ROUND 3.
SEAN LEE ILB PENN ST. 6'2" 236lbs, 32" arms, 8 3/4" hands, 4.72 40 yard
When you look for an ILB for a 3-4, there are a couple of ways you can find the guy you want. You can grab the physical specimen, the athletic freak that can completely blow away opponants with speed & power- you know, Lawrence Timmons/ Patrick Willis types. OR...you take the smart, savvy guy that knows his assignment, knows where to be & when- your James Farrior's.
Or your Sean Lee's.
This guy is good, make no mistake. He's Paul Posluszny without the 1st round grade. Great character, good career record.
Read & React: Excellent football intelligence. Rarely blows an assignment. Reads his keys almost instantly and runs to the ball with no wasted motion. Shows controlled aggression against play-action. Quickly diagnoses screens and misdirection.
Run defense: Time away from the field allowed him to increase his upper- body strength. Relies on quick hands and feet to disengage from blocks, and is not afraid of taking on linemen in the hole. Still struggles to release when effectively tied up. Flows through the traffic efficiently. Good lateral agility and balance to protect his legs. Good straight-line speed in pursuit, especially for the inside linebacker position. High effort player who takes good angles in pursuit. Has the speed to meet ballcarriers on the edge at the college level but will not get to the outside against most NFL backs.
Pass defense: Understands routes and has enough straight-line speed to stay with most running backs and tight ends. High backpedal, but has improved his drop to get deep enough to prevent first downs. Can change direction when running downhill smoothly, but doesn't flip his hips quickly. Very good key-and-diagnose skills and a good burst to close, but is clearly more comfortable moving forward to the line of scrimmage than in reverse. Has trouble recovering in the few instances in which he bites on play action.
Tackling: One of Lee's greatest assets. Fundamentally sound wrap-up tackler who could provide the animated examples for hit-lift-drive. Plays on the balls of his feet and has the body control to break down in space and tackle smaller, shiftier ballcarriers. Long arms and accurate hands to trip up the ballcarrier. Could develop more explosiveness as a hitter. Reliable open-field tackler, but not an intimidator.
Pass Rush/Blitz: Often asked to blitz in this scheme as a stand-up rusher. Good initial burst from the outside to get past the tackle. Needs to improve his explosiveness to quickly disengage from blockers. Shows some lower-body strength and use of leverage for the bull rush, but could improve in this area. Only marginal use of pass-rush technique -- relies on his good lateral agility and straight-line speed to elude. Good closing speed on the quarterback and has the body control to re-direct. Times his blitzes effectively with the snap count.
Intangibles: Unquestioned leader of the defense despite missing the 2008 season with a torn ACL in his right knee. Traveled with the team as a coach on the sideline and during practice. Held out of spring practices and returned this fall after nearly 15 months away from football. Blue-collar work ethic. Highly competitive. Brother was a placekicker for the University of Pittsburgh.
NFL Comparison: Dan Connor, Panthers
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