Third in a series of articles previewing the top NFL prospects, by
position, for the 2000 draft.
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Penn State's
LaVar Arrington
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LaVar Arrington is a junior linebacker at Penn State. If this were a
perfect world, he would go back to school to earn his degree and ...
... improve his ability to take on tight ends and come off blocks;
... improve his hand use and develop better moves and hand technique when he rushes the
passer;
... learn to control his temper and play under control;
... become a more disciplined player who knows when to gamble instead of freelancing
and playing his own defense at times.
... tone down his act and show a little more humility.
Unfortunately, this is not a perfect world, and I would be lying if I told you that
Arrington will not be a first-round pick if he does come out. In fact, he will probably be
the first linebacker chosen in the draft and a very high first-round pick.
The last college linebacker I can think of who made as many big plays as Arrington was
Derrick Thomas when he was at Alabama. Unlike Thomas, Arrington does not have so many
games in which he totally vanishes. As an athlete, Arrington combines a sprinter’s
speed with a vertical jump that would please most NBA scouts. He is so quick, fast and
explosive that he will often just explode by blockers before they can react. He has
instincts and anticipation and makes great, highlight-film plays in big games. He will
leap over offensive linemen to stuff a short-yardage runner and can cover a wide receiver
down the field.
Arrington has the acceleration and quick-twitch fiber of a cornerback and the instincts
of a linebacker. Plus, he can be a nasty customer. He is a former high school All-America
running back and linebacker who made an impact as a true freshman linebacker at Penn
State. He played well enough to earn Gannett and Pro Football Weekly All-America
status and Linebacker of the Year honors in 1998 and was a unanimous first-team
All-American in ’99.
While some like to compare Arrington to the incomparable Lawrence Taylor, that
correlation will never hold water. Taylor had rare natural strength, which was largely
generated by a tremendously powerful lower body, great hip roll and explosion and
tremendous natural fluidity. No matter how much strength work Arrington does, he will
never develop that type of strength because of the way he is built (somewhat leggy and
narrow at the hips), and he is not quite as fluid as Taylor was. Taylor could just crash
through a 300-pounder and go to the quarterback, while Arrington must beat the same
blocker with speed and quickness.
New Mexico’s Brian Urlacher is a 245-pound PFW All-America
strong safety/rover. Although he is a dominating player, Urlacher just has not gotten the
type of exposure he deserves. A superior athlete, Urlacher spearheads the defense, returns
punts, covers kicks, plays on all special teams and finds time to play some offense. He
has the best hands on the team, makes a ton of tackles, always seems to be around the ball
and has amazing versatility and stamina.
For the past two years, Urlacher has played so well that if he played at a big school
that got a lot of television exposure, people would have been talking about him as a
Heisman Trophy candidate. While he’s a different type of player than Charles Woodson
was, Urlacher does just as much for his team. If you are wondering why he ended up at New
Mexico, the reason is he was a late bloomer who has grown by leaps and bounds in terms of
size and ability since his early high school days, when he was a 5-9, 160-pound receiver
with unspectacular speed. Urlacher played linebacker his first two years at New Mexico,
and although he did not start as a sophomore, he still had over 100 tackles. In ’98,
he became a full-time starter at strong safety/rover and led the nation in tackles by some
counts and the Western Athletic Conference by everyone’s count. Although Urlacher is
not a great cover guy, some scouts say they might leave him at strong safety and use him
as the Bengals used David Fulcher when they went to the Super Bowl in ’89. Most
scouts, however, like Urlacher best as a weak-side linebacker.
Syracuse’s Keith Bulluck was a part-time starter at safety as a
redshirt freshman in ’96, when he picked off three passes. He started at outside
linebacker in ’97, inside linebacker in ’98 and has started both inside and
outside in ’99. A top athlete with outstanding speed, Bulluck has tremendous range
and moves around as if he were still a defensive back. He has had some games (see
Michigan) when he has looked as though he can be a dominating defensive player, but in
other games his instincts appeared to be a little off and most of his tackles were made
downfield.
Bulluck does not have great strength and does not take on blockers that well. Combine
that with his speed and movement skills, and you will understand why he is best-suited to
play weak-side linebacker in the pros. However, he could be an inside ’backer in some
schemes, and his ability to run with receivers is a huge feather in his cap. Bulluck was
suspended for the Central Michigan game for a DWI.
If Brigham Young’s Rob Morris was not about to turn 25 years old
in January and did not have so many medical problems in his past, he would be a sure bet
to be the top inside/middle linebacker. Morris is a very instinctive player with
dominating ability. His instincts and ability to get to the ball make him special. While
he may not run a 4.5 in the 40-yard dash, Morris gets to the ball as if he does have that
kind of speed because of an explosive 10-yard burst. Plus, he is a really tough guy who
plays hard and plays hurt.
Another top instinctive player who could be downgraded because of medical
considerations is California’s tall and rangy Matt Beck, who missed
almost his entire senior year after having foot surgery. While Beck, a fifth-year senior,
played extremely well from ’96 to ’98 and led the Bears in tackles as a freshman
in ’96, he did miss two-plus games with nerve damage to his shoulder in ’97, had
hamstring and ankle problems in ’98, missed last spring after having his knee scoped
and then hardly played as a senior. Since he also missed a game with a bum ankle in
’96, Beck has never played a full college season and will face 20 or more games next
year in the NFL. There is some concern about the shoulder Beck hurt in ’97 because
nerve damage was involved. He also had some off-the-field problems in high school,
although he seems to have put that part of his life behind him.
If Tennessee’s Raynoch Thompson comes out this year, he will be
one of the top outside linebackers in the draft. But he will probably have a chance to
return to school for another year and move up further in the pecking order. Thompson is
cat-like in his movements, has tremendous range and is a big hitter. He gets depth in his
pass drops and makes plays all over the field. However, he is on the light side, has not
been very durable and needs to play on the weak side in a 4-3 defense.
Michigan State’s Julian Peterson would fit nicely into a 3-4
system, playing on the strong side as Kevin Greene did with the Steelers. Peterson is a
natural pass rusher with great first-step quickness and tremendous speed for the first 10
yards. He will also regularly run around tackles. However, he has shown this year that he
can play over and cover the tight end after being used as a pass-rushing defensive end in
’98.
Virginia Tech’s Corey Moore is a 5-11, 220-pound defensive end
with sprinter’s speed, and he may be the best defensive football player in America.
However, the question the NFL has is where to play this dynamo, and the general consensus
is he will first be tried at outside ’backer. The best thing Moore does is rush the
passer. He plays bigger and stronger than he looks because he plays with such leverage and
is a big-play maker a team has to get on the field.
Kansas State’s Mark Simoneau is another undersized All-American
who is too good of a football player not to play. Like Moore, Simoneau is just under 6
feet, but he is a little heavier and has played linebacker his entire career. Aside from
his lack of height, the biggest knock on Simoneau is that at times he tries for the
knockout hit and misses the tackle. He needs to do a better job of wrapping up the
ballcarrier.
West Virginia’s Barrett Green is a former safety who was moved to
linebacker because he was too aggressive to remain in the secondary. He has fine range and
wants in on every play.
Back at inside linebacker, Arizona’s Marcus Bell went into
the year listed by one national publication’s combine rankings as the highest-rated
player at his position, but he did not play like a first- or second-round pick this year.
Bell is not really a powerful player and has a hard time coming off blocks. He also looks
a little stiff, although he does run well. Bell has pretty good instincts and gets in on
plays, although most of his tackles are made farther away from the line of scrimmage than
scouts would like.
Another top-rated inside ’backer who did not have the type of senior season that
would solidify his position in the draft is Penn State’s Brandon Short.
But after a very shaky start, Short did begin to play better for a stretch.
Wake Forest’s Dustin Lyman has had a lot of knee problems the
past two years, but he is a good player if healthy.
There has been some talk of Ohio State fourth-year junior OLB Na’il Diggs
coming out this year, but that would be a big mistake. He did not play well as a junior,
and unlike Arrington, Diggs could be in for a rude surprise at draft time when he does not
figure to hear his name called on the first day.
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