2015 NFL Draft: A Scout's Eye View, Stephone Anthony ILB Clemson

Stephone Anthony ILB Clemson

Measurables: 6'3 245 32.5" arms 10 3/8" hands

Combine Results: 4.56 40 yard dash, 23 bench reps, 37"vertical jump, 122" broad jump, 7.07 3 cone drill, 4.03 20 yard shuttle

Scouting Notes: Carries weight excpetionally well, well proportioned trim athletic body for a 245 pound linebacker, muscular frame with a powerfully built lower half...Very little "bad weight"...Explosive natural athlete for an inside linebacker, impressive burst and acceleration, great closing speed as an A and B gap blitzer, shoots the gap like he's fired out of a cannon, great short area quickness but also covers an impressive amount of ground sideline to sideline for a bigger linebacker, runs better than most linebackers 10 or 15 pounds lighter...Does a good job of consistently playing and pursuing downhill, he's relentless in pursuit against the run as well as rushing the passer as a blitzer...Able to pursue down the line while doing a great job of sifting through the garbage in the box, rarely seen on the ground on film, has impressive feet, great balance and agility, does a nice job of avoiding and defeating low blocks in the box while keeping his eyes up in pursuit...Has outstanding footwork in coverage, fundamentally sound dropping into coverage, gets good quick depth and keeps his eyes up and forward, has the speed in his drop to feign blitz and still get where he needs to be...His ability to blitz as well as drop into coverage makes him a three down 'backer...Does a nice job of not allowing receivers to cross his face, a lost art in todays NFL...Has good hands for a linebacker, can make plays in coverage...Doesn't shy away from taking on blockers, has the size, strength and physicality to hold up well against the run at the NFL level...Has huge strong hands, does a terrific job of stacking and shedding to defeat blockers...He's a presence in the middle of your defense...Excellent explosive tackler, a heavy hitting inside linebacker who brings a load with him and consistently wraps up, always seems to be hitting on the rise, pops and snaps his hips, explodes through the ball carrier...Makes clean but hard momentum changing hits on film, but he can be a bit too much of a headhunter at times...Always seems to be around the football, he's an active and aggressive presence in the middle of the defense, though he doesn't always take the best angles in pursuit, but it's something he improved upon throughout the 2014 season...Did a great job of sniffing out and blowing up the screen game...Does a nice job of processing information throughout the course of a game, rarely fooled by the same action twice, diagnoses plays quicker and quicker as the game goes on...Consistently fills the correct gap with the correct shoulder defending the run...Looks for the strip when he's the second man in on the play...Has scheme versatility, fits well as a 3-4 inside linebacker and has the skill set to play just about anywhere in a 4-3...Has few if any athletic weaknesses in cmparison to other players at the position... He's a great natural athlete with outstanding agility and great range...Plays with good natural knee bend at good low athletic pad level...Has a high football IQ, reads and reacts very quickly, rarely takes false steps...On a star-studded and experienced Clemson defense, he was the emotional leader on the field...Improved by leaps and bounds on a seemingly week to week basis in 2014 in terms of instincts, taking proper angles in pursuit, sniffing out delays and screens, and timing his blitzes...Seemed to step up his game when it mattered most and against top competition, was the National Defensive Player of the Week after the Florida State game....In my opinion the top inside linebacker in the class of 2015.

Draft Grade: Mid to Late 1st Round