Overview:
Position: LB/DE
Height: 6’5″
Weight: 244 pounds
College: Georgia Bulldogs
Leonard Floyd 2016 NFL Draft Profile
Linebacker/defensive end Leonard Floyd redshirted his first year at Georgia, but as a red shirt Freshman, the Georgia native took off as a house hold name. Floyd started in eight games in 2013, and was used as a pass rushing specialist, recording 6.5 sacks. That was enough to earn him the honor of being named to the SEC All-Freshman team.
In the former Bulldog’s second year he was named the team’s defensive MVP after a six sack season, including an explosive two sacks and a forced fumble to open the season against Clemson. Floyd ended that year with knee surgery, but only missed Georgia’s bowl game.
Floyd came back into 2015 with a lot of high hopes given what he showed in his first two years. He ended up playing a variety of positions in his junior year, and did a lot more work in coverage. It lowered his sack total, but added dimensions to his profile that some had people had questioned whether he had or not. After the news that his three year head coach Mark Richt was being fired, he was quick to announce he would not adjust to the new coach and that he was heading to the draft after the bowl game. The question now is where will Floyd play after lining up at defensive end, outside linebacker, and even inside linebacker during his junior year.
Strengths:
- Length and speed combination
- Isn’t afraid to take on the run
- Can rush the passer and defend the pass
- Good at finding the ball, and chasing down ball carriers.
Weakness:
- Doesn’t have strength to bull rush tackles
- Put on 14 pounds between the end of the season and the combine (is it muscle, and will it hold up?)
- Doesn’t excel anywhere in particular
NFL Comparison: Jaime Collins, New England Patriots/Jeremiah Attaochu, San Diego Chargers
Teams with Needs at Position: New Orleans Saints, Pittsburgh Steelers, Chicago Bears
Projection: Late first, early second round
Bottom Line:
The bottom line is that Floyd doesn’t have a clear role in the NFL. What team drafts Floyd will play a large role in determining what type of NFL player he becomes. He is currently not strong enough to be a full time outside linebacker, but he doesn’t have expereince in coverage to be a Jaime Collins type of player right away. The good news is that, because of his athleticism, he should be able to hang in the NFL. Floyd also has a variety of skills to fit a variety of schemes, which could make a lot of teams be willing to draft him. How Floyd develops into his role will be the key to seeing how high is ceiling is.
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