Good, Average or Somewhere in Between

Linebacker Values Depend on Whether Teams Employ 3-4 or 4-3 Alignments

When it comes to evaluating a class of linebackers as the draft nears, one of the toughest tasks for NFL talent evaluators these days is an assignment that seems elementary: figuring out who the linebackers are.

That exercise is far more complicated than it sounds because in the NFL today, one team's defensive end is another's outside linebacker. As defensive schemes have become more complex and varied, a new class of players has become more prominent around draft time in recent years -- the in-between players, the ones who could end up as defensive ends for NFL teams with four-lineman, three-linebacker alignments or outside linebackers for those with 3-4 setups.

In this year's draft class, that includes prominent players such as defensive ends Chris Long of Virginia, Vernon Gholston of Ohio State and Derrick Harvey of Florida. Without them, this linebacker class is considered rather ordinary, with two or three players likely to be selected in the first round. With them, it would be a standout group.

"I feel that I could play at either scheme," Long said at the NFL scouting combine in February in Indianapolis. "Interestingly enough, people talk about what a transition it would be for me to be a 3-4 outside linebacker. But, let's not forget that I never played in a 4-3 in college either. I was a base defensive end in a 3-4. Either position would be a fresh start for me and an opportunity to learn and an opportunity for me to progress as a player."

One of the most intriguing subplots of the draft could unfold if Gholston drops out of the top five Saturday toward the slots of the New York Jets, who have the sixth overall choice, and the New England Patriots, who have the seventh pick thanks to a draft-day trade last year with the San Francisco 49ers. Many people in the league think that the Patriots desperately want Gholston, a versatile player who would fit neatly into Coach Bill Belichick's defensive schemes.

Never mind that the Patriots also have a need at cornerback after losing Asante Samuel in free agency, or that the club never has drafted a linebacker above the fifth round during Belichick's tenure. The thinking by many in the league is that Gholston is the player the Patriots want.

Belichick isn't one to tip his hand, and he said during the Patriots' pre-draft news conference last week: "We'll do what's best for our football team. That's what I've done since I've been here and that's what we'll do going forward."

The interesting thing will be if the Jets have to choose between Gholston and another highly attractive player, perhaps Arkansas tailback Darren McFadden. Would keeping Gholston away from the Patriots influence the choice of their "Spygate" rivals? The Patriots had an aging group of linebackers last season that included Tedy Bruschi and Junior Seau, and certainly could use an infusion of youth and talent.

"I'm not going to sit here and tell you we're thinking about one of 20 guys," Belichick said. "We've got a handful of guys that we're considering and maybe they'll be there. Maybe one of them will be there. We'll just have to wait and see how that goes and that might affect our strategy at that time when we pick."

Belichick said he thinks the quality of this draft class of linebackers is "about the same" as it has been in other recent drafts for teams that play 3-4 defenses. Minus the 'tweeners, the group is not considered that strong. There seems to be great disagreement league-wide about Southern Cal linebacker Keith Rivers. An executive from one NFL team said in recent days he thinks that Rivers could be taken close to the top 10; another said his club projects Rivers as a late first-round selection. Jerod Mayo of Tennessee also is considered a virtually certain first-round pick, and Dan Connor of Penn State also could slip into the first round.

"The linebacker group is pretty thin," said Charley Casserly, the former general manager of the Houston Texans and Washington Redskins, "maybe two first-rounders."