Kentrell Brothers, Missouri
Former Missouri inside linebacker Kentrell Brothers, a three-year starter with the Tigers, is a downhill, thumper-type linebacker that relies on his instincts and play strength to make plays on the ball carrier.
Brothers consistently produced at a high level over his final two years at Missouri with over 120 tackles in each season, but his production spiked in his redshirt senior year. According to CFBStats.com, Brothers led the nation in tackles (152) in 2015.
Though he had previously struggled to surge into the backfield after accurately reading the play for tackles for loss in the past, Brothers also his TFL numbers jumped to 12 in 2015 after having just five as a junior. When Brothers does make the transition to the NFL, he will need to read the play at an even faster rate than he did in college in order to regularly make tackles behind the line of scrimmage, for he lacks the ideal quickness and acceleration to make up for any errors in his play recognition.
Fortunately, Brothers’ ability to read the guards in front of him and diagnose the play is practically his bread and butter. He also has proven that he can effectively shed blocks and dodge oncoming offensive linemen when they pull out in front of the ball carrier, but he’ll often choose to avoid contact if he determines it unnecessary.
Despite his elite ability to defend the run in between the tackles, Brothers’ lack of speed has allowed faster running backs to beat him to the edge on outside runs. Also, to make matters worse, Brothers will sometimes overestimate his speed and choose to take an inappropriate angle on the ball carrier.
Like a majority of the linebackers on this list, Brothers will likely be limited to a two-down role due to his inefficient coverage ability, as he lacks the speed and athleticism necessary to stick with backs and tight ends in man and will fail to effectively break on the ball in shallow zone coverage. At the 2016 NFL Scouting Combine, Brothers put a 4.89-second 40-yard dash time, the 27th best time among the linebackers that participated in the drill.
Given that most of his weaknesses are a result of his poor intangibles, it will be difficult for Oakland to coach up a lot of the flaws in Brothers’ game. With that being said, Raiders general manager Reggie McKenzie should have a firm understanding of what he is getting in Brothers, and if he believes he has value somewhere in the second or third round, don’t be surprised if Brothers is with the Silver and Black in 2016.