NFL Draft- Outside Linebackers

The 2008 NFL Draft was very strong in terms of outside linebackers. There were three taken in the first round (all in the top 10), along with one in the second. This group of outside linebackers have the potential to develop into stars in the NFL.

The first outside 'backer taken was Ohio State's Vernon Gholston. Although he was a defensive end at Ohio State, the New York Jets will use Gholston as an outside linebacker in their 3-4 scheme. Gholston is an extremely talented player, possessing great athleticism, speed, and strength. At times however, he is plagued by inconsistency because he only started playing football in his sophomore year of high school. With more experience, Gholston has a chance to make a Shawne Merriman type of impact for the Jets. He is a very good pass rusher and will help New York finally put some pressure on the quarterback.

With the 9th selection in the draft, the Cincinnati Bengals took USC's Keith Rivers. While Rivers does not possess some of the talent that Gholston, Glenn Dorsey, or Chris Long all have, his incredible work ethic helps him make a similar impact in games. Rivers has excellent athleticism, along with a very high motor, great quickness, and very good range. If Rivers can get stronger so he can be more of a power player, he will turn out to be an extremely good NFL linebacker.

One pick later, the New England Patriots selected Tennessee's Jerod Mayo. Mayo has tremendous speed, quickness, athleticism, and a high motor. However, he is slightly undersized but that should not stop him from being a very dynamic linebacker for New England. In his senior season at Tennessee, Mayo had 140 tackles, 8.5 of which were behind the line of scrimmage. Also, Mayo will get the benefit of playing with some of the smartest linebackers in the NFL and under one of the NFL's defensive geniuses in Bill Belicheck, who should find a very good use for Mayo.

The next outside linebacker selected was Colorado's Jordon Dizon, taken at pick 45 by the Detroit Lions. Dizon should be an excellent weak side linebacker to team up with Ernie Sims. He has great range and a non-stop motor, and always ends up being in the right place at the right time. However, in order to become an exceptional starting linebacker in the NFL, Dizon will need to get stronger. If he can do that however, the Lions could have found a very solid and reliable linebacker for their flimsy defense.

At pick 78, the New England Patriots took their second outside 'backer of the draft, Michigan's Shawn Crable. Despite his weak work ethic and motor, Crable has great physical tools to be successful in the NFL. He shows excellent speed and strength and is very athletic. In his senior season, Crable finished with 90 tackles, 28.5 of which went for a loss, and 7.5 sacks. Belicheck should have a great use for Crable as a pash rusher, and with the older New England linebackers being used as Crable's counselors, Crable has a chance to develop into a good starting linebacker.

The last starting outside linebacker taken in the third round was UCLA's Bruce Davis. Taken by the Pittsburgh Steelers, Davis has the upside to develop into a good pass rusher and starting linebacker in Pittsburgh's 3-4 scheme. He is very athletic and very quick, which along with a high motor allowed him to sometimes take over games in college, as he finished with 12 sacks last year. However, in order to reach his upside, Davis needs to get stronger to be able to take on NFL lineman. If he can do that, there is a lot to like about Pittsburgh's selection, which gives them very good value in the third round.

The outside linebacker class of 2008 will likely feature at least 1 star, with as many as 4 others being very reliable starters and possible Pro Bowlers. This is a group with a lot of potential, but also a lot of hit-or-miss picks. It will be interesting to see if some players drafted will develop into the potential that they possess.

Next: NFL Draft: Cornerbacks