The 2009 NFL Draft Top 5 Series: The Outside Linebackers

The 2009 NFL Draft will feature a player who should be considered one of the top linebacker prospects to come out in the draft in a while. With players like Aaron Curry and Brian Cushing entering the draft this year this promises to be a decent outside linebacker group at the top with some talent in the middle but a little weak everywhere else for the most part. The guys at the top of this group are strong game changing players who will be highly sought after by several NFL teams.
The following is a look at the top five players at the outside linebacker position in the 2009 NFL Draft.

1. Aaron Curry-Wake Forest-If you are looking for the complete outside linebacker in the 2009 NFL Draft, you need to look no further than Curry. Curry seems to have it all. He has great size (at the combine Curry stood 6’1 ¾” and weighed 254 pounds. He ran a 4.56 40 yard dash and had 25 reps on the bench press) as well the strength and speed you would want at the position. He could work well in either a 3-4 or a 4-3 defense and has the instincts to play the position and dominate at the next level. The only real knock on Curry is that he has some problems covering backs and tight ends in the passing game and could work on that in the NFL and get better. It’s not anything alarming but something that will be important for most any NFL team.

Curry is the consummate linebacker and should be the first defensive player selected in the 2009 NFL Draft. With a heavy need at linebacker (thanks to the departure of Julian Peterson) the Seattle Seahawks could very well interested in taking Curry. You shouldn’t see him getting out of the top five in this year’s NFL Draft.

2. Brian Cushing-USC-While there are some questions surrounding Cushing, he still represents one of the most refined and ready outside linebackers in this year’s 2009 NFL Draft. When first looking at Cushing you will see that he has the size (at the combine he came in standing 6’2 7/8” and weighed 243 pounds. He had a 40 yard dash time of 4.74 and bench pressed 225 pounds 30 times) and athleticism needed to adequately play the position. He also has the speed to keep pace with most tight ends and some running backs and can be used to put pressure on the quarterback on passing plays. Cushing is also able to read and react to plays. The downside to Cushing deals with whether or not he can stay healthy. He had some problems staying healthy and teams will look at this seriously when trying to decide whether or not they should take him. There has also been some question about his use of steroids and if he has a problem he needs to get it taken care of right away.

Cushing is clearly locked in as the number two linebacker in the 2009 NFL Draft and should go somewhere in the top 15 of the 2009 NFL Draft. The injury issues will make some teams wary, as will any rumors or possibility of steroid use but he is too much of a big time talent to let fall too far in this year’s draft.

3. Clay Matthews-USC-Matthews has really come far from when he started playing for the Trojans and now stands as one of the better players at the outside linebacker position this year. Some might think that Matthews doesn’t have quite the track record to be a top end outside linebacker but his physical tools, intelligence and drive will make him a success in the NFL. He has the size (at the combine he came in weighing 240 pounds and stood 6’ 3 1/8”. He ran a 4.67 40 yard dash and bench pressed 225 pounds 23 times) and speed that you would want at the position as well as the intensity and drive that you would expect out of any good player. He can rush the passer as well, which could be an added benefit. What he lacks is skills to cover backs and tight ends as well as a tendency to react to “hard” to plays and thus take himself out of the play at times. He needs to get better with this.

While there isn’t a lot of experience coming along with Matthews, he is a player who has basically risen from out of nowhere (despite his bloodlines) and came to light up the eyes of many NFL scouts. While Matthews is still somewhat of a question mark, some team will take him quite possibly at the very bottom of the first round but definitely at the top five or 10 in the second round.

4. Clint Sintim-Virginia-Sintim comes in as the number four rated outside linebacker in the 2009 NFL Draft although some people have him rated ahead of Matthews. Sintim would give any team that selected him a viable option at the outside linebacker position and he has the potential to be real star in the NFL at some point during his career. One thing that he does well and something that will really wow the scouts is that he can rush the passer well and this is something that NFL teams covet. This will help make him flexible in working with either a 3-4 or a 4-3 defensive alignment. Sintim is a solid athlete with good size (at the combine he stood 6’2 ¾”, weighed 256 and ran a 4.78 40) and speed and is tough as well. He has moves to make a play, he sees the field well and has good hustle. The downside to Sintim, like some of the other players that we have talked about here is that he has some problems dropping back and covering tight ends and running backs. Coverage is his weak point.

Sintim will be a good prospect for teams like the New England Patriots, a team that uses the 3-4 defensive alignment, because he is so well adept at rushing the passer. Sintim does have first round talent but is most likely going to go high in the second round of this year’s NFL Draft and become an All-Pro at some point during his career.

5. Marcus Freeman-Ohio State-Sitting in the shadow of James Laurinaitis didn’t help Freeman that much but Freeman really helped Laurinaitis in the long run and now Freeman could just be one of the biggest sleepers at the outside linebacker position in the 2009 NFL Draft. Freeman plays the game aggressively and is not tentative when he makes a play. He has good but not great size (at the combine he came in weighing 239 pounds standing 6’ 0 ½”. He ran the 40 in 4.74 seconds and benched 225 30 times) but does possess the kind of speed and ability that would want in an outside linebacker. He can make plays all over the field and is quick moving laterally on the field. One thing that he can do well, also, is go back into coverage which is something that NFL teams will covet. The downside to Freeman is that he sometimes has difficulty getting freed up from blockers. Size is also an issue and it will take some time to determine just how much that will hurt him in the NFL.

Freeman is a pretty good prospect and one that should be able to have a good future in the NFL. Looking at team needs and what some NFL Scouts think of him. It looks as if Freeman may go somewhere in the middle to the latter part of the second round and could be one of the better linebackers to come out of the 2009 NFL Draft.

By Bryan Dietzler