Dannell Ellerbe

6’1, 236 pounds | Middle linebacker | Georgia

Strengths: A versatile player, Ellerbe has started at all three linebacker positions for Georgia. Has good instincts and reads plays quickly. Solid athlete with good lateral agility. Shows good effort in pursuit. Quick to play the run and fill gaps. Ellerbe closes quickly on pass plays. Adept in pass coverage. Sticks on the hip of an opponent. Does a nice job reading a quarterback’s eyes so he can make a play on the ball in the air.

Weaknesses: Ellerbe is a little undersized for the position. Struggles disengaging from blockers and prefers to just try and run around them. Needs to sink his hips lower when he makes tackles. Often stays too high causing runners to bounce off him. Not much of a pass rusher. Has had some problems off the field and his character will need to be heavily scrutinized.

Final word: Ellerbe had somewhat of a disappointing senior season due to a lingering knee injury. When healthy, he’s a solid player who does well against the run in pass coverage. Because of his size and agility, he may fit better at weak-side linebacker. Almost strictly a 4-3 player.

Round projection: 3