STRENGTHS
Junior is that sneaky good, type of football player, who surprises you game after game with his production. He is a “do your job” type of linebacker who has the talent, high football IQ, and instincts to do more than just his job when it calls for it. He has good size and speed to play more than one position in the front seven of a defense. Junior has the leadership skills and the consistent play that you look for in a player to be a coach on the field. He has the agility to cover in small spaces and the instincts to move on the play and be around the ball to make an impact play. Junior is the type of player who does his job and when he needs to do more than his job, he does that too. He is sneaky good.
CONCERNS
Junior is not a punishing tackler but he is a sure tackler. He doesn’t flash because he always seems to be in the right place, using the least amount of effort. He is the definition of sneaky and this is affecting his draft status because he just makes his impact seem so easy. Junior has been playing with a hand injury and cast on his left hand, and a split on his right that could affect his draft status if these injuries are suspected to be a chronic issues.
BOTTOM LINE: 1.54
Scouts see Junior, Defensive Coordinators see Junior but GM’s…because they don’t value the linebacker position, they may not see Junior. When you watch the film of Junior and he makes a play, you think…any linebacker could have made that play. But you’re wrong, the reason Junior made that play so effortlessly is because he was moving to that play as the ball was being snapped. Junior was already establishing the right angle, or in the right gap, or moving to shut down that running backs hole, or moving in anticipation towards the side he knew was the only way the quarterback could extend the play out of the pocket. He is that smart and instinctive and yes, this talent does come from repetitions but I do expect him to repeat this talent, instincts, and leadership at the next level just like I expect him to be 6’2” 338 lbs with a 32-inch arm length. It’s inevitable. Don’t expect Junior to be selected early in this draft because of the position he plays, the style he plays at, and his hand issues. It’s not my job to tell you if a player will be drafted or what round a player could be drafted in. All I can suggest to you is a player’s potential to impact if healthy at the next level. I will tell you this, if a player doesn’t have two good hands it’s difficult to play effectively in the NFL. History tells us that you have to have at least one good hand.
