OLBS

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