Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports
With the 2013 NFL Draft upon us, I thought I would take the opportunity to watch some film on players who are typically projected in mock drafts to go around the 56th pick, which is the first pick the Seattle Seahawks have this year. I decided to scout not just all of the players who are projected to go around pick 56, but rather just the players in that area who would best fit the needs and style of the Seahawks.
This time, we will be taking a look at LSU linebacker Kevin Minter. Minter is seen by most as an inside linebacker, but his ability to sniff out the run and close off the edges make him a capable outside linebacker at the NFL level. He would be an excellent choice for the Seahawks, as they could use depth at linebacker. Obviously, the Seahawks have found their middle linebacker of the future in Bobby Wagner, but Minter could either provide depth behind him or move to outside linebacker and compete for a starting job against second-year linebacker Malcolm Smith.
I watched quite a bit of tape on Minter, and here’s what I gathered as far as strengths and weaknesses.
Strengths
He’s appears to be very durable/reliable, as he started all 13 games last season for LSU. He is a strong persistent tackler, once he has a ball-carrier wrapped up he’s going to bring him down. He is a very intelligent player, who seems to know where the ball is going to be. He excels against the run and is good at shedding blockers and getting into the backfield.
Weaknesses
He’s didn’t look very fast in his final year at LSU, which was confirmed when he posted a 40-time of 4.81 seconds at the NFL Combine. He isn’t very good when he’s forced to drop into coverage and looks somewhat lost on play action and misdirection plays.
Follow Connor Hutyler on Twitter @ConnorHutyler.
