Building the perfect NFL linebacker
Matt Williamson is a former scout for the Cleveland Browns and spent 10 years at ESPN as a scout and co-host of "The Football Today Podcast."
What if you were to build the ideal player at every position? We decided to do exactly that by taking the head, eyes, arm/hands, body, and feet of a great player and assembling the ideal specimen. We also decided that you could only use one aspect of each player and that we could not double-dip. Here, we tackle linebackers in Part 7 of our eight-part series.
Kuechly is the NFL’s best second-level player and is on a Hall of Fame pace. He is a vastly underrated athlete that can flat-out run with most tight ends and running backs. He is a superb tackler and a physical player overall. Reminiscent of greats like Ray Lewis before him, what takes Kuechly to the next level is his fantastic mind for the game.
It helps that he covers an obscene amount of ground in coverage in the middle of the field, but his knowledge of opposing quarterbacks, offensive schemes, and route combinations are unparalleled. Kuechly also possesses terrific ball skills. As a run defender, there is little to no wasted movement and Kuechly usually diagnoses the play instantaneously. He's also the captain of Carolina’s defense and an unquestioned leader. He has it all.
Lee is similar to Kuechly in many ways. He is an underrated pure athlete and like Kuechly, has a great head for playing linebacker and getting his troops around him in line and on the right page. Dallas’ defense takes a huge step backward when Lee is injured, which unfortunately has been his biggest problem throughout his career.
Lee sees the game extremely well, and often diagnoses run plays before they occur. He sees the entire field as a zone-coverage defender and reads the quarterback’s eyes, body language, and intentions as well as any linebacker in the league. There's a strong argument that Lee is the NFL’s second-best linebacker behind Kuechly.
Hightower is a big, thick, physical presence and a great downhill player. He might be the best blitzer among second-level players in the league, and he is a tremendous take-on player against fullbacks and offensive linemen, displaying excellent hand-usage to shock the offensive player and shed with vigor.
He's also nimble in space, but his powerful punch and jolt on contact with his arms and hands are second to none in the NFL. Hightower generates a great deal of power from his legs, hips, and a powerful core and unleashes it via his big, powerful hands pounding into his prey.
Second-level players come in all shapes and sizes. Some great linebackers like Zach Thomas and Sam Mills were labeled “undersized.” Collins doesn’t resemble those two in the faintest, however, and his long, flexible body was selected because of how well it matches up against today’s tight ends in the passing game.
Collins also has the body type to be a premier edge rusher and could have a very successful career just coming off the edge as a 3-4 outside linebacker. Collins is a rare athlete who is both fluid and explosive. He has the narrow waist of a male model with the hip-turn to quickly transition into running alongside receivers downfield. Collins’ change of direction is also exceptional for a taller player. His body type is ideal for today’s NFL.
Injuries and inconsistency have been Shazier’s nemeses thus far in his career, but there's no question this is an improving player and quite possibly the most important member of Pittsburgh’s defense. Since the day he stepped on the field at the NFL level, he has stood out, putting together quite a highlight-reel in a relatively short time.
When he's right, Shazier plays the game at a different speed. Even the most novice NFL viewer can watch the Steelers' defense and see that Shazier stands out. His speed is simply amazing, and he closes on his target at an elite level. He also displays great footwork while changing directions, spending very little time in transition.
If he can play all 16 games and become a little more consistent, Shazier might soon be a candidate for Defensive Player of the Year.
Other entries in the series: