent hands to shock the blocker, rip under and find the ball carrier. Evans played nothing short of that. One thing that makes him attractive to many defenses is that he is flexible and can play the edge in the nickel situation. He possessed the ability to force the play back inside, both from the edge and at linebacker depth.

When it comes to pass coverage, his drops looked great. Alabama played a lot of cover 3 and cover 2, which are both staples in the Pettine defense. Evans played in a 3-4 defense at Alabama which flourished in the 2017 season. When they played in their cover 3 look, Evans opened up the hips well and dropped into his hook/curl zone with ease. I see Evans as more of a strongside inside linebacker, but I feel like he could play either. Evans is certainly day 1 talent, or possibly early day 2.

2.) Roquan Smith – Georgia

Smith was the favorite inside linebacker in for many draft analysts, but I feel like he had something missing that Evans didn’t when I watched the tape. Smith comes in at 6’1, 225 lbs. He had an impressive 137 tackles, 6.5 sacks, and 11.5 tackles for loss in the 2017 season. One thing that stood out to me on tape was the ability that Smith had to play the backside well. When the play went away he was patient in pursuing and his angles to the ball were sharp and flat. He has good eyes which is something that every successful inside linebacker must possess. He was physical with his block shedding and had quick speed to close in on the ball carrier.

Smith was impressive in his zone coverage abilities. Specifically, he was a tremendous “hole” player in the cover 2 look. The thing about playing linebacker in the cover 2 look is that you must be very quick to drop to that deep inside middle zone. I liked that Smith could play the middle linebacker position if needed, such as when Pettine goes to his “stack” look, which is exactly like a 4-3 look. Smith was impressive in space, and would break down on the ball carrier and have quick feet, which is important in the NFL. A game that stood out to me was the Rose Bowl Game where Georgia had an impressive overtime win against Oklahoma. Smith could mirror Heisman Trophy winner Baker Mayfield and close in on him when playing the spy technique.

3.) Malik Jefferson – Texas

Malik Jefferson comes in at an impressive 6’3, 238 lbs. In his time in Texas, he played against some of the most wide open and high powered offenses in the Big 12. The thing that I like about Jefferson is that he has great size to play as a strongside NFL linebacker. He is very quick and can run sideline to sideline. The vision he has and his ability to finish the play should have the Packers very interested to see how he would fit in with Pettine’s defense. Jefferson comes from a 3-4 system, but has played for a few different coaches in his time at Texas. After watching the tape, I felt like Jefferson was a much better run defender than a pass defender. While he does play the run well, he has a tendency to play tall at times. His pursuit to the ball was shaky at times, but good for the most part.

Jefferson had 110 tackles and 10 tackles for loss in 2017 at Texas. I expect him to fall somewhere from the late 2nd round to mid 3rd round. He has put some great stuff on tape, but also somethings such as his leverage and initial step downhill that he needs to work on.

4.) Josey Jewell – Iowa

Jewell is coming off an impressive season at Iowa where he got 136 tackles, 4.5 sacks and 13.5 tackles for loss. Like Evans, Jewell is flexible and can roll down as the edge defender in nickel and dime situations. One thing that stood out to me was how patient Jewell was inside. From the tape that I watched, he didn’t seem to over run the play and played everything inside to out, the way a linebacker should. He has good, solid footwork and can open his hips up and run in zone coverage. His man coverage abilities seemed solid as well and he can matchup with decent tight ends and running backs.

Jewell did show that his reads were questionable at times. Sometimes this depends on what the coach wants his inside linebackers to read. Some coaches have linebackers read the backs, while others have them key on the guards. In an NFL 3-4, depending on the front, he will have to train the eyes to lock on the uncovered guard. Jewell did have a minor shoulder injury his senior year, but nothing too serious.

5.) Leighton Vander Esch – Boise State

Vander Esch is an impressive prospect with good size. He is 6’4, 220 lbs with a solid linebacker frame. In 2017 he had 141 tackles, 8.5 tackles for loss and 4 sacks. He is a very long player and can reach and and get a hand on the ball carrier if he needs to. Vander Esch is more of a weakside inside linebacker and not much of a stunting linebacker. He played the run pretty well from what I viewed on tape. His technique was impressive, where he showed that he could take on the guard/tackle and squeeze the gap down, making inside runs hard. He was a good tackler and impressive scraper, meaning he can flow over the top of the play and make the tackle.

His coverage abilities were less impressive than the run. He showed that he could be slower to drop in zone coverage, specifically cover 3, which is a base coverage in the Pettine defense. His stunts could be a little wide in zone blitz looks, where he would loop out and get rode out by the tackle. Vander Esch was the Mountain West defensive player of the year in 2017.

6.) Darius Leonard – South Carolina State

Leonard is my first prospect from the FCS, and one of the best in it. He has impressive size at 6’3, 235 lbs. Leonard stood out to me as a linebacker who played down the line. He kept the play in front of him and was patient to get to the ball carrier. He has good flexibility in the hips and impressive change of direction. Off of the play action, he was so quick to change direction and mirror the quarterback, which will be vital at the pro level. Leonard played in a 3-4 system and can play the middle linebacker position when the defense runs the stack front. He had a solid 113 tackles in the 2017 season at SC State. The only thing that concerns me at Leonard is how he will look against better competition. We have seen some good prospects out of FCS and Leonard is one guy I’m very excited to see at the combine.

7.) Micah Kiser – Virginia

Kiser is another prospect who is flexible enough to play the inside base look or edge if the front calls for it. He comes in at 6’2, 240 lbs. Kiser is a solid run stopper and he is not afraid to take on a leading fullback or offensive tackle. His size stands out on the defense, and I think his size won’t be a problem at all in the NFL. While his run stopping abilities were impressive, he did have a problem with getting cut off by backside lineman when the play went away. He would often get caught up in the players and couldn’t make the play. He handwork does need improvement, as he had problems shedding blocks at times.

When looking at his coverage abilities I thought he did a standout job in man coverage. He was often matched up on the back in a 1 back set and held his own. He plays the option well, which is something we are seeing more and more with NFL teams. I think he could transition well into a 3-4 system as a solid backup, but could hold his own with starters.

8.) Kendall Joseph – Clemson

Kendall Joseph had a decent 2017 year with Clemson. He had 96 tackles, 5 tackles for loss and 5 sacks. Not a terrible job, but not something that jumps out to me on the stat sheet. Joseph comes in at 6’0, 230 lbs. He did a good job in the run game and used leverage on larger offensive lineman, something that many coaches look for in a good inside linebacker. I liked that he was a flexible player and can play man coverage on slot receivers or the 3rd receiver in a 3X1 set. He did a good job when asked to spy the quarterback, and closed in with great speed when the quarterback would tuck and run. He sometimes would tend to play a touch out of control and would over run some plays. He could have trouble against larger offensive lineman or tight ends.

There is a lot to be excited for with Joseph, but some things that also need improvement. I think Joseph could be a 4th round linebacker, possibly an early 3rd round prospect.

9.) Nick DeLuca – North Dakota State

DeLuca is the second FCS prospect on my list of inside linebackers. He has an impressive 6’3 245 pound frame. DeLuca is the first prospect on the list who did not play in a 3-4 system, which could be a downside in looking at him to Green Bay. DeLuca is a good blitzer and can blitz well from depth. Like a few of our prospects, he is a decent cover 2 “hole” player, which NDSU ran often. While his is an impressive blitzer, he ability to play the run felt lacking at times. In 2017, he had 74 tackles, 10.5 tackles for loss and 6.5 sacks. The lack of tackles was concerning, but I did like what I saw on tape. He did have an injured shoulder in 2016, but bounced back from it fine. DeLuca would be more of a weakside linebacker in a 3-4 system, much like Jake Ryan. He pursues the ball well in the run, but really needs to work on his coverage abilities heading into the combine. Like Joseph, I expect DeLuca to be a 3rd day prospect.

10.) Shaun Dion Hamilton – Alabama

Hamilton comes in at my #10 player on the list, but could be higher if it wasn’t for injuries. He is a lean 6’0, 233 lbs. He comes from a good 3-4 system as the weakside linebacker. He has long, lean size and is quick to react off of the read. He was a shaky at times in defending the run, but could play the cutback run well. The most impressive thing about Hamilton was his coverage abilities. He was physical in the pass game against tight ends and running backs. He didn’t play much on the slot receivers, but could if he had to. Hamilton was injured in the 2017 season with a knee injury and also tore his ACL in the SEC Championship in 2016. I expect Hamilton to fall anywhere from the late 3rd round to mid 4th round. This would be a guy I’d keep my eye on. He could be a good addition to the Packers.

This is my first year covering prospects in the draft, and I have really enjoyed it so far. Watching these linebackers on tape has been a blast. What I am trying to look for is what guy will give the Packers the edge on defense. The Packers have had some recent success with draft picks at this postion, such as Blake Martinez and Jake Ryan. Those two guys have had such a tremendous impact on the defense so far and it will be interesting to see if any of these guys happen to be wearing green and gold in the future. I look forward to breaking down each player more as the draft approaches!

Go Pack Go!

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