The Big Board
NOTE: This Board is best viewed on a desktop/tablet – if you’re on your phone, click the green plus sign to the left of the prospect’s name, you’ll reveal more information and a full profile. That plus sign will reveal their grade as well – keep in mind that their grade isn’t necessarily where they’ll be drafted, but where I believe their value lies.
| Ranking | Name | College | Height | Weight | Athletic Outlook | Core Skill Traits | Bonus Features | Biggest Question-mark | Summary | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mack Wilson | Alabama | 6'1 | 239 | Good speed and movement skills. | Good tackler with good gap discipline but does struggle working off blocks at times. | Doesn't add much as a pass rusher but has good ball skills. | Can he improve his technique to make the most of his athleticism? | Good in space but needs to get better at dealing with downhill rushing games. | High 3rd Round |
| 2 | Tevon Coney | Notre Dame | 6'1 | 244 | Good movement skills and decent speed. | Good tackler, gets off blocks well and maintains gap integrity. | Doesn't do much as a pass rusher and ball skills aren't great. | Is he athletic enough to be a plus coverage player? | Very good run defender with potential plus coverage ability. | Mid 3rd Round |
| 3 | Devin Bush | Michigan | 5'11 | 233 | Good movement skills and speed. | Maintains gap discipline well but does more tackles than is ideal and gets caught on blocks at times. | Doesn't do much as a pass rusher and ball skills are unremarkable. | Can he live up to his athleticism as a run defender? | Good coverage athlete with work to do as a run defender. | Mid 3rd Round |
| 4 | David Long | West Virginia | 5'11 | 221 | Good speed and decent movement skills. | Decent tackler who works off blocks well and maintains gap discipline. | Doesn't add much as a pass rusher and ball skills aren't evident. | Is his athleticism enough to be more than just decent in coverage? | Flashy run defender with potential to be a plus cover man as well. | Mid 3rd Round |
| 5 | Darrell Williams | Auburn | 6'1 | 240 | Decent movement skills but speed is a concern. | Good gap discipline, solid tackler and takes on blockers well. | Doesn't add much as a pass rusher with unremarkable ball skills. | Can he hold up as a coverage player? | Downhill hitter who could hold up in a zone scheme in coverage. | Late 3rd Round |
| 6 | Kendall Joseph | Clemson | 5'11 | 235 | Good speed and decent movement skills. | Does miss some tackles and gets caught on blocks at times, gap awareness is also inconsistent. | Decent pass rusher but unremarkable ball skills. | Can his run defense meet his athletic potential in coverage? | Good athlete in need of technical development. | High 4th Round |
| 7 | Bobby Okereke | Stanford | 6'2 | 234 | Good speed and ok movement skills. | Decent tackler and shows good gap discipline, but can struggle to get off blocks at times. | Doesn't add value as a pass rusher and ball skills are unremarkable. | Is he athletic enough to hold up in space? | Does a lot of nice things but ceiling is in question. | High 5th Round |
| 8 | Cody Barton | Utah | 6'2 | 227 | Ok movement skills but unremarkable deep speed. | Gets off blocks reasonably well and maintains gap discipline but tackling could be better. | Doesn't add anything as a pass rusher and ball skills are unremarkable. | Is he athletic enough to hold up in space? | Solid technician but athleticism is a concern. | Mid 5th Round |
| 9 | Jeff Allison | Fresno State | 5'11 | 242 | Decent speed but movement skills are questionable. | Gets caught on blocks at times, but tackling is solid and maintains gap control. | Some potential as a pass rusher and solid ball skills. | Is his athleticism going to prevent him from seeing the field? | Does some nice things but athleticism might be a non-starter. | Late 5th Round |
| 10 | Germaine Pratt | NC State | 6'3 | 240 | Ok speed and decent movement. | Decent tackler but struggles to get off blocks and gap control is a concern. | Doesn't add anything as a pass rusher but ball skills are decent. | Is his athleticism enough of an incentive to make a project out of? | Decent athlete but is in need of significant technique work. | Mid 6th Round |
| 11 | Ryan Connelly | Wisconsin | 6'2 | 237 | Questionable speed and movement skills. | Good gap discipline, solid tackler and works off blocks reasonably well. | Doesn't add much as a pass rusher but ball skills are ok. | Is he going to be able to stay on the field on passing downs? | Solid run defender but coverage is a real concern. | Mid 6th Round |
| 12 | TJ Edwards | Wisconsin | 6'1 | 242 | Decent movement skills but struggles for speed. | Solid tackler but struggles to shed blocks and gap control is unremarkable. | Doesn't add much as a pass rusher but has good ball skills. | Is he fast enough to make him a plus coverage player? | Athleticism might limit him but does some nice things in coverage, run defense needs work. | Late 6th Round |
| 13 | Khalil Hodge | Buffalo | 6'1 | 255 | Questionable movement skills and speed. | Gets caught on blocks and gap discipline is a real concern but tackling is solid. | Doesn't do anything as a pass rusher, but decent ball skills. | Is he athletic enough to play in space? | Ok run defender but athleticism will limit him. | Late 7th Round |
| 14 | Deshaun Davis | Auburn | 5'11 | 233 | Limited movement skills and speed. | Deals with blockers well but tackling is inconsistent and gap control is a concern. | Doesn't add anything as a pass rusher and ball skills are a concern. | Can he do enough as a run defender to see the field at times? | Has some potential as a run defender but athleticism will limit him. | Undrafted |
| 15 | Tre Lamar | Clemson | 6'2 | 255 | Poor movement skills and unremarkable speed. | Adequate tackler but gap control is a concern and struggles to get off blocks. | Doesn't add anything as a pass rusher and ball skills are a concern. | Does he do enough to find a way onto a roster? | Can run and hit but that's about it. | Undrafted |
| 16 | Joe Giles-Harris | Duke | 6'1 | 240 | Limited movement skills and speed. | Decent tackler but gap control is a concern and struggles to get off blocks. | Doesn't add anything as a pass rusher but balls skills are ok. | Can he find a way onto a roster as a special teams player? | Can run and hit but not much else. | Undrafted |
| 17 | Ben Burr-Kirven | Washington | 6'0 | 221 | Poor movement skills and limited speed. | Adequate tackler but gap control is a concern and struggles to get off blocks. | Doesn't add anything as a pass rusher but ball skills are decent. | Can he find a way onto a roster as a special teams player? | Can run and hit but that's about it. | Undrafted |
There is a congregation of similarly rated players here, with Long, Wilson, Coney and Bush all showing good athleticism in space with good run defense skills. None of them are the finished products that would make me happy enough to rate them higher without getting some answers to questions in an interview, but all four have the potential to develop into good NFL players. Of the four, Coney is probably the most limited to playing inside, and Wilson in particular could probably play happily as an outside linebacker in a 4-3.
Darrell Williams is the other player to receive a third round grade, and while he is a good player, he is an example of somebody who is likely going to be a 3-4 only inside linebacker, as while he is very good as a run defender, he is probably not athletic enough to ever develop to the same standard in coverage.
Joseph and Okereke both have the potential to develop into good players, but both are in need of some work to get to that point. It would be a surprise if either walked into a starting role, but as with the likes of Jermaine Carter for the Panthers last season, they have a chance to win a starting role down the line after some development as a depth player.
There is limited long-term starting potential after that from my point of view, but there are a number of players who could offer decent depth or who could offer a stopgap starting option. As you go down the board, the move is distinctly towards those who will be limited to playing inside only, as the biggest barrier for most of these guys will be the limits imposed on them by their own athletic talent. That is not to say that none of the others can become decent NFL players, but that it is probably more likely than not that they don’t.
We will have in-depth profiles on David Long and Bobby Okereke coming out later the week, and this is a position the Panthers could target on the final day of the draft, especially if they look to move on from David Mayo, but it would be foolish to suggest that this is one of the Panthers’ biggest needs going into the offseason. If you are looking for more in-depth analysis of the 2019 linebacker class, why not check out our accompanying podcast, in which we go more in-depth on multiple prospects, what I look for in a linebacker and much more.
