2014 NFL Draft: Top ILB C.J. Mosley Will Visit Broncos
Jan 2, 2014; New Orleans, LA, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide linebacker C.J. Mosley (32) runs toward Oklahoma Sooners ball carrier during the second half of the Sugar Bowl at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Chuck Cook-USA TODAY Sports
One player who has been atop many a wish list for Denver Broncos fans this offseason is former Alabama inside linebacker C.J. Mosley, who is considered a top 20 talent in this year’s draft by most.
Mosley may be the best non-pass rushing linebacker in the draft coming out of Nick Saban’s program with the Crimson Tide, and the Broncos are going to have him in for a visit.
According to the Denver Post, Mosley will spend Monday and Tuesday with the Broncos. This is seemingly not a drill or walk-through, but coupled with the fact that the Broncos are planning to meet with cornerback Justin Gilbert of Oklahoma State as well, it seems to me they are at least strongly considering moving up in the draft if one of these guys should fall out of the top 20 picks.
Mosley is a very strong inside linebacker prospect with range and third down abilities. He is scheme versatile, athletic, and good size at 6’2″ 234 pounds. I have done some extensive scouting on Mosley:
We were looking for Mosley to break out as a junior in 2012, and that’s exactly what he did. After sharing the starting job with Nico Johnson, Mosley became a full time starter at WILB where he was absolutely dominant, earning consensus first-team All-American and All-SEC honors in his junior season. In his All-American season, he had 107 tackles, eight tackles for loss, four sacks, two interceptions, and a defensive touchdown on one of those picks. He was selected as the team’s defensive player of the week nine times last season, on a team that has stud after stud. This guy is the real deal, and he has scheme versatility. I think he is athletic enough to play OLB in a 4-3 defense, or could even play ILB in a four-man front. He is obviously well-versed in playing in a dominant 3-4 defense, so he could transition to the NFL and play in that scheme as well.
Does a good job of taking on blocks and shedding linemen to make plays. Has good anticipation skills and doesn’t let very much get past him. Very good at making plays behind the line of scrimmage and being used in blitzing situations. This is a player that never comes off the field and has been called the most dynamic player on the Alabama defense. He can cover, he can make plays behind the line, and he can be a force against the run. This is just a really instinctive linebacker prospect who does a lot of things really well. He is a first-round caliber prospect because of his scheme diversity, athletic ability, and the fact that he never has to come off the field. I am really impressed by Mosley and I think he is going to be a top 50 pick when all is said and done.
2012 pre-season report
Mosley came to Alabama and had a phenomenal freshman season in 2010 where he finished with 67 tackles, 10 passes broken up, and two interceptions, both for touchdowns. The Freshman All-American and freshman All-SEC performer came back as a sophomore and slightly regressed statistically, sharing the starting inside linebacker job with Nico Johnson. I would say, of Alabama’s draft-eligible linebackers, Mosley probably has some of the best overall talent. He’s a fantastic athlete with great size and speed, but he had just 36 tackles as a sophomore. Mosley has some injury concerns but he is a very good player who can break out as a top linebacker talent for the 2012 season.