Winner of the 2017 Butkus award, best LB of college football. Help lead the Georgia Defense to the Championship game. Smith is a little undersized for a 4-3 Mike LB. He is a couple inches shorter than average and a little bit underweight, but he makes up for it.

Athletic Ability is great, very explosive player, shows lateral quickness, great balance and has great hip flexibility. Good Mental Processing, quick to diagnose screens, always seems to know the play direction before the snap of the ball, knows the down and distance. Good Competitive Toughness, always around the ball, does not give up on the play, has the mentality to come up in clutch situations. Great Play Speed, he is a sideline to sideline LB, fills his gap responsibility fast, his speed will allow him to be a great QB spy vs the QBs with Elite running ability. Can be used as a nickel LB. Good Play Strength, puts a big hit on his opponent, his long arms help him disengage from the blockers, easily sheds RB pass blocks. Good Open field tackler, nice wrap up tackler, eyes are up, goes through his opponent. Good Vs the outside run, because of his great speed he can reach the edge before the elite speed RBs get there. Good vs the point of attack, comes downhill when he sees run and the gap to fill, offenses will be unlikely to make any yards if running to his side because of his ability to close gaps quickly. Good Zone Coverage, reads the eyes of the QB well and adjusts his coverage to make a play on the football. Good Man Coverage, nice job staying with receivers down the field, looks back to find the football, reads his opponents route very quickly – especially in the flat.

Only concern is that his undersized body will struggle vs the strong players. Meaning he will struggle vs the strong OL who get to him before he can get to them. May miss a tackle if the RB is larger than him. Does get a little antsy at times when trying to stop the run at the POA and will choose the wrong gap, but with better coaching he should be able to fix that. Could work on his angles better vs the Outside run.

Overall, Smith will be a top LB in this league and I’d expect him to be a player that consistently makes the All-Pro selections. His size may be an issue if he wants to be considered a 4-3 Mike LB, but if he plays as a WILL he could potentially help a team right away and maybe if he gets bigger he could transition back to MIKE.

Played as an ILB in a 3-4 system at Alabama. He helped lead a defense that would go on to win the National Championship. Evans appears to be shorter than his numbers say at 6’3” 234. His Arm length seem to be shorter as well.

Athletic Ability is good, shows explosive suddenness, nice hip flexibility. Good Mental Processing, easily can tell that he pays close attention to the film, does not get fooled by the trick plays, stays home on read plays, diagnoses the play concept very early. Good Competitive Toughness, effort player, plays through pain, has that dawg mentality. Great Play Speed, shows elusive ability when evading blockers, has the sideline to sideline speed to prevent a RB from turning the corner, shows his acceleration when blitzing, has closing speed. Good Play Strength, has that hit-stick ability, won’t have much trouble when dealing with average OL. Good Open-Field Tackler, uses plenty of force when attempting his tackles. Good vs the outside run, does a nice job beating the pulling lineman to the outside and uses that speed to prevent a big run. Good vs POA, when he sees the gap in front of him he will sprint down hill and meet the RB with much force. Good Zone Coverage, reads eyes of the QB well and adjusts. Speed gives him a wide zone and does a nice job of jumping the flat routes.

He doesn’t Solid in Man Coverage, wouldn’t rely him to cover a quick slot receiver. His change of direction ability needs improvement. When he makes contact with an opponent he is often too high and can become unbalanced. Likes to leave his feet early when attempting to tackle a big opponent. Should improve his angles vs the outside runs.

Overall, Evans is a player who will likely be in the league for a long time. He is well coached and shows passion on the field. I believe he would fit as a 4-3 WILL if he is drafted by a team with that system, but a 3-4 ILB slot may be his best fit.

4-3 Mike LB at Boise State where he was the Mountain West conference player of the year. Has incredible height and good weight, long arms, great overall build.

Athletic Ability is good, moves smoothly with that size, nice laterally, shows explosiveness, has twitch. Good Mental Processing, recognizes run/pass early, very aware of when he should take his shot. Good Competitive Toughness, high motor kind of guy, has some nasty in him, plays very physical, shows leadership skills. Good Play Speed, nice overall speed, downhill, closing speed, has the acceleration to be used as a blitzer. Good Play Strength, absolutely demolishes small opponents, wins vs the OL when he doesn’t have to go head on with the OL, strong upper body. Great Open-Field Tackler, launches into his opponent, wraps up, puts opponent through the ground. Good vs the Outside Run, has the vision to find his gap, his good speed will allow him to beat the bigger backs to the edge. Great vs the Run between the tackles, comes downhill when he recognizes run, will create many TFLs for how quick he can get through the point of attack.

He isn’t much used as a coverage LB, needs to continue to drop back in his coverage when there are no check-downs or crossing routes in front of him. Shouldn’t be placed on a receiver, he will struggle in the mid to deep areas of the field, but he has made plays when the ball is being thrown in the flat. He has struggled when dealing with strong lineman, not the best at shedding the block vs that level of opponent.

Overall, Vander Esch has some potential, would not be surprised to see him go late one because he brings a lot to the table. He would fit perfectly in a 4-3 system where he can be the leader of the defense.

Mike LB in the 4-3 system at Iowa. 4-year starter and had 130+ Total tackles in his final season. He is the classic MLB, good size and weight. Bulky LB.

Athletic Ability is solid, good balance, but his change of direction is lacking, not too explosive, hips are a little tight. Great Mental Processing, understands how to squeeze through an offensive line without much speed, great vision and is very quick to recognize run/pass, understands the play concept. Great Competitive Toughness, consistent elite effort, plays through pain, leader of the defense, aggressive style of play. Good Play Strength, nice job vs the average OL, shows his strength vs large RBs. Great Open-Field Tackler, a very reliable tackler, wraps up cleanly and goes through his opponent. Great vs the Point of Attack, consistently fits the correct gap, attacks the gap when he identifies a run. Good Zone Coverage, shows ball skills, understands who to pick up on shallow routes, can transfer opponents.

His lateral speed and deep speed are lacking. Struggles to reach the outside runs because his closing speed is adequate. He will struggle in man coverage especially vs fast or quick opponents. Because of the new NFL style, he will likely only be on the field in sub packages on 1st and 2nd down. Doesn’t fit the nickel package.

Overall, Jewell is a good prospect. I believe Jewell will be a leader of a defense as a Mike in a 4-3 system.

Coming soon.

Coming soon.