LB 25
Deontae Lawson
Alabama
Height: 6'3"
Weight: 226 lbs
Class: Senior
Report by:
Paul Kilgallen
Measurables
Physical
Height
6'3"
Weight
226 lbs
Arm Length
31 7/8 in
Hand Size
9 1/4 in
Speed & Agility
40-Time
4.6 s
Explosiveness
Bench Press
20 reps
Traits
defense
Chaos Agent
Trait Prototype: Fred Warner
defense
Big Hitter
Trait Prototype: Quincy Williams
defense
Rangey
Trait Prototype: Quincy Williams
multi
Rare Size
Trait Prototype: Leighton Vander Esch
defense
Run Stuffer
Trait Prototype: Bobby Wagner
Summary
Strengths
Closes on Ball Quickly
Aggressive Punching / Ripping at the ball creates turnovers
Good feel for zone coverage
Team Captain
Good communicator pre snap
Weaknesses
Top End speed isn't great
Sometimes slow to diagnose and will get caught in the wash
Final Report
Deontae Lawson is a 5th Year Senior LB out of Alabama, where he racked up almost 300 tackles, 20 TFLs, and 6.5 Sacks over 4 years. He is one of only 16 players in Alabama History to be named Captain in two seasons, and was a leader of two Top-10 Defenses in his last two years there. Lawson plays fast and violent, keeping his eyes up for the ball and then launching himself to get there once he sees it. He generally takes good angles, but will sometimes come in too hot and miss. He plays with a nose for the ball and punches / rips at it in the course of the tackle, being involved with 6 fumbles over his last two seasons. He has good feel in zone coverage and the length to break up passes that come across the middle, as well as punish receivers coming through his zone. However, he sometimes struggles with recognition and diagnosis, and the overall numbers on balls thrown his way tell a slightly different story than the tape. He's often in the neighborhood, but not quick enough to do anything about it except tackle after the catch. He's at his best in pursuit, and he is coachable enough to take better advantage of his length and range. He's a good project for a LB Coach with some patience.