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Missouri's Sean Weatherspoon could land with Falcons
ShareThisPrint E-mail .By D. Orlando Ledbetter
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Missouri linebacker Sean Weatherspoon played a little golf Saturday to relax before the 2010 NFL draft.
http://www.ajc.com/sports/atlanta-falcons/missouris-sean-weatherspoon-could-470567.html
.After the round of golf, he watched the Tigers' spring football game before heading home to Jasper, Texas.
He plans to watch the draft, which will be held Thursday through Saturday, with a group of family and friends.
Weatherspoon expects to hear his named called in the first round and hopes that the Falcons select him with the 19th pick in the draft.
He could go to the New York Giants, who select 15, or to the New Orleans Saints at 32, should the Falcons decide to move in another direction.
"I get a really good vibe from the Falcons," Weatherspoon said via telephone Friday. "They have shown the most interest in me."
Weatherspoon met with the Falcons at the NFL scouting combine. On March 17, the Falcons worked out Weatherspoon in Missouri, and on April 7 and 8 he visited the team's facilities in Flowery Branch.
"I feel really comfortable with that staff," Weatherspoon said. "But I also have had great dealings with the Saints and out in Denver.
I wouldn't mind playing in Atlanta at 19, but you never know where the cards may fall."
The Falcons have heavily scouted the linebacker position for this draft.
"This is a good linebacker group with a lot of players having versatility to play either two or three of the linebacking positions," Falcons general manager Thomas Dimitroff said. "So that is always a positive in a draft."
Once you get past the top-level linebackers, there isn't much of a drop in the next group.
"Then you get into some guys like [Penn State's] Sean Lee," said Mel Kiper Jr., ESPN's respected draft analyst. "I love Sean Lee as a player, but he's got some durability concerns with the knee. There is mixed opinions on Navorro Bowman from Penn State. I like Donald Butler at Washington."
With so many teams switching to the 3-4 defense, they are looking for a different skill-set at the position. In addition to stopping the run and dropping into coverage, 3-4 outside linebackers must be able to rush the passer.
"In the scouting business, there is more projecting of pass rushers to those 3-4 outside linebacker positions," Green Bay general manager Ted Thompson said. "It's a very difficult thing to do because if a guy has never stood up and played before, just because he can run fast or do drills, it doesn't necessarily mean he can stand on his feet and play the game."
The Packers are not interested in converting defensive ends to outside linebackers.
"As much as we can, we try to stick with guys that have proven that they can play the game," Thompson said. "Clay Matthews last year is a perfect example. There were times where he put his hand down on the ground and rushed the passer, but a large majority of the time he was standing up and playing linebacker."
Projections indicate that good linebackers should be available well into the fourth round.
"Ricky Sapp is a 3-4 outside linebacker," Kiper said. "Eric Norwood from South Carolina is a 3-4 outside linebacker. Then you have Koa Misi, a nice player out of Utah, who's moved up as of late. Arthur Moats from James Madison is a very intriguing I-AA linebacker.
"Then Thaddeus Gibson from Ohio State. There is a lot of mixed opinion on him. Some really like him, some don't. The bottom line is that Thaddeus Gibson is going to be a third- or fourth-round pick. He's best suited to be a 3-4 outside linebacker."
ShareThisPrint E-mail .By D. Orlando Ledbetter
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Missouri linebacker Sean Weatherspoon played a little golf Saturday to relax before the 2010 NFL draft.
http://www.ajc.com/sports/atlanta-falcons/missouris-sean-weatherspoon-could-470567.html
.After the round of golf, he watched the Tigers' spring football game before heading home to Jasper, Texas.
He plans to watch the draft, which will be held Thursday through Saturday, with a group of family and friends.
Weatherspoon expects to hear his named called in the first round and hopes that the Falcons select him with the 19th pick in the draft.
He could go to the New York Giants, who select 15, or to the New Orleans Saints at 32, should the Falcons decide to move in another direction.
"I get a really good vibe from the Falcons," Weatherspoon said via telephone Friday. "They have shown the most interest in me."
Weatherspoon met with the Falcons at the NFL scouting combine. On March 17, the Falcons worked out Weatherspoon in Missouri, and on April 7 and 8 he visited the team's facilities in Flowery Branch.
"I feel really comfortable with that staff," Weatherspoon said. "But I also have had great dealings with the Saints and out in Denver.
I wouldn't mind playing in Atlanta at 19, but you never know where the cards may fall."
The Falcons have heavily scouted the linebacker position for this draft.
"This is a good linebacker group with a lot of players having versatility to play either two or three of the linebacking positions," Falcons general manager Thomas Dimitroff said. "So that is always a positive in a draft."
Once you get past the top-level linebackers, there isn't much of a drop in the next group.
"Then you get into some guys like [Penn State's] Sean Lee," said Mel Kiper Jr., ESPN's respected draft analyst. "I love Sean Lee as a player, but he's got some durability concerns with the knee. There is mixed opinions on Navorro Bowman from Penn State. I like Donald Butler at Washington."
With so many teams switching to the 3-4 defense, they are looking for a different skill-set at the position. In addition to stopping the run and dropping into coverage, 3-4 outside linebackers must be able to rush the passer.
"In the scouting business, there is more projecting of pass rushers to those 3-4 outside linebacker positions," Green Bay general manager Ted Thompson said. "It's a very difficult thing to do because if a guy has never stood up and played before, just because he can run fast or do drills, it doesn't necessarily mean he can stand on his feet and play the game."
The Packers are not interested in converting defensive ends to outside linebackers.
"As much as we can, we try to stick with guys that have proven that they can play the game," Thompson said. "Clay Matthews last year is a perfect example. There were times where he put his hand down on the ground and rushed the passer, but a large majority of the time he was standing up and playing linebacker."
Projections indicate that good linebackers should be available well into the fourth round.
"Ricky Sapp is a 3-4 outside linebacker," Kiper said. "Eric Norwood from South Carolina is a 3-4 outside linebacker. Then you have Koa Misi, a nice player out of Utah, who's moved up as of late. Arthur Moats from James Madison is a very intriguing I-AA linebacker.
"Then Thaddeus Gibson from Ohio State. There is a lot of mixed opinion on him. Some really like him, some don't. The bottom line is that Thaddeus Gibson is going to be a third- or fourth-round pick. He's best suited to be a 3-4 outside linebacker."
DAL @ GB
