Ryan Mink of BaltimoreRavens.com reminds us to keep a vigilant eye upon Alabama outside linebacker Courtney Upshaw….
Courtney Upshaw (#41 above)…LB, Alabama, 6-1, 270…
He’d be a great fit for the Ravens if Ozzie is lucky enough to have him there in 1st round…
Last year it was cornerback Jimmy Smith; before that it was tackle Michael Oher. Who could it be this year?
NFL Network analyst Charley Casserly brought up a few names in a pre-draft interview with BaltimoreRavens.com this week. Perhaps the most interesting is Alabama outside linebacker/defensive end Courtney Upshaw.
“I’m not sure where the heck he’s going to go,” Casserly said. “Upshaw will fall.”
Upshaw is a 6-foot-1 All-American who recorded 51 tackles and 8.5 sacks for Alabama (the national champions). He was one of the most dominating rushers in the country and physical versus the run. Ravens Director of College Scouting Joe Hortiz was impressed with his tape.
“You talk about a physically explosive man,” Hortiz told BaltimoreRavens.com after the combine.
“He beats tight ends up, he powers through offensive tackles. A lot of guys have to work around; he can work through. [He’s] violent on contact, violent tackler, violent taking on blocks. What he’s done to SEC tight ends is a shame.”
But Upshaw’s stock has perhaps dipped during the scouting process.
ESPN’s Mel Kiper and Todd McShay have him going to the New York Jets at No. 16 in their latest mock drafts. But on Wendesday, Kiper tweeted that Upshaw may still be available in the late first round and that the early second “is not out of the realm of possibility.”
He opted not to participate in any events besides the bench press at the combine because he felt he needed more training. He then reportedly turned in a disappointing unofficial 4.81 second 40-yard dash at his pro day.
That has led pundits to wonder where he will fit in the NFL. Is he tall and long enough to be a defensive end? Is he quick enough to be an outside linebacker?
“People think he’s a good college player but aren’t sure where to play this guy,” Casserly said. “The height for a defensive end position and the speed as an outside pass rusher, those things are questionable. Playing as an up guy, I don’t see him moving inside.”
The other names Casserly offered as candidates to slip to the Ravens are center Peter Konz (Wisconsin), wide receivers Kendall Wright (Baylor) and Stephen Hill (Georgia Tech), and offensive tackles Mike Adams and Jonathan Martin (Stanford).
Besides Upshaw, he has two other Alabama defenders possibly sliding: linebacker Dont’a Hightower and cornerback Dre Kirkpatrick. But he doesn’t think Roll Tide safety Mark Barron will last till until No. 29.
“I don’t think so,” Casserly said. “I think he’s going to get eaten up in that middle third of the first round.”
Stay tuned… this is getting interesting…
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
