3-4 Outside Linebacker Prospects from the 2009 Draft

by Brian (DaBolts) on Jan 28, 2009 9:13 AM PST

Aaron Maybin, 6'4", 240 pounds
Technically a defensive end, this guy has risk written all over him. 20 years old and not as big as you like to see; all he did was put up 20 tackles for losses and 12 sacks. If AJ likes the way he plays, I can totally picture him grabbing this guy off and letting him develop behind Merriman. He often commanded double teams but was so fast they still couldn't contain him. Put some weight on him and he could be the next Merriman; I don't see that in any of the other prospects. The flip side is he has had exactly one amazing season; he could also bust.

#59 Aaron Maybin via cache.daylife.com

Clint Sintim, 6'3", 254 pounds, projected round 1-2
Plays OLB in a 3-4 and picked up 12.5 tackles for losses along with 11 sacks. He is projected to be very quick, but might be a stretch with the 16th pick. This guy has the reputation of being the complete package at LB, good at run defense, the pass rush and coverage. If AJ could trade down, pick up another first day pick Sintim could provide backup for Merriman and be groomed as an eventual replacement either for Merriman or Phillips. Clearly last season the backups were not quite up to the task. Ideal for 3-4 teams, this guy could end up as a Patriot if the Chargers go a different way. Reports say he performed well in Senior Bowl practices and improved his draft status.

Clint Sintim via www.techsideline.com

Brian Cushing, 6'3", 243 pounds, projected round 1-2
Injured in 2007, he had a good 2008 campaign for USC. He didn't put up the type of sack numbers you might hope. Reportedly extremely athletic and powerful; he might have a huge upside for a team that can be patient in bringing him along. Has the reputation of a blue collar player who plays hard the entire game. He also made a good impression at the Senior Bowl practices. More of a risk, but with Merriman and Phillips to develop behind he might be worth it.

Clay Mathews, 6'3", 246 pounds, projected round 2-3
With two third round choices he might be a good pickup. 10.5 tackles for loss, three sacks and 6 pass defenses he put up reasonable numbers, but pales next to USCs other great LB prospects. He was reportedly more fluid in space than expected at the Senior Bowl, but I'm not sure he worth a third round choice for what might amount to just another backup/role player.

Marcus Freeman 6'2", 242 Pounds, projected 3-4th round
Another player that improved his standing in the Senior Bowl. He comes out of Ohio State where he picked up nine tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks. The sack total is a bit low and he has also struggled with injury during the season. Playing next to Laurinaitis he might be somewhat overlooked; he made eight tackles in the Senior Bowl. I can see this as being a reasonable chance to take. One thing I like about this is that he is starting work on his masters degree over the summer; that shows a grounding and work ethic you won't always find.

Tyrone McKenzie, 6'2", 244 pounds, projected round 2-3
This guy has been a tackle machine with 99 last season, but 120+ both seasons prior to that. He made 11 tackles for loss but just one sack; he seems unlikely to break through to a Pro-Bowl caliber player, but might turn into a good backup.

Michael Johnson, 6'7", 257 pounds out of Georgia tech
He is a defensive end, but might convert well. 6'7" is a big frame, and 17.5 tackles for loss with 9 sacks and seven passes broken up he put up big numbers too. He had a slow start, but came on strong in the second half of the season. Reportedly very athletic and fast; that makes him a prime candidate for conversion. Could he be too tall with a high center of gravity? He is considered a top 25 pick, so it might be a slight reach. That said Kiper actually had the Redskins taking him ahead of the Chargers pick so who knows?

Tweet Comment 5 comments | 0 recs |

Do you like this story?

Comments

I Love Maybin

I watched a ton of him this year, he has all the tools. The motivation is questionable though.

It may sound stupid, but I don’t really like any of these guys. I think Merriman/Tucker and Phillips/Harris are good at those spots. Applewhite being the 5th guy works for me too.

We have other holes that are much bigger (HB, SS, DE, RT) so I wouldn’t use anything higher than a 5th or 6th round pick on an OLB.

by John Gennaro on Jan 28, 2009 9:28 AM PST reply actions

I forgot...

ILB is another place we need to focus before getting to OLB. However, I have heard some people speculating that we may go after Bart Scott. If we do that, then that would open up a draft pick for one of these guys.

by John Gennaro on Jan 28, 2009 9:32 AM PST up reply actions

To a Degree

I agree. ;-) But one of the things that really got brought home to me this season is how Merriman covered a multitude of sins, including ILB, and Safety. The Steelers shut us down in week 11 with a patchwork secondary. How? Woodley and Harrison. You can’t be too rich or have too much talent at OLB with the 3-4. That said, I think Maybin is the only guy that really fills the bill. If he is there I would love that pick.

Phillips is great, but we don’t know about Merriman’s knee. Tucker had trouble staying on the field and Harris is a free agent this year, we can’t count on keeping him. Harris and Tucker were just not adequate as starters.

"Football is a physical sport, sometimes you have a disagreement on what's going on, and you have a discussion about it." Kris Dielman

by Brian (DaBolts) on Jan 28, 2009 9:49 AM PST up reply actions

I watched Maybin a few times this year

Mainly in some of Penn State’s bigger games. I came away thoroughly unimpressed. He seemed to get swallowed up by the blocking a lot. I wouldn’t feel too good about using a first round pick on him (although the real football people disagree and think he’ll be long gone by the time the Chargers, so it works out in my opinion).

1-10-DEN 18 (9:52) (Shotgun) 6-J.Cutler pass short right intended for 19-E.Royal INTERCEPTED by 93-L.Castillo (95-S.Phillips) at DEN 18. 93-L.Castillo to DEN 14 for 4 yards (62-C.Wiegmann). 6-J.Cutler pouts ob to DEN 25 for 11 yards.

by Wonko on Jan 28, 2009 10:59 AM PST up reply actions

I think Zack Follett from Cal

He’s going to be available later rounds, since OLB really isn’t a priority since we’re not going to find Merriman replacement (and AJ already paid that money to Jyles.) He is a playmaker with a tremendous amount of tackles for loss that hits hard (see Erik Ainge or Rudy Carpenter.) I’d rather see DT, MLB, S, RB or O-line in early rounds.

by bringbackbuddytrees on Jan 30, 2009 10:02 PM PST reply actions