|
ILB Yawin Smallwood, Connecticut -- In a pass happy league, the league is demanding more and more of the MLB position in the 4-3 defense. Few linebackers have what it takes to provide the versatile skillset and great athleticism that the position demands, especially in defenses like the Cover 2. Smallwood has the technique down, he has the size (6'4", 244) for it, and he has the skillset: he is a near-elite block-shedder in the run game (beautiful to watch), fantastic closing speed, great tackling, and has spent time in 2013 actually out in coverage on WRs. What Smallwood lacks will be sadly familiar to fans of teams that run the 4-3 -- speed. Smallwood is projected to run a 4.7, but his in-game speed looks more like a 4.8 or 4.9, and that really is a killer. He can't run sideline-to-sideline and just gets beat out to the edge by speedier RBs. Blockers can't seem to contain him, RBs rarely wiggle free from him when he gets there, but at this point, he sure looks limited to ILB in 3-4 defenses, which just kills his stock, unless he surprises everyone at the Combine. Don't hold your breath on that.
|