If you don't follow Michael C. Wright's twitter account, I suggest you do so right away. The golden nuggets with insight about the Jaguars plans are daily and they have definitely influenced the way I think about this year's draft. Namely, my belief that the Jaguars will be addressing the linebacker position in this year's draft. All of the following quotes came from Wright and are reflective of what people inside the Jaguars organization have told him:
"Jags are looking for a MLB. They want Buck (Daryl Smith) 2 stay outside. Ingram and Durant will battle 4 last spot." -March 6th
"They still want to add 2 LBs, DE (maybe 2), DT (whether through FA or draft)." - March 2nd
"Jags think their holes are at DE, LB and DT." - March 2nd
So clearly linebacker is a position that we should be keeping our eye on this April and more specifically, middle linebackers. One guy that Vic Ketchman reports Mark Duffner likes is Penn State linebacker Sean Lee.
Sean Lee is a fifth year senior from the NCAA program that produces NFL linebackers like none other. For a player to see the field at Penn State it usually means good things for their future, but if they're seeing the field their freshman year you know that player is something special. Lee saw the field in 7 games his freshman year and took over as the starting outside linebacker in his sophomore year, never giving the spot up. In a practice prior to the 2008 season, Lee tore his ACL and missed the entire season, electing to use a medical redshirt to give himself a second chance at his senior year.
Although an ankle injury held him out of 3 games in his senior season, Lee bounced back from the knee injury with a strong senior season, leading the Nittany Lion defense to be ranked 3rd in the nation in scoring defense.
Video Killed the Scouting Report:
Sean Lee: By The Numbers
| Sean Lee | |||||
|
Position 1: Inside Linebacker |
Height: 6'2 | ||||
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Position 2: Outside Linebacker |
Weight: 236 | ||||
| Class: Senior | Age: 23 | ||||
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Projected Round: 2nd-4th |
40time: 4.74 |
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2009 Second Team All Big 10
2005 Academic All Big 10
Stats Overview
Tackles
Interceptions
YEAR
TOT
SOLO
AST
SACK
FF
INT
YDS
TD
2005
11
6
5
0
0
0
0
0
2006
89
46
43
5
0
1
0
0
2007
138
54
84
3
3
1
0
0
2009
86
47
39
2
0
1
13
0
According to the Experts
Pros
Tenacious, tremendous leader, unquestioned work ethic, does not miss tackles, smart
Cons
Smallish, injury prone, older than normal
Pros
Sean Lee is a terrific person who has a real solid understanding of the game. He possesses unparalled instincts and leadership skills. He is rarely fooled on the field and his see-to-do is among the best in the game. He plays with good balance and is able to shed blocks effectively. He's solid in pursuit and can sift through the trash to get to the ballcarrier. He's a fundamentally sound tackler who rarely misses. He's a hard worker with a lunchpail mentality on the field. Is decent in pass coverage as long as he's able to keep the action in front of him. Will blitz from the edge and shows good burst and speed to get to the QB.
Cons
Lee's biggest question mark is his injury status. He didn't play as well in 2009 as he did in 2007, and suffered yet another injury on top of it all. When healthy, he's only an average athlete and doesn't show much in the way of quickness or change of direction ability. Might not have the size to hold up at SAM nor the speed to excel at the WILL, though he certainly has the intelligence and ability to play both. He's not going to wow anyone in workouts.