Monday, April 10, 2000Arrington cream of linebacker crop
BY John Fay
The Cincinnati EnquirerYou'll see a lot of linebackers take in the first round of this year's NFL draft, but you won't see the Bengals taking one. That's one area where the team doesn't need help.
“You've got five guys who could go in round one,” said Jerry Jones, publisher of the Drugstore List. “But that's the strong point on the Bengals. I don't see them taking a linebacker early.”
TOP LINEBACKERS • 1. Lavar Arrington, Penn State. He's 6-foot-3, 250 pounds with 4.55 speed and a 40-inch vertical leap. That makes him the highest-rated player overall in the draft. Also plays extremely hard. • 2. Brian Urlacher, New Mexico. Very versatile. Could play inside or outside LB. Returned punts and played wide receiver in college, and he's 6-31/2, 255 pounds.
• 3. Keith Bulluck, Syracuse. Played both inside and outside in college at 6-3, 244 pounds. Plays from sideline to sideline. Also good in pass coverage.
›4. Rob Morris, BYU. Best true inside linebacker in the draft. Is 25 years old. Good run stuffer at 6-11/2, 250 pounds.
• 5. Julian Peterson, Michigan State. Had 15 sacks and 30 tackles for loss last season for the Spartans. Rated as the No.2 true outside linebacker.
Jim Lippincott, the Bengals' director of college/pro personnel, doesn't see great depth at linebacker in the draft.
“You don't have a lot of guys who are going to come in and start. You have some who will grow into good players.”
The one impact player among linebackers is Penn State's LaVar Arrington. He could be selected first overall. Arrington is 6-foot-31/4 and 250 pounds, and he runs like a running back and jumps like point guard. His 4.5-second speed over 40 yards and 40-inch vertical leap make him a nightmare on the blitz.
“Arrington is the No.1 player available this year,” draft expert Mel Kiper Jr. said. “He'll elevate a defense due to his ability to make everyone around him more effective.”
Other linebackers who could go in the first round: Keith Bulluck of Syracuse, Brian Urlacher of New Mexico, Rob Morris of Brigham Young, Julian Peterson of Michigan State and John Abraham of South Carolina.
Bulluck is 6-3, 244, but he runs a sub-4.5 40. He played both inside and outside linebacker for the Orangemen.
“I envision him as developing into a multi-dimensional linebacker at the pro level,” Kiper said of Bulluck.
Urlacher has versality similar to Bulluck's. He returned punts and caught passes at New Mexico. But he had only one sack as a senior.
Peterson is a poor man's Arrington: Great athletic ability, great pass rusher. He had 15 sacks for Michigan State last year.
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