The 2018 XFL Mock Draft - Linebackers

In anticipation of Vince McMahon bringing the fun back to football in 2020 (more concussions, woohoo!), Lukewarm Jonah and I went back and forth to do an XFL Draft. Instead of breaking this down round by round, we are going to go by position groups. Today, we knock out the linebackers.

Linebackers
Jonah:
Outside Linebacker: Jarvis Jones, Audie Cole, Chad Greenway, Aaron Williams, Deandre Levy
Inside Linebacker: Rey Maualuga, Perry Riley, Sio Moore

Joe: 
Linebackers: Shayne Skov, Khaseem Greene, James Laurinaitis, Arthur Brown, Aaron Curry, Brandon Spikes

Joe: Shayne Skov was the first linebacker I chose, and it provides me with an actual solid linebacker instead of just a random name that I have to hope for the best from. He was a very good linebacker for Stanford, but has never quite been able to make it as an active NFL player. The XFL is just what he needs.

Khaseem Greene is a guy who I really liked coming out of Rutgers. He played a couple years with the Bears before bouncing around various practice squads. It isn’t exciting, but he should be able to provide the team with competent linebacking and special teams play.

James Laurinaitis is my most exciting pick. He recently retired from the NFL, but considering his father is Road Warrior Animal, I feel like he could be convinced to give the XFL a go. And there’s a good chance he would wear facepaint during the game and at least keep the Zubaz on for warmups.

Arthur Brown is a guy that I would still legitimately be excited about if the Chicago Bears signed him. I do not understand how this guy isn’t at least a solid NFL linebacker. He was a five-star recruit who played well at Miami before transferring to Kansas State and becoming a first-team All-American. He then became a second round pick by the Baltimore Ravens, a team known for making smart draft choices, and then he just never found his footing in the NFL. The guy was a tackling machine, and I think he can cause some havoc in the XFL.

Aaron Curry was an even more highly touted linebacker coming out of Wake Forest. He was a first-team All-American and a Butkus Award winner which was enough for him to become the fourth overall pick by the Seattle Seahawks. Despite being considered the safest pick in the draft, he put together okay numbers but never made an impact and was probably harmed by the fact that he had so much hype around him. He retired in 2013, but he’s currently coaching football, so I think he still has enough of an itch to join the XFL.

Finally, I picked up Brandon Spikes. He was a two-time consensus All-American along with helping Florida win two national championships. Once he reached the NFL, he had some struggles with injuries, but what better way to avoid injuries than playing a brand of football with absolutely zero safety precautions? 

Jonah: Jarvis Jones was a first round pick in 2013 so he’s young and has all the physical attributes you want.  He played four decent years in the NFL showing flashes of his ability but never fully living up to it.  He had a wrist injury a few years ago, but that’s nothing to worry about.

Audie Cole can play either outside or inside, so that’s nice to have.  He’s another former Viking I got to watch play for a few years.  He was even a starter on their team for a few years.  He was never a world beater, but made a number of good plays and was always in good position.  Frankly, I was surprised he was unsigned but I’ll take him at one of my linebacker positions.

Chad Greenway is an absolute stud as even Joe can attest.  I don’t know if I can sum it up better than a tee shirt I once saw that said “Guns Don’t Kill People, Chad Greenway Kills People”.  He retired this year, but it felt like he was a little forced out and I know he can still play.  He’s an incredibly smart football player and great tackler even if he has lost a step.  He’s a perfect running down linebacker.

Aaron Williams is a guy who can play linebacker or safety.  He’s a little on the smaller side obviously, but that also makes him fast.  He would be great on passing downs covering tight ends or as a backup safety.

Deandre Levy was an All Pro in 2014 and is still 30 years old.  There’s plenty of time left for him to recover from the past couple of years of injuries.  Injuries heal, especially these days so he should be fresh and ready to go.  If he’s fully healthy he’s probably a starter.

Rey Maualuga is a guy I was surprised to see is a free agent.  He played eight good years of football for the Bengals and it looks like he got released because he shoved a guy.  If that’s the worst thing you did while on the Bengals, then you’re a pretty good guy.

Perry Riley started 11 games for the Raiders in 2016 and clearly his absence is why their defense was so horrible this year.  He’s 29, played seven years in the NFL and played defense for LSU including as a true freshman on their National Championship team.

Sio Moore is 27 and played five years in the NFL.  He is physically skilled and runs a 40 fast enough to keep up with tight ends in coverage.  He had over 200 tackles in the NFL and was an all rookie in 2013.  He’s got some football left in him and will be a solid contributor.

Joe: I like the picks of Maualuga, Jones, Levy, and especially Greenway. Maualuga still can play a decent linebacker. Jones is a hustle guy that is definitely worthy of being a good XFL player. Levy probably won’t be healthy enough to play, but it’s definitely worth the flier. And Greenway is not good at football anymore, but he’s totally awesome, so I can’t fault you for that.

The other three are speed guys who, although are very nice to have in Madden, tend to work less well in the real world.  

Jonah: I love my linebackers and perhaps you didn’t read that shirt I saw in Kansas while grabbing beer from a gas station before my first and only NASCAR race, guns don’t kill people Chad Greenway kills people.  Also, the speed guys are important for passing downs, there’s not a lot of teams that have three linebackers who play all three downs.  That being said, your linebackers picks are very good too.  I actually thought Arthur Brown was still in the NFL playing well.  I’m a huge fan.  Most of your other guys are talented linebackers, I’m very impressed with your linebacker scouting.  I don’t like Curry nearly as much as you do.  He didn’t play that well in the NFL and clearly has some issues.  There was something behind his sudden trade from Seattle and I just don’t think he has it.  That being said, your other linebackers are good enough that it doesn’t really matter.

That’s it for the linebackers. Next time, we start our secondary picks with each team’s cornerbacks.

In case you missed it:

Quarterbacks
Running Backs

Wide Receivers

Tight Ends

Offensive Tackles

Offensive Guards

Center

Defensive End

Defensive Tackle

Quick Thoughts on the 2013 NFL Draft

After quarterbacks, there is nothing I love looking at more than pass rushers. There's just a lot to watch, because even on plays where they do nothing, you can still learn things about them. I took a look at guys in no particular order, and it kind of worked out perfectly as we start on a bad note but end on a good one.

I wouldn't touch Ezekial Ansah from BYU. I watched his game against Hawaii, and had he not been circled on every play, I would have had no idea he was on the field. He may be a great athlete, but he has a far ways to go before he is a football player. He rushes straight up, is easily blocked because of that and just kind of keeps pushing forward as his only pass rushing move. He does not read plays well which makes him poor in run stopping as well. On top of this, he is not a good tackler, as he just kind of fell off guys multiple times. I would not touch him until the middle rounds where you can gamble on the upside and hope your coaching staff can help him develop.

On the bright side for BYU fans, even though he was not circled, number 3 jumps off the screen on defense. I looked it up to make sure I wasn't being an idiot, but no, it was Kyle Van Noy who was a third team All-American. That dude is fun to watch. I am very high on him for next year.

Dion Jordan has legit quickness, especially in his ability to change directions. He's got a lot of positive reviews for his ability to cover, and I can see why, because all the athletic gifts are there. He played well against Stanford, but I don't know if this guy is an elite pass rusher. He does a decent job of dipping his shoulder when pass rushing, but he never wowed me in his pass rush skills. I honestly didn't see enough to make a definite decision. I see first round athleticism but not sure if I would want to take him in the top 10 picks.

Bjoern Werner definitely doesn't have the athleticism of Dion Jordan. But he's got a motor. He blocked two guys after an interception against Miami. What really stands out are his instincts. He does a good job of reading and reacting to plays. He's not a guy who bit on things and he adjusted quickly to runs and passes. He's gotten grouped in with pass rushers, but this guy is a 4-3 Defensive End that should not be playing linebacker. Where he's got an advantage over the other guys is power, he was basically able to shuck Seantrel Henderson who is a legit offensive line prospect for next year's draft and get a sack. If I am a 3-4 team, I'm not as interested in Werner, but as a 4-3 team looking for a defensive end, this is my guy in this draft.

After Werner, I decided to watch another "slow" prospect and check out Jarvis Jones's game against Alabama. I love productive guys in college, because it usually translates pretty well to the next level, especially on things like pass rushing skills. Jarvis Jones has a motor. Honestly, he may not be the best athlete, but he is definitely quick. Straight line speed really doesn't mean shit when it comes to pass rushing. His best pass rushing move was using his quickness to the outside and dipping that inside shoulder. He does a nice job of making himself a small target for offensive linemen, which is a skill that definitely translates to the next level. I think he can be a double-digit sack guy at the next level.

Quick side note. Watch this Alec Ogletree play.

That's all I need to see from him for me to want the Bears to draft him.

I watched Barkevious Mingo's game against Clemson. This guy was the opposite of Jarvis Jones as the numbers never seemed to match the scouting reports. In this case, I am definitely going with the scouting reports. He pops off the screen and shows a rare ability to explode right at the snap. There were a few moments where I just went "Jesus Christ" while watching the film. Although his sack numbers were not there, the production was. He caused a ton of hurries and just faced a lot of teams with quick passing attacks where there wasn't much he could do. He's got a good bend when rushing to the outside and he's quick enough to cause havoc when looping to the inside. He also has the makings of a pretty solid spin move as he keeps his body pretty tight in it. If I'm getting a pass rusher in this draft, Mingo is my guy. He's not a traditional 4-3 defensive end like he played in college, but making him a 3-4 outside linebacker or a Leo in a 4-3, similar to Bruce Irvin, would lead to a ton of production. The only concern is his pass coverage skills, because he never had to in college, but the raw material is there for him to at least be passable from the start.  Some team is going to be very happy to get this guy on their team.

In full disclosure, I have to admit that I hated Aldon Smith coming out of college, but I feel I learned from my mistake of hating a guy for only making ankle tackles. If it's effective, there is no need to change, and he found a great scheme for his skillset. Still, I wrote this, and I can't completely ignore it, "I was in the middle of writing about Aldon Smith being the worst pick of the first round when, holy shit, Jake Locker got selected one pick after him." The second half of that comment was at least fine. I will still hold my head high on this one forever and ever. 

Also, one last note, I am going to try to live blog parts of the draft. Tonight, I am stuck at an event, but I will try to follow along and sneak in Twitter remarks (@HottJoe). Lukewarm Jonah expressed interest in live blogging the later rounds, so we may try and do that. Stay tuned.