Luke Kuechly, Junior, Linebacker, Boston College
Overview:
Luke Kuechly is a tackling machine. As a true freshman in 2009 he ranked second in the nation with 158 total tackles. He easily led the country as a sophomore with 183 tackles. At 6-3 and 225 pounds, Kuechly is a versatile athlete. On top of his knack for being around the ball, Kuechly can use his strength to wreak havoc in the backfield or his speed and hands to drop back into coverage. In 2010 alone he picked off three passes.
Kuechly’s collegiate career has been extremely impressive, but scouts will need to see how he can perform at the next level. He has enough speed to be an inside linebacker in the NFL, but he is by no means the fastest linebacker around. His all-around skill set works great at
Final Projection:
Kuechly is widely considered a late first round prospect. With so much collegiate production he should be the best inside linebacker in this class. However, if he is indeed limited to the inside spot, Kuechly may have to wait to hear his name called on draft day even if he is the first inside linebacker off the board.
1/16/12 Update:
Scouts have liked what they have seen from Kuechly and he has opted to go pro early. He is almost guaranteed a spot in the first round after another superb season for the Eagles. He is the proud owner of many BC and ACC tackling records and it will be quite some time before somebody else can put up numbers like Kuechly. His production has been absolutely amazing and he will be a steady inside linebacker at the next level.
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