OLB Leonard Floyd, Georgia (6-6, 244) Junior, Age: 23
Accomplishments
A three-year starter for the Bulldogs, Floyd led Georgia's defense in sack all three seasons. In 2015, he tied for the team lead with 10.5 tackles for loss, for which he was named a finalist for the Butkus Award, given to the nation's top linebacker. He had knee surgery at the end of the 2014 season. Tallied 17 sacks during his collegiate career.
Combine Results
40-yard dash: 4.60
Vertical jump: 39.5 inches
Broad jump: 10-7
He was Top 10 among combine linebackers in all three drills.
Pro Day Results
Vertical jump: 35 inches
20-yard shuttle: 4.32
3-cone drill: 7.18
Positives
-Extremely versatile defender. Played 4-3 ILB, 4-3 OLB, 4-3 DE, 3-4 OLB and 3-4 ILB.
-Comes off the edge as if shot out of a cannon. Speed rusher with the ability to easily dip and turn the corner. Outstanding counter move he uses after setting up blocker with his edge rush. Quick swim move.
-Has enough upper-body power to plow through blockers once he gains leverage.
-Uses arms and hands very well to create separation. Easily sheds blocks.
-Very aware defender who keeps his eyes in the backfield. Tracks ball carriers well.
-Plays with fire. Always gives full effort in pursuit. He can be dangerous from the backside if unblocked.
-Quick feet and agile. Can sidestep cut blocks.
-Good closing burst. Long strides help him close ground in a hurry.
-Experienced in coverage. Looks comfortable in zone sets. Has experience covering slot. Quick hips and feet allow him to turn and run with tight ends. His height is an advantage in coverage.
-Unpredictable pass rusher. His length makes life miserable for opposing blockers.
Negatives
-A little thin. Once bigger blockers get into his chest, he's done.
-Doesn't bring much pop. More of a finesse player.
-Not a consistent tackler.
-Needs to relax on the field. Gets into pushing matches at the slightest provocation. Talks too much.
Is Floyd worth the 11th overall pick in the draft?
Floyd is a rare breed. He can play multiple positions, and he plays all of them well. His best fit is at 3-4 OLB, an area in which the Bears could use some speed. Yet Floyd can also line up at inside linebacker or with his hand in the dirt. His positional flexibility is one of his best assets.
He sheds blocks with ease and does so while keeping his eyes in the backfield. Most of the time, it appears he's not even trying when he disengages from offensive linemen and tight ends. In fact, tight ends have very little chance of keeping him locked up. When Floyd is blocked, he doesn't stay tied up for long.
Floyd has great on-field character, in that he gives full effort on every play, even those run away from him. He pursues until the whistle and has an obvious passion for the game. He has no issue doing the dirty work of taking on blocks at the point of attack, yet he's wiry enough to still fight through and make plays. His thin frame allows him to slip through tiny cracks.
Floyd brings ideal awareness to the field. He can work through the wash of bodies with ease and rarely gets tripped up in pursuit. He has outstanding playing speed and can run stride for stride with tight ends. He does very well stringing out stretch plays in his direction.
As a pass rusher, Floyd has double-digit sack potential in the NFL. He comes off the ball hard and uses his top-tier burst to beat offensive tackles around the edge. If the blocker begins cheating outside, Floyd will use his elite change-of-direction ability to cross the OT's face with lightning quick counter and swim moves. He has a full pass-rush arsenal.
There are very few negatives with Floyd's game. He needs to improve his open-field tackling but other than that, he's the real deal. His tape is extremely impressive, while his versatility should have a creative defensive coordinator like Vic Fangio drooling.
With the 11th overall pick, Floyd could immediately and effectively serve as the last piece to Chicago's front-seven puzzle.
Chicago Bears First-Round Prospect: OLB Shaw Lawson
Jeremy Stoltz
Yesterday at 12:31 PM
The Chicago Bears have added plenty of beef to the defensive line over the past two seasons, yet there's one player in this draft who could bring even more grown-man power to the outside linebacker position.
With that in mind, I broke down extensive game film of Clemson DE/OLB Shaq Lawson, a potential pick for the Bears at 11th overall.
Shaq Lawson, Clemson (6-3, 269) Junior, Age: 21
Accomplishments
Lawson was a backup for the Tigers his first two seasons, yet he still managed to rack up double digit tackles for loss in both seasons (10 in 2013, 11 in 2014). He became the full-time starter last year and went on a tear, tallying 25.5 tackles for loss and 12.5 sacks. He was named first-team All-SEC and a consensus All-American.
Combine Results
40-yard dash: 4.70
Vertical jump: 33.0 inches
Broad jump: 10-0
3-cone drill: 7.16
20-yard shuttle: 4.21
His 40-yard dash and his short shuttle were Top 10 at the combine among defensive ends.
Positives
-Has an NFL-ready frame. Thick legs and a barrel chest.
-Consistent tackler who drops ball carriers once he gets his hands on them. Brings pop. Downhill player.
-His upper-body strength makes him hard to move off his spot.
-Shocking hand punch, which he uses to throw blockers on their heels before extending his arms. When he creates separation, he can easily shed blocks.
-Impressive bull rush. When he gains leverage, he can drive offensive tackles into the quarterback.
-Uses active hands to swat away blocks. Strong rip move. Powers through arm blocks once he's on a blocker's hip.
-Legit spin move that can make blockers look silly.
-Experience working in both 2- and 4-point stance. Can line up at 5-technique if needed.
-Limited experience in coverage.
Negatives
-Doesn't explode off the ball. Lacks ideal quickness and change-of-direction ability.
-Doesn't show great game speed.
-While he shows good awareness in coverage, he's not quick enough to make plays when the ball is in the air.
-Lacks ideal lateral agility.
-Despite his power, he doesn't explode into blockers on pulls and leads, choosing instead to work around the block and avoid contact.
-Takes plays off, especially those run away from him.
-Can be dropped by cut blocks. Does not use hands well enough to keep his balance.
-Played exclusively on the right side in 2015.
Is Lawson worth the 11th overall pick in the draft?
Lawson's collegiate numbers are very impressive. As a rotational player his first two years at Clemson, he managed 21 tackles for loss. He then eclipsed that total (25.5) his junior year.
When Lawson gains leverage or is able to maneuver around a block, he can be an extremely disruptive force in opposing backfields. He doesn't miss tackles, so when he locks onto running backs, they go down.
His best attribute is his spin move, which is nearly unblockable. One has to wonder why he didn't use it more often.
In a 3-4 defense like the Bears run, Lawson brings considerable positional versatility. He can line up at OLB and be an every-down player, or he can slide inside to 5-technique on run downs, as he's capable of eating up double teams.
While Lawson is a grow-ass man who posted ridiculous numbers in college, there are some substantial concerns in terms of how he projects at the next level.
First, he doesn't give full effort on every play and he wears down dramatically as games progress. For those reasons, he'll best fit in a rotation, and part-time players aren't ideal at 11th overall.
Second, he lacks burst and quickness. He lumbers at times and doesn't have the natural bend to turn the corner as an edge rusher. He also lacks ideal flexibility.
Third, while he's powerful, he doesn't always show it and he's shockingly easy to block sometimes.
In terms of size and power, Lawson brings it all and his game compares favorably with those of Pernell McPhee and Lamarr Houston. But that's the problem, the Bears already have two players with similar skill sets. On film, he looks much better suited as a 4-3 defensive end, who will likely have more value against the run than he will on passing downs.
Lawson is going to be a good football player but it's doubtful he'll have enough all-around impact to justify using the 11th overall pick on him.
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