Broncos Draft Reports: Linebackers

Stephone Anthony (6’3 243), Clemson

2014 stats: 75 tackles, 10.5 TFLs, 2.5 sacks, 1 INT

Games evaluated: @ Georgia, @ Florida State, North Carolina

-Uses his hands well to shed blockers.

-When he’s set on where to go, he gets there hard and in a hurry. Will blow up lineman and scrape through blocks.

-Doesn’t always take the best angles to the ball carrier; usually errs on the side of aggression.

-Shows really good fluidity and change of direction. Can move laterally while keeping his eyes in the backfield.

-Has great speed and range from sideline-to-sideline.

-Cuts very well and succeeds at changing direction in space.

-Wraps up on every tackle but needs to do a better job of finishing off the tackle.

-Tends to try to go around “garbage” instead of taking the proper angle towards the ball carrier when running laterally.

-Recognizes running back screens quickly and blows them up.

-Has great closing speed on ball carriers.

-Will sometimes hesitate on gaps, slowing his reaction time and limiting the quickness to which he can make a play on the ball.

OVERVIEW: Anthony is a linebacker whose athleticism transcends his mind, but is still okay instinctively. He doesn’t have elite athleticism, but it is very good for his size and position at the next level. He’ll be able to cover tight ends and running backs in man and works well in space. He shoots through gaps like a missile. However, Anthony shows signs of hesitation in his game that will negate his athletic ability. Sometimes he over-pursues on plays and sometimes he’s not committed to a certain gap when he could have made the play. His best fit at the next level is inside in either base defense, specifically in the 3-4.

THREE WORDS: Fluid, athletic, hesitation

PROJECTION: 2nd round