Darius Leonard, RS Senior, South Carolina State
What he has: I like Leonard, despite his flaws and his technical rawness. He’s not explosive, but he can run sideline to sideline and definitely has enough range for the position. He trusted his keys more as games went on and took on pullers bravely in the hole, bottling things up in his gap as best he could.
At 6-2, 228 pounds, Leonard has enough length to pack on a few more pounds and be a great-sized linebacker. He keeps his feet active in zone coverage, reading the quarterback’s eyes and attempting to break on potential throwing windows. Leonard’s ability as a blitzer gives him the raw skill set to play all three downs, and while he isn’t there yet, with the right landing spot he could potentially become a starter.
What he has to prove: Leonard got hammered by blockers way too often, and for an FCS prospect that is definitely concerning. When he did key and diagnose quickly enough, Leonard too often engaged upright, rather than dropping his pads to win leverage battles. He’s pretty easily manipulated by savvy quarterbacks in coverage, but that can be corrected with a little more coaching and discipline. This week will be huge for Leonard, as he’ll have the opportunity to prove he can play with the big boys in a number of different roles, but also hit good numbers at the weigh-in.