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Jacksonville Jaguars: Rating the top LB candidates of the NFL Draft

By Anthony Robertson

NEW ORLEANS, LA - JANUARY 13: Patrick Queen #8 of the LSU Tigers celebrates a defensive stop against the Clemson Tigers during the College Football Playoff National Championship held at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome on January 13, 2020 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Jamie Schwaberow/Getty Images)
NEW ORLEANS, LA - JANUARY 13: Patrick Queen #8 of the LSU Tigers celebrates a defensive stop against the Clemson Tigers during the College Football Playoff National Championship held at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome on January 13, 2020 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Jamie Schwaberow/Getty Images) /
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Rating the top linebacker candidates of the 2020 NFL Draft
ARLINGTON, TX – DECEMBER 07: Kenneth Murray #9 of the Oklahoma Sooners celebrates after stopping the Baylor Bears offense in the first quarter of the Big 12 Football Championship at AT&T Stadium on December 7, 2019, in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Ron Jenkins/Getty Images) /

Kenneth Murray – Oklahoma

Isaiah Simmons is unquestionably the top linebacker of all linebacker prospects in this year’s draft, and there is a decent-sized drop off between him and the next best player. That isn’t saying the next best player doesn’t have quality starter potential, it just means that the eye test shows that Simmons could be the next All-Pro linebacker in the NFL. With that being said the next best player has to be Oklahoma linebacker, Kenneth Murray.

The focus on Oklahoma being centered around their offense and Jalen Hurts. Murray had a very strong season for the Big-12 Champion Sooners. He had 17 tackles for loss, 4 Sacks, and 102 tackles. That’s a bit of a drop from the previous season where he had 155 tackles, but it is still very good production.

Murray is one of the top prospects because he has good size, good speed, and has a high IQ. If it were any other year Murray would probably be getting more hype. In fact, the season before Murray was statistically better than Simmons. With his speed and athleticism, most would probably fit him in as the weak side linebacker, but I think Murray has the strength to play both sides. He has a lot of big-play ability and has very good range from sideline to sideline.

While Murray isn’t the sexy pick that Simmons would be, he could be a very good addition to the defensive unit. He is one of those under the radar prospects that could end up being an impact player during his rookie season. The Jacksonville Jaguars taking him at 20 might be a bit of a question based on who else is available. If Murray somehow drops down to the Jaguars in the 2nd round he would be a steal.

Prospect Grade: B+

NFL Comparison: Lavonte David 

Strengths: Speed, IQ, Big Play Ability

Weaknesses: Strength, Man Coverage, Trusting his instincts

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