Draft Profile Series: Chris Borland
- Updated: May 4, 2014
As we approach the deepest NFL Draft in recent memory, I’ll give my breakdown and analysis of 75 top prospects in this year’s class. At the conclusion of this series, I will include my final overall and positional rankings, as well as a mock draft.
Chris Borland, LB, 5-11 ½, 248, Wisconsin
Key stats: Had 358 tackles, 37.5 for loss, 17 sacks and 18 passes defensed over past three seasons.
Strengths: Hugely productive college player. … Is a smart, high-effort player. … Has underrated quickness. … Finds the ball and attacks the backfield. … Fills holes well. … Excels at knifing into backfield and blow up plays. … Good instincts and reads play quickly. … Surprisingly good pass rusher for a short linebacker with short arms. … Good blitzer. … Physical player that is a solid technical tackler, but also can deliver big hits.
Weaknesses: Doesn’t have ideal size and has short arms. … Has trouble when blockers quickly get out on him. … Tries to run around blockers and succeeds on occasion, but will not be able to consistently accomplish that in the NFL. … Isn’t as successful when teams run right at him. … Sometimes is overaggressive and bites on counters and misdirection. … Not great in coverage and really needs work on his man-to-man skills.
Conclusion: Borland really stood out on film in some games (Ohio State to name one) and made me think he could be a top-tier linebacker … Then I watched the Outback Bowl vs. South Carolina and he barely made any type of impact. … He still had nine tackles, but most of them were in the secondary. … He can help an NFL team in the right situation. … He is best-suited to play in a 4-3 where defensive tackles eat up blockers and allow him to use his instincts to read, react and chase down plays.
NFL comparison: Curtis Lofton/London Fletcher.
Draft projection: Third round or fourth round.
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