He just gets no respect, maybe he is to slow or to small, but one thing I know is Western Michigan’s Ameer Ismail knows how to play the game of football. The 6 foot 2 inch, 230 pound former running back is the Division I sack and tackle for loss champion for the 2006 season. He led the entire nation with 17 sacks and 25.5 tackles for loss.
Ismail is not real experienced playing defense; in 2004 he switched positions from running back to linebacker. I would say he caught onto the other side of the ball (defense) pretty well. In 2005 he became a first-team All-MAC selection and was named WMU's Defensive MVP. He racked up 93 tackles with 20 tackles for loss and eight sacks. Ismail proved that was no fluke this season with 73 tackles, including 25.5 tackles for loss and his 17 sacks. Ismail wasn’t too bad in pass coverage either recording two interceptions this season.
"I guess the change from running back has worked pretty well," Ismail joked. "I think it is the best thing that could have happened and it allows me to help the team as much as I can."
So why isn’t he thought of as a top prospect for the NFL Draft? He wasn’t even invited to the 2007 NFL Combine. I think scouts are concerned about his foot-speed and size. Playing for Western Michigan he played with his hand down and rushed the passer on most plays, but in the NFL he doesn’t have the size to do that on a consistent basis, heck he is barely even big enough to play linebacker. He is kind of a tweener between strong safety and outside linebacker.
But don’t discount this playmaker, NFL rosters are full of players that don’t “fit the mold” of the prototype player. He has an explosive first step, almost impossible for a tackle to block him one on one. Can anyone say Dwight Freeney? Ismail, I think, will be a major sleeper in this upcoming NFL Draft, he might even go undrafted, and if so, will be an excellent free agent pickup for some lucky team. He will be a special teams demon until he finds his position in the NFL.
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