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- Nov 9, 2014
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Miami selects:
Al-Rasheed Benton
With the swift rise of nickel and dime personnel groupings as base defenses in the NFL, teams are in more need than ever of linebackers who can not only fire forward to stop the run but also credibly jump back into coverage against tight ends and slot receivers. Intelligent coverage is one of the many reasons that Georgia's Roquan Smith is seen as a foundational first-round talent.
Among the linebackers later in this class, it's tough to think of a better pure coverage player than Al-Rasheed Benton. At 6'1" and 235 pounds, he fits the physical prototype of the modern inside linebacker: quick to adjust to the ball, showing strength in the run game and moving smoothly in coverage.
He'll get beaten in strength battles with offensive linemen, but as is the case with all successful lighter inside linebackers, he's learned to adapt by waiting for gaps to open inside and moving quickly to stop run plays to the edge. That's how he racked up 13.5 tackles for loss and three sacks in 2017.
Perhaps more importantly for his NFL future, Benton looks like a natural in coverage. If his NFL team treats him as a dime linebacker in the Mark Barron or Deone Bucannon mold, he could be a special player in a flexible defense.
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tvw1QS4Wy2Q
@TK42-RAM your on the clock!
@jrry32 your on deck!
Al-Rasheed Benton
With the swift rise of nickel and dime personnel groupings as base defenses in the NFL, teams are in more need than ever of linebackers who can not only fire forward to stop the run but also credibly jump back into coverage against tight ends and slot receivers. Intelligent coverage is one of the many reasons that Georgia's Roquan Smith is seen as a foundational first-round talent.
Among the linebackers later in this class, it's tough to think of a better pure coverage player than Al-Rasheed Benton. At 6'1" and 235 pounds, he fits the physical prototype of the modern inside linebacker: quick to adjust to the ball, showing strength in the run game and moving smoothly in coverage.
He'll get beaten in strength battles with offensive linemen, but as is the case with all successful lighter inside linebackers, he's learned to adapt by waiting for gaps to open inside and moving quickly to stop run plays to the edge. That's how he racked up 13.5 tackles for loss and three sacks in 2017.
Perhaps more importantly for his NFL future, Benton looks like a natural in coverage. If his NFL team treats him as a dime linebacker in the Mark Barron or Deone Bucannon mold, he could be a special player in a flexible defense.
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tvw1QS4Wy2Q
@TK42-RAM your on the clock!
@jrry32 your on deck!