OLB

1) Brian Cushing OLB 6'3 250 USC
Cushing was a top-shelf recruit coming out of High School, and still looks the
part today. He has a great combination of size and speed, and is a threat on
the outside. However, I could see his stock fall if he can not stay on the field.
Over the past few seasons, he's had issues with the injury bug. This will truly
be a make or break year for him. The #1 OLB spot is his to lose. There will be
guys on his heels...

2) Marcus Freeman OLB 6'2 240 Ohio State
Freeman had a great Sophomore campaign, as he finished third on the team
with 71 Tackles. He took his game to the next level last year as a Junior,
posting 109 Tackles. He only missed Lauranaitis' mark by 12 Tackles. Freeman
has very good lateral movement and is solid all the way around. He's quick at
covering the outside and is hard to get around. His production in 2008 should
mirror that of 2007.

3) Aaron Curry OLB 6'2 240 Wake Forest
Curry is another very solid prospect who isn't just one-dimensional. He came
in second on the team with 99 Tackles, was first in TFLs with 13.5, and pulled
down a respectable 4 Interceptions. He has the size and speed combo to play
at either WLB or SLB. He is a lock to end his very good college career with
over 300 Tackles in the books. His experience and production should bode well
for him come next April.

4) Tyrone McKenzie OLB 6'2 235 South Florida
McKenzie is a fierce LB who has the ability to play inside or out. Some folks
lost track of McKenzie after he transferred form Iowa State. Truth is, he was
great then and is great now. He led the team last season with 121 Tackles.
Over the past two seasons, he has 250. This should be another great year for
him where he's expected to pull in All-Conference honors. McKenzie may be
the best OLB in the nation. He's that good.

5) Clinton Snyder OLB 6'4 235 Stanford
Snyder may easily be the most underrated LB in college football today. I
highly anticipate that to change after the first few weeks into the season. He
came in second on the team in both Tackles (96) and TFLs (14.5) this past
season. He also led the team with 8 Sacks. He simply has too much energy for
any team to contain him. Had an impressive showing at USC when he notched
10 stops.

6) *Gerald McRath OLB 6'3 220 Southern Mississippi
If one wanted to be picky, he could talk about McRath's needing to put on
some weight, or the fact that he plays in a sub par Conference. Outside of
the aforementioned, it's hard to find fault in his game. As a Sophomore, he
notched 139 Tackles, 12 TFLs, and 4.5 Sacks. In doing so, he earned the
C-USA Defensive Player of the Year Award. Expect for him to take home the
prize again, and hit his third straight 100 Tackle season.

7) *Sean Weatherspoon OLB 6'1 235 Missouri
While only a Sophomore last season, Weatherspoon was one of the top
Tacklers in the nation with 130 stops. "Spoon" will man the WLB position in
2008 and is once again expected to be well over the 100 Tackle mark. In
addition to being a great run stopper, he plays the pass very well. He
accumulated 8 PBUs, which was second only to former teammate Darnell
Terrell (CB). A solid season may push him to declare early.

8) Clint Sintim OLB/ILB 6'3 254 Virginia
Sintim turned in very respectable numbers last season with 77 Tackles, and 9
TFLs. All TFLs happened to be Sacks. He also posted 17 QBHs, showing that
he can be a true menace in an opponent's backfield. With Chris Long gone,
the Cavaliers will need another strong year from him. While he's good in his
own right, teammates Copper and Appleby will open up many opportunities for
him to shine.

9) Zack Follett OLB 6'1 238 California
While this may sound like hyperbole, you'll struggle to find a more intense,
physical LB in college than Follett. He's up there with USC's Maualaga.
Because of the production around him, you may not see his Tackle count ever
hit the 100 mark. That's no indication of his value. While he's amassed only
126 Tackles over the past two seasons, 25 of them have been TFLs. That's
right...20% of his stops are for a loss.

10) *Rico McCoy OLB 6'1 221 Tennessee
There is a great chance that McCoy moves up from this rating before too
long. He'll be another great Volunteer LB to hit the Pros. McCoy came in
second place on his team with 106 Tackles. Mayo, taken 7th overall in the
last NFL draft was the only one better. With Mayo gone, McCoy will be the
Defensive leader both literally and figuratively. Another great year against
SEC's elite will prove him ready for the next step.

11) Anthony Heygood OLB 6'2 230 Purdue
Over the past few years, Purdue has become a solid producer of LB talent.
Heygood, a converted RB, will be the next step in continuing that trend. He
has great speed and can cover a lot of ground. Last season, he had 81
Tackles, which were 2nd on his team. More impressive though are the 15 TFLs
he amassed. Look for him to lead the Boilermakers in Tackles and TFLs in
2008.

12) *Reggie Carter OLB 6'1 221 UCLA
Carter will leave his normal spot at WLB and fill the void at MLB, which was
created by Taylor's departure. In his 8 starts last season, Carter registered 62
Tackles, 12 of them being TFLs. He has already shown a lot of promise, but
will really need to step up and be the leader of a Defense that lost a ton of
it's playmakers. Carter will presumably use all of this year and next be make
himself into an All-Star.

13) Jonathon Casillas OLB 6'2 226 Wisconsin
Casillas is another solid prospect who should end his college career with 300
Tackles or so. As one of the team captains last year, he posted 96 Tackles
and 9 TFLs. He added some much needed weight in the off-season, so he
should be able to be more stout against the run. He has good speed and
covers the outside well. He plays up to his competition, notching 10 Tackles
against Tennessee in last season's bowl game.

14) Anthony Felder OLB 6'3 235 California
Felder is on the verge of having a great year. Many had him ranked as one of
the top 100 recruits to come out in 2005. While he had to battle through an
injury and bide his time as a youngster, he got to show what he could do last
year. He registered 101 Tackles, which was a solid third place on a talented
squad. He stepped up big against USC with 9 stops. The LBs around him will
allow him to shine.

15) Solomon Elimimian OLB 6'0 220 Hawaii
While the 300 Tackle mark is an impressive accolade for anyone to achieve
over their collegiate career, this prospect has already leaped that hurdle and
is on pace to exceed 400. While he played out of the MLB spot last season,
this lightning fast prospect may be better suited to play at WLB. Despite the
blowout, he stepped up big against Georgia and notched 9 Tackles. Lacking
ideal size hurts his value.

16) *Albert McClellan OLB/DE 6'2 252 Marshall
As a Freshman in 2005, McClellan looked like he was on his way to stardom.
He posted 40 Tackles, 7 TFLs and 3 Sacks in just 11 games. In 2006, the rise
continued as he posted 77 Tackles, 19 TFLs, and 11 Sacks. However, he
failed to see any playing time in 2007 after he suffered an injury in practice
prior to the start of the year. All eyes will be on him to see if he can regain
his old form.

17) *Dexter Davis DE/OLB 6'2 252 Arizona State
While Davis finished last season with only 33 Tackles, he made them count.
13.5 of those Tackles were TFLs, 10.5 coming by way of a Sack. Davis may
end up being a better DE prospect than an OLB, but he'll need to add some
weight to do so. If he's unable to get bigger, than he could very well have a
career as an OLB in a 3-4. He's extremely good at getting into the backfield.

18) Pat Maynor OLB 6'2 220 Stanford
Maynor is a huge reason why Stanford will have one of the best LB corps in
the PAC-10, possibly the nation. Just behind Snyder in Tackles, Maynor
notched 88, where 16.5 were TFLs. He flashes amazing quickness, is great at
giving chase and pulls down many an opponent from behind. This will be his
third year seeing significant playing time. Look for Stanford to surprise some
folks with their Defense. Watch #44.

19) *Colin McCarthy OLB 6'3 230 Miami
McCarthy did what many great LB prospects coming into Miami have had to
do...wait. As a Freshman, he was a phenom as a special teammer. Last
season as a Sophomore, he really opened some eyes. He posted 74 Tackles,
12 TFLs, 2 Sacks and 5 PBUs. That's just the tip of the iceberg for this kid. He
has great size, speed and plays with a high energy. All he needs now is
experience.

20) Brian Toal OLB 6'0 252 Boston College
Toal is returning for his eleventh year at Boston College. While that is my poor
attempt towards being humorous, it does seem like he's been around forever.
On sheer talent, I could rate Toal much higher on my board. However, the guy
can't stay healthy. His on one year, then off the next. If he can rebound back
after all he's been through, then I'll take my hat off to him. At this point, he's
suspect.

21) Ivy Morty OLB 6'1 236 West Virginia
Morty quietly had an impressive season last year. He posted 89 Tackles, 11
TFLs, 6 Sacks, and 1 Interception. He was one-third of a very impressive LB
corp. As usual, all eyes were on West Virginia's juggernaut of an offense. So,
some of the key players on defense were overlooked. More of that will be
expected in 2008. However, the LBs will make some noise of their own. Morty
is a steady, reliable tackler.

22) *Sergio Kindle OLB 6'4 240 Texas
Kindle is another one of those top-shelf recruits that the nation is waiting to
see explode. It's not that Kindle has underperformed, but that the competition
at LB has been rather fierce for a youngster. He'll now be in complete control
of his destiny, as he'll be in a full-time capacity at the SLB spot. He has a
solid supporting cast of LBs around him, so this year should really bolster his
ability to excel.

23) *Olu Hall OLB 6'3 232 Kansas State
To say that the past 3 years for Olu Hall have been a disappointment would
be a vast understatement. Hall was once looked upon as one of the best rush
LB prospects in the nation. However, he saw limited playing time at Virginia
and has since sat out as a transfer to Kansas State. One has to believe that
the talent and ability are still there. If he plays to his potential, then he could
turn it around. That is a big "if" though...

24) Frantz Joseph OLB 6'2 230 Florida Atlantic
Joseph started college off at Boston College, but then transferred to FAU
after his Freshman year. Last season as a Junior, he set the single season
Tackle record for FAU with 131. This was also the best in the Conference.
While his numbers are impressive, it is the Sunbelt. He'll need another monster
year to show that he has the ability to play on Sundays. He's a very active
player who can lay the wood.

25) *Andy Mattingly OLB/DE 6'4 240 Washington State
Last season, Mattingly amassed 91 Tackles, 11 TFLs, 8 Sacks, and 4 PBUs.
Bear in mind that he did this from a DE position, not as an OLB. While he may
be able to bulk up to an adequate weight to stay at DE, he's a tremendous
athlete who could project even better as an OLB. Because he is so productive
where he's at, I doubt that slide happens. However, he's one guy to keep an
eye on and watch progress.

Other Considerations...
Adam Leonard - Hawaii, Eric Norwood - South Carolina, Chris Evans - Auburn,
Orion Martin - Virginia Tech, Mark Herzlich - Boston College, Patrick Lavine -
Oklahoma State, Kevin Malast - Rutgers, E.J. Savanah - Washington, Luther
Brown - USC, Cam Martin - Virginia Tech, Andre Sexton - Oklahoma State