2011 NFL Draft Middle Linebacker Rankings: Kadar vs Dove

by Jon Dove on Apr 21, 2011 11:01 AM EDT

Pro days workouts are over, so it's time to finalize positional rankings. One of the most intriguing thing about the NFL Draft process is that each person values prospects differently. For NFL talent evaluators and draft analysts alike, the rankings at the top look similar, but opinions vary on mid-level players.

Here at Mocking the Draft we wanted to show you how our opinions differ. Dan Kadar and Jon Dove are breaking down each position giving you their top 10 in each. Make sure to check out our scouting report page to get full reports on some of the prospects. Also don't hesitate to leave some feedback about our rankings or maybe even your own.

The middle linebacker position is lacking a elite prospect but there are a few that can help out a team. However, this position is not very deep and is unlikely to produce any true stars. The 2nd round looks like the landing spot for several of the prospects with the possibility of 4 coming off the board.

Dan and I see eye to eye on many of these prospects as our rankings are pretty similar. However, Dan is really high on Greg Jones and has him ranked in the #2 slot. I have real concerns about Jones' ability to consistently make tackles in the NFL and thus have him ranked towards the bottom of my list. A real sleeper on this list might be Akeem Dent as he has some good upside.

Rank	Dan Kadar's Rankings	Jon Dove's Rankings
1	Martez Wilson	Mason Foster
2	Greg Jones	Martez Wilson
3	Nate Irving	Colin McCarthy
4	Quan Sturdivant	Casey Matthews
5	Kelvin Sheppard	Kelvin Sheppard
6	Mike Mohamed	Nate Irving
7	Akeem Dent	Akeem Dent
8	Casey Matthews	Greg Jones
9	Chris White	Elijah Joseph
10	Scott Lutrus	Mike Mohamed

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Comments

Kind of hard to rank these, I bet.

Foster and Wilson are probably OLB’s in a 3-4, while a guy like Greg Jones might need to switch to an OLB because of his size.

by JetKing55 on Apr 21, 2011 11:31 AM EDT reply actions

Foster actually fits in more as an ILB in a 3-4 and as an OLB in a 4-3.

He’s not good enough of a blitzer to be an OLB in a 3-4 scheme.

by Coach Owens on Apr 21, 2011 12:21 PM EDT up reply actions

1. Wilson
2. Foster
3. Sheppard
4. Sturdivant
5. Irving
6. Matthews
7. McCarthy
8. Jones
9. Ayers
10. Dent

"I am patient with stupidity but not with those who are proud of it."

by NMVike on Apr 21, 2011 2:23 PM EDT reply actions

How can Dove's #1 not even be on Kadars list?

Maybe you guys should establish the group first. lol

"////let it pan out before you kick da plan out\\\\"
-mitmil22

by theSpaceCityKid on Apr 21, 2011 4:21 PM EDT reply actions

Jon sees him as a MLB. I don’t. Simple reasoning. Maybe that’s too difficult for you. lol.

Mocking the Draft: Talking NFL Draft all year.

by Dan Kadar on Apr 21, 2011 9:23 PM EDT up reply actions

Cool.

So Dove thinks Matrez Wilson will be the best MLB in the class and you dont see him capable enough to even make the list at that position. Interesting analysis and somewhat hard to take seriously. Not trying to talk shit, but if preseason NFL ranking came out and ESPN had your team in the top ten and yet you didnt even make the list over at SI.com wouldnt it leave you asking.. “What does this mean then?”?

"////let it pan out before you kick da plan out\"
-mitmil22

by theSpaceCityKid on Apr 25, 2011 9:10 AM EDT up reply actions