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.