HT:2011 Path to the Draft: Outside linebacker

cowboyjoe

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http://www.houstontexans.com/news/a...nebacker/22dc9ca7-b6a9-49bd-90e7-56c743f783f5

National Football Post analysis
From 2007-10, Texans defensive coordinator Wade Phillips selected three linebackers within the first three rounds of the draft as the head coach of the Dallas Cowboys. Don’t be surprised if Houston makes this position a priority next week as they look to overhaul a unit that gave up 26.7 points per game last season (29th in NFL).

DAY 1 OUTSIDE LINEBACKER OPTIONS AT 1.11
1. Robert Quinn, North Carolina (6-4, 265, 4.67): After earning first team All-ACC honors as a sophomore in 2009, Quinn was suspended for the entire 2010 season due to a rules infraction involving an NFL agent. Despite the fact that he hasn’t played football in well over a year, the NFP feels that Quinn was the best pass-rushing defensive end in the country in 2009. All the tools are there for him to mature into one the top pass rushers to come out of this class. Quinn does a great job working a jab step inside and instantly exploding toward the outside edge, maintaining his balance and accelerating toward the quarterback. The only issue here is whether or not he will still be on the board when the Texans hit the clock at pick No. 11.

2. Aldon Smith, Missouri (6-4, 263, 4.75): After racking up six sacks during an injury-shortened 2010 campaign that resulted in first team All-Big 12 honors, Smith vaulted himself onto the national stage as one of the country’s top pass-rushing specialists. A tall, long-armed defender with an athletic-looking frame and impressive explosion, Smith possesses natural bend when asked to sit into his stance, coils up well and consistently takes a positive first step off the line. The 263-pounder fights hard in order to disengage, uses his length and violent hands well to shed and possesses impressive closing range in pursuit.
 

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