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2012 DRAFT MLB PROFILES

*Note players not necessarily listed in order of grade

Vontaze Burfict, Arizona State, 6-3, 252, 4.65, JR … Arguably the most highly-rated recruit ever at ASU has morphed into a top 10-15 pro prospect; is an intimidating mike backer with an exceptional combination of size, athleticism and intensity; solidly built 250-pounder with a thick base, long arms and good functional strength; also a surprisingly good athlete who changes direction very well, is light on his feet and is very difficult to block, although he will play too tall at times and can struggle to disengage once he's blocked; will also try and jump around blocks on occasion rather than stack and shed; generally reads the play well and has sideline-to-sideline range, but can be fooled by play action and misdirection plays; fierce hitter who takes good angles and literally explodes into tackles, although he doesn’t always wrap up when going for the big hit; has fluid hips and can turn and run in coverage, but is not necessarily that instinctive in coverage and could do a better job reading keys; plays with a real edge, but has too often been undisciplined on the field resulting in unnecessary personal fouls and unsportsmanlike conduct penalties and was benched for awhile this past season.

Luke Kuechly, Boston College, 6-2, 235, 4.78, JR … Brings new meaning to the term ‘tackling-machine’; indeed, had 330 tackles in his first two seasons including a remarkable 183 in 2010; also has had over 10 tackles in 22 straight games; measurable don’t impress, but he is a smart, fundamentally-sound, instinctive run-stuffer who is always around the ball; takes great angles to the ball and is a solid wrap-up tackler who seldom misses a stop in the open-field; lacks sprinter speed, but is light on his feet and can dance around the traffic; not as effective in coverage, especially when forced to cover one-on-one, but takes good drops and breaks crisply on the ball in zone; had three picks and three other pass break-ups last year.

Manti Te’o, Notre Dame, 6-2, 255, 4.60, JR ... Superstar recruit even by Notre Dame standards has more than lived up to the hype, but still has room to grow as a pro prospect; has perfect size and excellent speed for a mike backer; also a real thumper who explodes into tackles; has sideline-to-sideline range and does a nice job absorbing and shedding blocks, but isn’t always that instinctive; can also be caught out of position at times as he can be too aggressive and overruns plays; also not a natural blitzer and may never be a true every down LB as he has limited skills in coverage; had 133 tackles in 2010 including 9.5 for loss, but had just one sack and three pass breakups; character player, though, with all the intangibles to spearhead an NFL defense.

Dont’a Hightower, Alabama, 6-3, 260, 4.75, JR … Versatile LB with 29 career starts to date has played ILB, OLB and even some DE for the Tide, but best fit at next level appears to be as a 3-4 OLB; has excellent size, long arms and decent athletic ability; also known as a hard worker in the film room who seldom makes mistakes on the field; physical player with good strength can stack and shed at the point of attack; good wrap-up tackler; lacks elite speed, but is a long strider who covers a lot of ground in space; somewhat tall and stiff for a LB though and doesn’t change direction all that abruptly; also not all that instinctive and doesn’t appear to have the natural feel for the game as some other top LB prospects; can blitz of the edge but has never been a big sacker with just one in his career to date; also has some injury concerns as he tore an ACL during his sophomore season in 2009 and was granted a redshirt year.

Jerry Franklin, Arkansas, 6-0, 245, 4.65, SR … Productive veteran with 37 careers starts and close to 300 tackles; thick 245-pounder built low to the ground; also has good functional strength and leg drive; was recruited as a safety who also starred at RB and WR in high school and has good speed and quickness for a mike backer, but doesn’t have that extra gear; has excellent instincts and a natural feel for the game; reads and reacts quickly to the run game inside, has good balance and nimble feet and can pick his way through traffic; can also stack and shed at the point of attack; solid wrap-up tackler, but doesn’t register a lot of big hits; also makes too many tackles downfield; can get in the backfield and had 6.5 sacks and 7 other tackles for loss last fall; has 5 career picks, however, despite being a former DB isn’t all that effective in coverage; gets good depth in his drops, but can be hesitant breaking on the ball.

Shayne Skov, Stanford, 6-2, 245, 4.65, JR … Emerging junior inside LB had 84 tackles last fall including 10.5 for loss; has adequate size and strength; good athlete with sideline-to-sideline speed and range; is also tough, tenacious and a vocal leader on the field; also has excellent instincts and quickness; can pick his spots and has the burst to get into the backfield on a regular basis; last fall racked up 7.5 sacks, although he is not necessarily a natural pass rusher; could also do a better job taking on blocks at the point of attack and is less comfortable dropping into coverage, although he did break up 5 passes last season.

Chris Marve, Vanderbilt, 6-0, 240, 4.73, SR … Prototype tackling machine with over 300 career tackles already, although he ‘slumped’ to just 80 last fall after missing one game and playing hurt the rest of the year with a knee injury; not all that big at a generous 6-0 and a bulked up 240 pounds, but is smart and instinctive; also has good quickness and decent closing speed; light on his feet and can find his way through the traffic, but can be engulfed by bigger blockers at the point of attack; more a sideline-to-sideline type, but can get in the backfield on occasion, but is not a natural blitzer; also limited in coverage, although appears to have the athleticism to do in passing situations; excellent student and character player.

Korey Williams, Southern Mississippi, 6-2, 245, 4.65, SR … Fast, athletic mike backer with decent size and excellent range; has sub-4.7 speed with excellent quickness and acceleration; can also change direction, finds his way through the traffic and takes good angles to the ball; had 210 tackles the past couple of years including 92 last fall; has sideline-to-sideline range, but also gets into the backfield on a consistent basis posting 10 sacks and 23 other tackles for loss the past couple of years; known as a hard worker in both the weight and film rooms; gets good drops in coverage, but isn’t quite as instinctive when the ball is in the air; missed several games in 2008 with a broken jaw.

Emmanual Acho, Texas, 6-2, 240, 4.65, SR … Athletic veteran mike backer is a brother of Sam Acho, a 2011 4th round pick by Arizona; well-built for a MLB with very good speed and range; also reads the play well, does a nice job flowing through the traffic and is a rock-solid tackler; had 87 tackles in 2010; can also get into the backfield where he had 3 sacks and 9 other tackles for loss; is also reasonably comfortable in coverage where he had a pick and 6 pass breakups last season; versatile player could also fit at SSLB and is a willing special teams’ contributor; has been durable the past couple of seasons, but did miss three games in 2008 with knee injury; good student and character player.

J.K. Schaffer, Cincinnati, 6-1, 235, 4.66, SR … Active all-around mike backer with great instincts; reads the play well, has sideline-to-sideline range and rips into tackles; had 111 stops last fall including 3 sacks and 6 other tackles for loss; also has the speed and agility to run with most backs and TEs in coverage; also a special teams ace who gives maximum effort; not all that big or thick, though, and doesn’t anchor all that well at the point of attack.

Carmen Messina, New Mexico, 6-2, 240, 4.70, SR … Tackling machine with over 300 career stops, including 162 in 2009 when he led the entire country; struggled with an ankle last fall, but still had 116 tackles; weight-room warrior who has bulked up 30 pounds the past couple of years to 240; has good straight-line speed, but isn’t all that agile and isn’t as effective in coverage as he is forcing the run; reads the field well and gets through the traffic; also a real thumper when he finds the ball; great motor and team leader.

Chris Galippo, Southern California, 6-2, 250, 4.75, SR … Perplexing prospect who was a big-time recruit in 2007, but is yet to live up to hype; wasn’t even a full-time starter in 2010 when he had just 29 tackles after racking up 70 the previous year; will also likely play on the weakside this season with junior Devon Kennard ensconced inside; if healthy has next-level size and decent speed and athleticism; plays hard and has always been outstanding on special teams; also instinctive in coverage where he has 5 career picks; health is an issue though as he missed most of the 2007 season and the first part of the following season after undergoing surgery to repair a herniated disk in his back.

Garrick Williams, Texas &M, 6-1, 235, 4.75, SR … Versatile backer had 112 tackles last fall playing an ILB slot in a 3-4 defense, but also has the athleticism to have played some at OLB; actually played WR in high school and has decent speed and range; also has good instincts and the light feet to sift through the traffic; solid warp-up tackler; not all that big though and can be engulfed at the point of attack; also not a natural blitzer and makes few plays in coverage; missed spring practice this year with a sports hernia.

James-Michael Johnson, Nevada, 6-1, 240, 4.68, SR … Solid run-stuffing inside backer had 88 tackles last fall; hard-hitter forced three fumbles last season; has decent size and good speed for a MLB with a projected 40 time under 4.7 seconds; has good lower body strength and can stack and shed at the point of attack; also has pretty good lateral range and can get into the backfield on occasion, but is not a natural blitzer; somewhat stiff, though, and doesn’t make many plays in coverage.

Audie Cole, North Carolina State, 6-4, 240, 4.75, SR … Played in the shadow of Nate Irving, a 3rd round pick at the 2011 draft, but could ultimately be the better pro; former high school QB and one-time Golden Glove boxer has excellent instincts, range and work ethic; not super fast, but has a quick first step and is a long strider who covers a lot of ground when closing on the ball; physical wrap-up tackler had 97 tackles in 2010 including 5 sacks; also forced three fumbles; rangy type who can disrupt passing lanes, but is somewhat stiff in the hips and isn’t as effective in coverage.

Will Ebner, Missouri, 6-1, 230, 4.70, SR … Steady veteran MLB battled through foot and neck injuries last fall; lacks great measurables, but is a smart, instinctive player who is as tough as nails; hard hitter who is also a very good special teams player; reads the field well and can get into the backfield on occasion, but isn’t overly athletic dropping into coverage; durability is a major issue as he sat out all but one game his junior year in high school with a knee injury; missed two games in 2009 after undergoing arthroscopic knee surgery; and also tore a labrum in spring ball that year, although he never missed any practice time; outstanding student majoring in finance and banking.

Bobby Wagner, Utah State, 6-1, 232, 4.75, SR … Tackling machine has over 300 career tackles including 138 in 2010; not all that big or fast, but quick, instinctive and very aggressive; versatile player who lines up all over the field including as a DE in pass-rush situations, but is not a natural pass rusher and is still looking for his first career sack; gets decent drops in coverage, but has limited ball skills.

D.J. Holt, California, 6-1, 252, 4.78, SR … Physical run-stuffing ILB with excellent instincts and a nose for the ball; had 85 tackles in 2010 including 2 sacks and 3.5 other tackles for loss; hard hitter also forced three fumbles last fall; has good size and upper-body strength and uses hands well to keep blockers off his legs; can stack and shed at the point of attack; also is light on his feet and does a nice job getting through the traffic; more quick than fast though and has only average closing speed and range; also a former DE who is limited in pass coverage.

Ronnie Snead, Kentucky, 6-2, 230, 4.75, SR … Hard-working, physical MLB had 61 tackles last fall; not all that big or fast, but is smart, instinctive and as tough as nails; has good balance and vision and does a nice job finding the ball, but lacks exceptional range; also doesn’t make many plays in the backfield or in coverage; weight-room warrior with excellent functional strength; known to spend a lot of time in the film room.

Ian Thomas, Illinois; 6-1, 240, 4.70, SR … Versatile LB played outside last fall, but slides back inside this year to replace Martez Wilson; lacks elite athleticism, but is a smart, instinctive, tough player who makes plays from sideline-to-sideline; more quick than fast with a projected 40-time in the 4.7 range; also not all that big, but has good weight-room strength; still can struggle to hold the point of attack when engaged and makes a few too many tackles downfield; also not a natural pass rusher with just one career and doesn’t make a lot of plays in coverage; had 64 tackles in 2010 as an OLB after posting 95 inside the previous year.

Adrien Cole, Louisiana Tech, 5-11, 240, 4.80, SR … Tough, compact veteran with good instincts, big hitter who had 170 tackles the past couple of seasons despite missing several games at the end of the 2010 season with a knee injury; does a nice job flowing to the ball between the tackles, but lacks real sideline-to-sideline speed and range; can get into the backfield on occasion, but isn’t very athletic dropping into coverage.

Noah Keller, Ohio, 6-1, 250, 4.75, SR … Was expected to be in the mix for the MAC Defensive Player of the Year honors last year, but ultimately played in only 3 games because of a foot injury; if healthy is a tackling machine with over 300 career tackles including 155 in 2009; smart, instinctive player who does a nice job finding his way through the trash; can also get to the sideline; aggressive wrap-up tackler; has bulked up to almost 250 pounds and can stack and shed; has decent straight-line speed, but is not necessarily a great athlete and doesn’t change direction all that well; also doesn’t make many plays in either the backfield or in coverage.

Marcus McGraw, Houston, 6-0, 225, 4.67, SR … Tackling machine with 370 career tackles; has outstanding lateral range and good instincts range; light on his feet with good quickness and acceleration; closes well on the ball with sub-4.7 speed; not all that physical, but a consistent wrap-up tackler; undersized at a bulked up 225 pounds can get overwhelmed at the second level.

Gary Tinsley, Minnesota, 6-1, 240, 4.70, SR … Experienced player could be something of a sleeper this coming April as he’s likely to be bumped from his usual starting spot with the arrival of former Florida recruit Brendon Beal; good athlete with decent speed, as well as good instincts, acceleration and range; aggressive tackler plays with a bit of an attitude; had 90 stops in 2010 including 9.5 for loss, but is not a natural blitzer and isn’t that effective in coverage; missed spring practice with a hamstring injury; also had a run-in with police last a year ago when he was charged with reckless driving, underage drinking, and fleeing from the police.

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