Luke Kuechly - Draft Profile

Name: Luke August Kuechly

Born: April 20, 1991 in Cincinnati, Ohio

Height/Weight: 6’3” / 242lbs

College: Boston College

Position: Middle Linebacker

Number: 40

High School Football: St. Xavier High School

                                   Senior Year Statistics

-         130 TKL

-         1 SK

-         3 FF

-         2 FR

-         1 INT

Luke Kuechly is one of the best Linebackers on the Collegiate Level, but where is he going to end up in the NFL, and how will his play translate into the next level? Kuechly is, ignoring his great playing on the field, not perfect from a technique standpoint. So lets have a look at his Strengths, Weaknesses, an Overall view of Kuechly and his best fit in the NFL.

Strengths:

-         Always knows where the ball goes

-         Good play recognition

-         Physical Strength to pull down ballcarriers

-         Good recovery speed and pursuit

Weaknesses:

-         doesn’t have the strength to fight off blockers

-         lack of speed and flexibility

-         doesn’t seem to have any coverage skills

-         not an effective pass rusher

-         doesn’t have the strength to fight through the A gap

-         often takes false steps

-         fails to read his keys

-         easily blown off the ball

-         sometimes fails to wrap the runner up

-         stands up to often

-         average agility for a Middle Linebacker

-         isn’t good holding ground

Overall:

Many call him a Top-15 Player, but he tends to look alot more like a

Third Round pick, rather than a Top-Linebacker. His current play-style                      

works in College, but he’ll have a hard time making good plays in the

NFL. He’s not really a Top-Player, but gets credited alot of Tackles that       

are made in Pileups for example. You can’t even call that a Solo

Tackle. Overall, he’s an average athlete with good vision, he’s got the

Potential, but it will need alot of work to give him the Ability to fight

Blockers and make big plays.

Best Fit:

Kuechly’s best fit will mostlikely be the 4-3 Defense. He’s got a chance

as Middle Linebacker if the Defensive Line infront of him plays well,

but he’ll never be the Downhill Linebacker that crashes gaps and stops

the runner at the Line of Scrimmage. He’ll make more plays four, five

or six yards downfield. He’s alot like James Laurinaitis of the St. Louis

Rams. An average athlete who can make plays if the D-Line infront of

him delivers good playing. I expect Kuechly to be drafted in the late First Round of the 2012 Draft, even though he’s one of the greatest Linebacker in College right now, Coaches will have to put alot of work into him to improve his technique, ability to read plays and his ability to take down the Ballcarrier before he reaches the 1^st Down Marker.