Scouting Report:
STRENGTHS - Brown is an outstanding athlete for the LB position. He has the top end speed to make plays in pursuit from sideline to sideline, and consistently makes play against the outside run at the LOS because he is able to take aggressive angles of pursuit. Despite being undersized, he is very effective on inside runs because of his read and react skills as well as his aggressiveness and physicality when taking on blockers at the POA. When asked to drop in coverage he is smooth with his footwork and shows the ability to COD and cover ground quickly in space. On blitzes he displays a strong burst off the edge and the aggressiveness to beat blockers at the POA.

WEAKNESSES - Brown lacks the typical bulk and height of an NFL ILB. Despite clearly possessing the athleticism to be an effective backer in pass coverage he struggles to identify zone assignments quickly and is consistently late to break and close on pass plays in front of him. When matched up against TEs in man coverage he gives up too much cushion and is not physical enough on the break, allowing his man to create easy separation that he is unable to recover from. Against both the run and pass, he misses too many tackles because he tends to leave his feet and does not consistently wrap up and strike through the ball carrier.

SUMMARY - Arthur Brown was an interesting prospect to evaluate because he does not fit the stereotype of other linebackers with his size. While his top end speed and QAB are readily on display on outside runs, he does not use his athleticism to his advantage on pass defense, as he is slow to read and react to assignments and generally seems to lack the confidence he shows while playing the run. Although he lacks the prerequisite bulk to play inside, he more than makes up for his limited stature with his quickness, instincts and aggressiveness, which allow him to effectively take on and shed blockers at the LOS in time to make plays against the run. He is clearly capable of breaking down in space and adjusting to moving targets, but too often he leaves his feet to attempt low arm tackles, and physical ball carriers are able to run through his tackle attempts. If he improves his feet for the passing game and learns to use the physicality he displays on run defense on pass plays as well, he is capable of being a highly productive starter at any LB position. Considering his current skill set, he would be most effective playing for a 34 defense like Baltimore, as he is more than capable of holding his own on the inside on 1st and 2nd down and rushing the passer off the edge on 3rd down. While I have a high 2nd round grade on Brown, I would not be surprised to see him selected on day one, as there are numerous teams in the 2nd have of round one in need of a physical, athletic run defender inside capable of quarterbacking the defense.

Scouting Report:
STRENGTHS - Alonso is an outstanding athlete with the speed and power to play any LB position in any scheme. He has the range to make plays on the opposite boundary and takes strong angles to the POA. He is agile and explosive in space, allowing him to change directions effectively and recover in coverage and off play-action. He is physical in coverage and does a solid job of keeping plays in front of him. Alonso was also a productive player on coverage units at Oregon.

WEAKNESSES - Alonso is not a consistent finisher because he tends to either overrun plays or leave his feet and whiff on tackles. On run plays he tends to take false steps off the snap which can result in him losing gap integrity. He also tends to be a beat late reading inside runs, which gives blockers time to get on top of him off the POA. When blockers get into him he does not use his hands effectively to protect his frame and shed blockers, and also struggles to identify and defeat cut blocks.

SUMMARY - From a purely athletic standpoint, Kiko Alonso might be one of the top defensive prospects in this draft class. He has sideline to sideline speed and is extremely fluid and agile operation in space. He demonstrates an explosive first step, which allows him to close on plays in front of him in a hurry and take aggressive angles of pursuit. While he shows good instincts in coverage he is not the same productive, aggressive player on runs inside. Went sent on run blitzes he excels at blowing up blockers at the POA, but when asked to read and react he tends to be a beat late and struggles to defeat blockers because he is not physical with his hands. He also needs to improve his tackling considerably, as he misses too many in the open field for a player with his agility and COD skills. Teams are certain to ask him about his two arrests early on during his college career, but the bottom line is he has kept himself out of legal trouble the past two years and possesses and athletic skill set and versatility that few at his position do. While I am somewhat cautious because of his questionable instincts against the run, I would not be surprised to see a team like Baltimore jump at the opportunity to take Alonso in the first round.

Scouting Report:
STRENGTHS - Klein is a very good athlete with prototype size for the position in the NFL. He flashes some real nice athletic tools to make plays against the run and while dropping into zone coverage. Physically, he is always in position to make plays against the run as he shows great read and react skills and terrific work ethic to get to the ball. He has powerful hands and can take on blockers, shed them and find the ball. He displays very good awareness in diagnosing the run versus the pass and is an incredibly instinctual player. He has a good first step and is a better athlete than he is given credit for, and his foot speed allows him to pressure the quarterback and make plays in space. He is a very good zone defender, taking the right depth in his drop while keeping his eyes on the quarterback. Klein is a tough, fiery competitor who shows toughness and smarts. He finishes plays through the whistle, always looking for the ball.

WEAKNESSES - While Klein is plenty quick enough to play every down in the NFL, he doesn't possess elite speed and doesn't recover well from a speed department. There are times when Klein will run into the wrong hole and take himself out of plays. He isn't an overly physical striker and doesn't break down well while tackling, and it leads to him missing tackles. He drops his head and takes his eyes off the target and that also leads to missed tackles. Klein doesn't have great range and won't track down speed backs to the far side in pursuit. While he has a very good first step, he isn't the kind of player who can bend around the corner to pressure the passer. He will be effective coming up the middle of the line via the blitz. Klein isn't great when having to change direction and struggles with players with wiggle. He doesn't excel in man to man coverage, lacking the ability to stay tight down the field.

SUMMARY - Klein first stood out during the East West Shrine Game practices as a very good athlete capable of running sideline to sideline to make plays. He has a perfect body for the middle linebacker position in the NFL, and he has much better movement skills than advertised. Athletically, he is capable of doing it all and will make for a very good pick by a team in the middle of the draft. With very good first step quickness and strong recognition skills, he locates the ball well and does a good job of getting to it. Teams will have to coach up his tackling ability as he has a bad habit of dropping his head and taking his eyes off of his target. He also can tackle too high and the combination leads to a lot of missed tackles. He also has a tendency to over-pursue a play and take himself out of the play by being too aggressive while out in space. He has great instincts and can decipher information quickly to sniff out run versus pass. He is a much better blitzer than pure pass rusher, as he doesn't bend well and is much better using his first step quickness to surprise offensive linemen and quarterbacks. Klein has a great feel for zone coverage and does a very good job of taking the right level of drop, keeping his eyes on the quarterback and closing on balls thrown in front of him. He displays a very good back pedal and can quickly get out of his pedal to make plays on the ball. He isn't a strong man coverage defender because he doesn't change direction well and tends to lose ground against speedier players. He is a leader, the kind of player you want in the middle of your defense because of his toughness, intelligence and desire to compete. Overall he warrants consideration in the early part of the third-round by any team looking for a leader type on their defense and special teams.

Scouting Report:
STRENGTHS - Barrington has ideal upper and lower body thickness for an ILB. He uses his size and strength to take on and shed blockers effectively inside, and does a solid job of holding his ground even when blockers beat him to the POA. His ability to quickly read and react to his run keys allows him to make plays outside the tackle box his athletic limitations should otherwise prevent him from getting to. He is quick to diagnose assignments in zone coverage and is physical with receivers through his area.

WEAKNESSES - Barrington is a limited athlete that struggles to play in space. He does not have the speed to stay with TEs in man coverage, and in transition shows limited change of direction ability and cannot accelerate effectively to close once beaten off the break. His poor speed and explosion also limits his effectiveness on outside run plays, thus he will likely be limited to playing ILB for a 30 front at the next level.

SUMMARY - It would be easy to discount Sam Barrington as a pro prospect because of his athletic limitations, but his size, strength and instincts against the run should result in him finding a role at the next level. His lack of speed, agility, change of direction and closing burst are blindingly apparent in man coverage, as he struggles to stay with TEs in space and consistently loses ground in transition. However, his build is perfect for the "thumper" role in 34 defenses, as he has the strength to take on and shed blockers inside that many of today's smaller, more athletic LBs do not possess. As a rookie he will likely need to play on special teams in order to make an active roster, but he should enjoy a solid career as a two-down run defender.

Scouting Report:
STRENGTHS - Bostic is a very patient player, will sit in the zone in pass coverage and will not over-commit to a play too often. He has very good footwork and if he does commit too quickly, he has a good change of direction to recover and make a play on the ball. On pass rush/blitz, Bostic has good initial quickness and the speed to get the corner and pressure the quarterback and make a play. He is a sound tackler, who uses good form most of the time. He uses his hands well to take on and stay free from OL blocks on the 2nd level, which enables him to consistently make tackles on runs at him.

WEAKNESSES - While he displays good short area quickness, Bostic has not shown the explosive closing ability to make big, impact plays. At times he does not follow through on tackle after making initial contact, which allows ball carrier to break his tackle. He lacks the top end speed to run with TE down the seam and to pickup and stay with RB on "wheel" route down the sideline. Being tight in the hips hinders his ability to adjust quickly when receiver crosses his face. When he does not stay free from OL blocker and they get ahold of him, he lacks the strength to consistently anchor and can be ridden out of the play.

SUMMARY - Bostic is a guy who possesses the athleticism, quickness and reaction to become a contributor in the NFL, although I do not see him as a starting LB. He gets moving at the snap quickly, has patience and reacts well to the play. He will not over-commit, will stand his ground and has the quickness to make the play in a small area. However, I would like to see him explode to the play better. He needs to finish plays better when he gets close them. He can change direction okay when he anticipates having to, but when he gets faked he is slow to change directions and lacks the burst to recover and get back into the play. Bostic lacks the playing speed to make plays consistently outside of the OT box - Basically, he can be productive in a small area. While he has quick hands and uses them well to stay free from OL blocks, he lacks great strength and can be ridden out of the play if the OL can lock up on him. Overall, Bostic is worthy of a late round pick as I believe he can challenge to make a roster as a backup linebacker and special teams player. However, he is not someone I believe can be a starter and will struggle to carve out a long NFL career.