| 27 March 2010
How you rate the class of 2011 linebackers depends on how you see the position. I see the hybrid position, called the Star in the Ohio State scheme, to be an very important position and I see it as a linebacker position. With that in mind I am high on this class. If you see the position as more a safety position then this class is still an underrated one.
Trey DePriest is the clear number one. When you have a coach like Nick Saban coming all this way to over an Ohio linebacker this early, that says it all. What I like most about him is he is getting better all the time. I was not covinced about DePriest early on. I always thought he was nice but I needed to see more. His junior tape gave me just that. It gave me more than more. It gave me all I needed. I can only put a handful of linebackers in my time in the same conversation with DePriest. I would put Jordan Hicks and Andy Katzenmoyer at the t op of a best ever linebacker list. After that, DePriest belongs in the conversation. His read-react-run is superb. He is top drawer in all three of those most important categories. He is really comfortable in coverage. That is big and becoming bigger when it comes to linebackers these days. Love his timing on bltizes. His tackling was something I had questioned before. He was a dra down tackler not a knockdown tackler. That is the biggest imporovement that I have seen.
If I was looking at this class from the pure linebacker point of view, I would put Steven Daniels, and a name few of you are aware of, Marquis Vann, in here at number two but I list the hybrids as linebackers.
Number two on my list is Nicholas Grigsby. Talk about bringing it. There are a handful of guys this year that standout with their striking. Grigsby is right at the top of the list. He arrives with a suddenness. Head snapping hitter but he is also a sound tackler. Great at the line of scrimmage. Stands up well. Does not shy away from bigger players. He is faster than DePriest. Not anything out there on him in coverage. That is going to be almost as important to him as grades. I think he has the frame to get bigger but I question whether he can grow into an ideal sized linebacker. High motor.
Number three on the list is Antonio Poole. His size is a question mark. His game is not. Knocks the stuffing out of people. Great instincts. Runs great. Plays with another level intensity. I think showing he can play the pass is going to be even more important to Pool. While Grigsby is a hybrid who could grow into a weak side linebacker, Pool is more a sure hybrid.
Steven Daniels and Fairfield's Marquis Vann, are tied for number four overall and that rating shows just how the game has changed. Just five years ago we would all be talking about both Daniels and Vann. Even inside linebackers like these two need to look like they can be at least solid pass defenders. We are talking about very similar linebackers both in body and in game. Both are big run and hit inside linebackers. I hear questions about speed but I have become more of a game speed guy. I see these two making plays out around the numbers, and in Daniels case those plays are coming against a very high level of competition. A good forty can only help both out. Vann already has a Michigan State offer.
I have a tie for number five too. I have always been a big Shaquille Pettaway fan. He fits the hybrid mold. The kid is a playmaker. He runs and hits as well as anyone in the class. I woould love to see him get to camp and show he can cover.
My other kid is new to you. He is new to most everyone. Mark Porter has sent me links to his film several times. I had never heard of Zack Shaw from Coshocton. I knew Mark was going to keep sending me his film until I watched it. I finally did. What a treat. Talk about a kid that needs to get to camps and combines. His small school stature has led him to be a player flying under the radar. He needs to get out and show he can do the same things against a higher level of competition. Great body at 6-3. Long and can fill out into a prototype inside linebacker. Very physical but what stands out is how he plays the pass. Not having to take your Mike off the field is a great advantage. This kid drops into coverage and has a feel for playing the pass.
1 - Trey DePriest - Springfield
2 - Nicholas Grigsby - Trotwood-Madison
3 - Antonio Poole - Winton Woods
4 (tie) - Steven Daniels - St. Xavier
4 (tie) - Marquis Vann - Fairfield
5 (tie) - Shaquille Pettway - Steubenville
5 (tie) - Zack Shaw - Coshoction
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