PTF 2007 Draft Preview: Outside Linebackers
I had the idea of doing a preview of each position or as many as I can do leading up to the draft. While this is not a mock draft with the help of Chat GPT I am hoping for GM’s to be able to use this/these as a guide for draft prep.
Here is a quick look at the OLB class:
Here is the script I entered into Chat GPT:
“Our yearly Madden draft for the incoming rookies is about to take place. I have uploaded the pool for the OutSide Linebacker position. I value attributes for OLB as 1- SPD, 2- AWR, 3- ACC, 4- TAK, 5- STR, 6- AGI, 7- INJ, 8- TGH, 9- STA & 10- CTH. Please give me a summary of this corp of outside linebackers then rank the top 10. After that please tell me the bottom 5 players and why you would avoid drafting them. The attributes I have uploaded are subject to an unknown skew. The following attributes can go +5 or -5, SPD, AWR, ACC, TAK, STR while all other attributes can go +10 or -10.“
Overall OLB class summary
This is a good athleticism class with surprisingly weak Awareness.
Attribute Class Avg. My Take
SPD 83.4 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Very good
AWR 52.6 ⭐⭐ Weak
ACC 87.8 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Excellent
TAK 72.2 ⭐⭐⭐ Good
STR 74.2 ⭐⭐⭐ Good
AGI 77.6 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Good
INJ 90.4 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Excellent
TGH 90.5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Excellent
STA 85.0 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Very good
CTH 48.6 ⭐⭐ Mostly irrelevant
The big story
Speed and acceleration are everywhere. The class averages 83 SPD / 88 ACC, and several guys are in the high-80s/90s in both.
But AWR is the problem. Only one player reaches 69 AWR, and several of the most athletic linebackers are sitting in the 30s and 40s.
That makes your ranking system particularly important. If we simply drafted based on athleticism, we'd end up taking some guys I don't think you should touch early.
There is also an encouraging durability component: INJ and TGH are outstanding throughout the class. So this isn't a class where you have to sacrifice durability to get athleticism.
Top 10 OLBs
1. Anthony Spencer — 6'3", 265
85 SPD | 64 AWR | 81 ACC | 85 TAK | 69 STR | 83 AGI | 95 INJ | 87 TGH | 97 STA | 52 CTH
My clear #1.
Spencer is the most complete OLB in this pool. He doesn't have the elite 90+ acceleration of some of the other prospects, but he has no major weakness according to your priorities.
The combination of:
• 85 SPD
• 64 AWR
• 85 TAK
• 95 INJ
• 97 STA
• 83 AGI
is extremely attractive.
And at 6'3", 265, he has the size you like.
Verdict: First-round caliber. I'd be very comfortable making Spencer the target at OLB.
2. Keyunta Dawson — 6'3", 254
82 SPD | 57 AWR | 90 ACC | 74 TAK | 79 STR | 82 AGI | 92 INJ | 99 TGH | 91 STA
Dawson is a really interesting player.
His 82 SPD isn't elite, but his 90 ACC is excellent, and then you get 79 STR / 82 AGI / 99 TGH / 91 STA.
He is also 6'3", 254, which gives him a very nice physical profile.
The 57 AWR keeps him behind Spencer, but I really like this player for your league.
Verdict: Excellent second option.
3. Justin Durant — 6'4", 230
88 SPD | 62 AWR | 95 ACC | 66 TAK | 81 STR | 70 AGI | 91 INJ | 86 TGH | 91 STA
This is probably the most intriguing athletic linebacker in the entire pool.
88 SPD + 95 ACC at 6'4" is outstanding.
He also has:
• 62 AWR
• 81 STR
• 91 INJ
• 91 STA
The concern is obvious: 66 TAK.
But considering how heavily you value SPD/AWR/ACC, Durant belongs very high.
Verdict: High-upside pick. I'd absolutely consider him if Spencer/Dawson are gone.
4. Stephen Nicholas — 6'3", 236
82 SPD | 53 AWR | 95 ACC | 73 TAK | 83 STR | 80 AGI | 96 INJ
Nicholas is a very balanced prospect.
The biggest selling point is that 83 STR is the highest in the class, while still having 82 SPD / 95 ACC / 80 AGI.
73 TAK is respectable.
The 53 AWR isn't great, but it's not disastrous either.
Verdict: Very strong all-around prospect.
5. Will Herring — 6'3", 215
84 SPD | 50 AWR | 88 ACC | 74 TAK | 77 STR | 80 AGI | 99 INJ | 92 TGH | 87 STA | 64 CTH
Herring is one of those guys where the physical profile is better than the overall rating might initially suggest.
He's got:
84 SPD / 88 ACC / 74 TAK / 77 STR / 80 AGI
and then 99 INJ + 92 TGH.
The big drawback is his 215-pound weight. That's extremely light for an OLB.
Still, your ranking system puts athleticism ahead of size, so I can't ignore him.
Verdict: Excellent sleeper, but I'd prefer the bigger guys ahead of him.
6. Tim Shaw — 6'1", 236
88 SPD | 60 AWR | 87 ACC | 70 TAK | 77 STR | 74 AGI | 86 INJ | 99 TGH | 77 STA
This is a really nice prospect.
The combination of 88 SPD and 60 AWR is exactly what catches my attention.
He's not spectacular anywhere, but he doesn't have a major problem either.
His 99 TGH is also excellent.
Verdict: Very solid starter candidate.
7. Clint Session — 6'0", 248
80 SPD | 69 AWR | 88 ACC | 77 TAK | 69 STR | 70 AGI | 93 INJ | 96 TGH | 84 STA
Here's the interesting one.
Session has the highest AWR in the entire class: 69.
That's significant given how much you value AWR.
His problem is that he's only 80 SPD, and his AGI/STR aren't particularly impressive.
But 69 AWR + 77 TAK + 88 ACC + 93 INJ + 96 TGH is a very good football player.
Verdict: The "safe" OLB pick. If you want awareness over raw athleticism, move him even higher.
8. Zac Diles — 6'0", 245
80 SPD | 58 AWR | 90 ACC | 74 TAK | 69 STR | 74 AGI | 98 INJ | 93 TGH | 87 STA | 69 CTH
Diles is another balanced player.
Nothing jumps off the screen except 90 ACC / 98 INJ / 93 TGH, but there aren't many glaring problems either.
And oddly enough, he has the highest CTH at 69, though I wouldn't let that affect the ranking much.
Verdict: Good depth/starter candidate.
9. H.B. Blades — 5'10", 242
86 SPD | 54 AWR | 85 ACC | 70 TAK | 68 STR | 85 AGI | 97 INJ | 85 TGH | 95 STA
Blades is a very good athlete.
86 SPD + 85 AGI + 85 ACC gives him excellent movement ability.
The concern is his 5'10" height, but unlike at CB/WR, height isn't one of your stated OLB priorities.
He's also got 97 INJ and 95 STA.
Verdict: Strong athletic OLB, particularly if you want a fast pursuit player.
10. Adam Hayward — 6'0", 235
81 SPD | 56 AWR | 83 ACC | 78 TAK | 65 STR | 79 AGI | 99 INJ | 98 TGH | 89 STA
Hayward sneaks into my top 10 because he's extremely dependable physically.
His 78 TAK is actually one of the better marks in the class, and he's got 99 INJ / 98 TGH / 89 STA.
The problem is his 65 STR and only 81 SPD.
He's more of a dependable all-around guy than a difference-maker.
Verdict: Good fallback option if the top eight are gone.
The players just outside my Top 10
11. Chad Nkang
Very interesting athlete: 85 SPD / 90 ACC / 88 AGI / 82 STR, but 46 AWR and 64 TAK keep him out.
12. Brian Smith
This guy is fascinating because of 88 TAK and 93 ACC, but 75 SPD / 64 AGI / 71 INJ are significant concerns.
13. Dallas Sartz
87 SPD / 92 ACC / 74 STR and he's 6'5", so the physical package is intriguing. Unfortunately, 45 AWR is a problem.
14. Prescott Burgess
Excellent 99 STA, 96 INJ and 82 SPD, but 47 AWR makes him less attractive than his physical profile suggests.
15. Marvin Mitchell
He's actually a pretty solid player, but 78 SPD / 74 ACC puts him behind the more athletic players.
Bottom 5 — Players I'd Avoid
16. Rufus Alexander
87 SPD | 46 AWR | 90 ACC | 67 TAK | 74 STR
The athleticism is tempting.
But this is exactly the kind of prospect I'd be careful with in your league.
87 SPD + 90 ACC looks great, but 46 AWR and 67 TAK are significant problems.
Why avoid: You're paying for athleticism while getting poor awareness and mediocre tackling.
17. Antwan Barnes
97 SPD | 34 AWR | 97 ACC | 68 TAK | 76 STR
This is the trap prospect of the class.
Holy cow, 97 SPD / 97 ACC.
If we were just looking at athleticism, he'd be #1.
But 34 AWR is absolutely brutal.
And he's only got 68 TAK.
This is exactly why your ranking priorities matter.
Why avoid: Incredible athlete, but the 34 AWR is simply too low for me to trust him in your CPU-vs-CPU environment.
18. Brandon Siler
81 SPD | 47 AWR | 85 ACC | 67 TAK | 78 STR | 99 INJ
Siler is durable and strong, but he doesn't give you enough athleticism or awareness to justify taking him over the better options.
Why avoid: Nothing terrible physically, but he's a mediocre combination of SPD/AWR/ACC/TAK.
19. Nick Roach
78 SPD | 42 AWR | 85 ACC | 65 TAK | 76 STR | 85 AGI
He's got some nice secondary attributes — 85 AGI and 99 TGH — but the important attributes for you aren't good enough.
Why avoid: 78 SPD + 42 AWR + 65 TAK is a bad combination for your priorities.
20. Quincy Black
83 SPD | 39 AWR | 84 ACC | 62 TAK | 73 STR | 84 AGI
My clear #20.
He isn't terrible athletically, but the problem is that almost everything important to you is merely average or worse.
The biggest red flags:
• 39 AWR
• 62 TAK
• 83 SPD
• 84 ACC
And there are other prospects who give you much more.
Why avoid: Too many weaknesses without an elite attribute that makes me want to gamble on him.
My draft board
If I were sitting beside you during the draft, this is the order I'd have on my cheat sheet:
Rank Player My Grade
1 Anthony Spencer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
2 Keyunta Dawson ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
3 Justin Durant ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
4 Stephen Nicholas ⭐⭐⭐⭐½
5 Will Herring ⭐⭐⭐⭐½
6 Tim Shaw ⭐⭐⭐⭐½
7 Clint Session ⭐⭐⭐⭐
8 Zac Diles ⭐⭐⭐⭐
9 H.B. Blades ⭐⭐⭐⭐
10 Adam Hayward ⭐⭐⭐½
11 Chad Nkang ⭐⭐⭐½
12 Brian Smith ⭐⭐⭐
13 Dallas Sartz ⭐⭐⭐
14 Prescott Burgess ⭐⭐⭐
15 Marvin Mitchell ⭐⭐⭐
16 Rufus Alexander ⭐⭐½
17 Antwan Barnes ⭐⭐
18 Brandon Siler ⭐⭐
19 Nick Roach ⭐⭐
20 Quincy Black ⭐⭐
One very important takeaway for your draft
Do NOT let Antwan Barnes' 97 SPD / 97 ACC fool you.
For your league, I'd much rather have Anthony Spencer's 85 SPD / 64 AWR than Barnes' 97 SPD / 34 AWR.
And I think Clint Session is the biggest "don't overlook him" player in this group. His 69 AWR is the best in the entire pool, and when you combine that with 80 SPD, 88 ACC and 77 TAK, he could actually outperform some of the more athletic guys.
My dream scenario: Spencer falls
My favorite alternative: Keyunta Dawson.
My athletic-upside pick: Justin Durant.
My sleeper: Clint Session.
My trap: Antwan Barnes.
