STRENGTHS
Leon is a natural off the line linebacker who has been playing on the line. He has the size, excellent speed, and agility to play more than one linebacker position. He has an excellent burst to the ball and is a head up, wrap up, squeeze, and drive tackler. Leon is 6’1’ 246 lbs and runs a 4.48 forty and has a 90% CPM and that is one of the highest CPM scores and one of the fastest forty’s in this draft. He could play in the middle of a 4/3 defense because of his speed to go sideline to sideline and could easily stay on the field in coverage situations because of his speed, size and agility. Leon could also play in a 4-2-5 nickel/dime defense because of his speed to go sideline to side line and chase down players from behind. Because Leon has played mostly on the line of scrimmage he is stout defending against the run and has those long arms that allow him to shed and make tackles behind the line of scrimmage. Leon has the mental toughness and shows the leadership skills through his play on the field to be a core player for your defense. He reminds a little bit of the Steelers Ryan Shazier.

CONCERNS
Because Leon has been playing out of position and on the line scrimmage he may have the talent and size of the perfect linebacker, but he lacks the football IQ at this point of his career. It will take some time for him to settle into one position and learn about that position and its angles and intricacies. Right now, when playing on the line he is inconsistent and his pass rushing skills are raw and have not been developed. When he plays off the line he is significantly better, seeing the play in front of him and reacts quicker. He just needs more repetitions off the line in one of the pure linebacker positions.

BOTTOM LINE
It’s just a matter of time and repetitions before Leon becomes one of the better linebackers from this draft class. The talent is there, the size, speed and agility to cover is there. The tackling skills are there. So what is left for Leon? What is left is gaining confidence and being moved to a position that he can become the impact player his talents suggest. Leon has played a lot of different positions and on film shows the talent needed to play in the slot in coverage and also as an inside linebacker blitzing up the middle but for the next level, it’s not about spotting him all over your defense, it’s about his potential to become one of your core players and impact players on your defense. That is the goal I would be looking for when selecting Leon in this draft.

Drew Boylhart   APR.2018