Michael Divinity Jr. 2020 NFL Draft Profile

Michael Divinity Jr. 2020 NFL Draft

After four up-and-down seasons with LSU, linebacker Michael Divinity Jr. is taking his talents to the NFL level. The Louisiana native battled injuries and suspension in 2019, limiting him to just 235 snaps on the season. During his time on the field, Divinity recorded 14 tackles, six assists, and three missed tackles.

Divinity initially joined the college football world as a four-star recruit. After committing to LSU, the Louisiana native spent the first two years of his career as a backup. He finally earned the chance to start in 2018 and had what was easily the best season of his career. As a junior, Divinity recorded 28 tackles and 13 assists and 775 total snaps.

Strengths

Showed the ability to play well in coverage and as a pass rusher in 2018;

Wins with an above-average spin move that always has some form of success;

Solid north-south run defender that holds his own in the trenches;

Arm length tested in the 90^th percentile;

Theoretically could provide versatility on passing downs.

Weaknesses

Terrible all-around play when on the field in 2019;

Too small to play the edge, not big enough to play inside;

Atrocious testing numbers suggest his impressive 2018 season was a fluke;

Off-field character concerns, including but not limited to drug-based suspensions;

Needs to get stronger if he’s to make it in the NFL;

Instincts playing in the middle leave a lot to be desired;

Struggles to move sideline to sideline.

NFL Comparison: Josh Forrest

Projection: 7^th Round/UDFA

Bottom Line on Michael Divinity Jr.

Michael Divinity Jr. will probably never turn into anything more than just a camp body. Just everything that could go wrong for his draft stock in 2019, did go wrong. While the suspensions are definitely the headline, he wasn’t that good even when he was on the field. He doesn’t have the size to play inside linebacker at the NFL level nor the athleticism to play on the edge. Even if he bulks up and adds the necessary muscle to play inside, his instincts have a long way to go. Additionally, his lack of sideline speed suggests that his NFL ceiling is a two-down middle linebacker with some minor pass-rushing upside on third down.

If you’re an optimist, you can look at Divinity’s 2018 tape and see a better player. During that lone season, Divinity consistently got after the passer and held his own in coverage. The LSU product played through an ankle injury in 2019, so there is reason to believe he can return to his 2018 form. That said, even the 2018 version of Michael Divinity would only justify a mid- to late-round pick, and his athletic testing suggests that 2019 is more representative of who he will be moving forward.

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