Juwan Simpson OLB 6'2 224 Alabama 4.55

Simpson jumped right into the SEC and made an immediate impact as a freshman, finishing with 61 tackles, two for loss, and two sacks on the year. Injuries limited his success as a sophomore, where his numbers dipped to 32 tackles, four for loss on the year. Simpson came back as a junior, and re-established himself. He had 64 tackles, 5.5 for loss, 1.5 sacks, and two interceptions on the year. As a senior, he had a career high 86 tackles, six for loss, and one interception.

Simpson is a very good athlete, who can cover a lot of ground. He has the quickness, speed, and athleticism to cover his man down the field. He has very good range, and is active all over the field. He shows the instincts to quickly diagnose the play and fly towards the action.

Size is the big issue with Simpson. He has average size and speed, and can be taken out of running plays once a blocker gets a hand on him. He is going to have to put on more weight to be able to be an every down linebacker. Simpson also has some off field issues that will be checked into, which came as a surprise. Up until his arrest in 2006, he was the ideal student athlete. Teams will definitely be asking a lot of questions about his background.

Simpson is a solid weakside linebacker prospect, but has some work to do. He is going to have to get stronger and pack a few more pounds on to his frame to live up to his full potential.