Dante Olson Overview
Position: Linebacker
Height: 6’-2”
Weight: 237 pounds
School: Montana
NFL Combine Performance Data
40 Yard Dash: 4.88 seconds (unofficial)
Bench Press: 15 reps
Vertical Jump: 42.0”
Broad Jump: 124.0”
3 Cone Drill: 7.0 seconds
20 Yard Shuttle: 4.32 seconds
Dante Olson 2020 NFL Draft Profile
After spending his collegiate career at Montana, linebacker Dante Olson looks to take his talents to the NFL level. The 6’-2”, 237-pound redshirt senior is coming off what could easily be the best season of his young career. Over the course of 2019, Olson recorded 116 tackles, 27 assists, eight missed tackles, and 65 defensive stops on 987 snaps.
Olson originally joined the college football world as an unranked recruit back in 2015. Coming out of a small high school, scouts across the nation didn’t notice the three-time All-State linebacker, allowing Montana to get a good under-the-radar player. Interestingly enough, Montana only knew about him thanks to his father. Olson’s dad used to be Southern Oregon’s head coach, and one of his former assistants recruited the linebacker.
Strengths
- Great feel for the game and football IQ;
- Perfect tackling form and fundamentals;
- Knows how to get past a block;
- Understands blocking patterns and how to beat them;
- Collegiate production is everything you could hope for;
- 98th percentile vertical jump and 88th percentile broad jump at NFL Combine
Weaknesses
- Below-average NFL speed that will only succeed in the middle of a defense;
- Liability in coverage – can’t stick with running backs or tight ends;
- Doesn’t consistently bring pressure as a pass rusher;
- Can’t go sideline to sideline or chase down plays;
- Not overly strong and rarely wins based on pure muscle;
- North-south defender that struggles when changing direction or stopping suddenly.
NFL Comparison: Brandon Spikes
Teams With Need at Position: Carolina Panthers, Cincinnati Bengals, Detroit Lions, Green Bay Packers, Jacksonville Jaguars, Los Angeles Rams, Philadelphia Eagles, Tennessee Titans, Washington Redskins
Projection: 7th Round
Bottom Line on Dante Olson
Dante Olson is a good college player that just doesn’t meet the minimum thresholds for NFL success. From an intangibles standpoint, this guy has everything you look for in a linebacker prospect. His football IQ jumps off the screen, as he clearly has an advanced ability to diagnose blocks and blow up run plays. He rarely misses a tackle and couldn’t stop breaking up runs in college. While the overall athleticism leaves a lot to be desired, it’s worth noting that he performed well at some of the NFL Combine drills. This implies that there might be some untapped athleticism in him.
In a different era, Olson might be able to survive as a run-stuffing specialist in the middle of a defense. However, in today’s pass-happy NFL, it’s hard to see it working out for him. Olson doesn’t have NFL speed and is an outright liability in coverage. He lacks both the speed to stick with running backs and the strength to go up against tight ends. Olson struggles to make plays in the open field and doesn’t have the range to chase down plays on the outside. He could stick around on special teams, but it’s hard to imagine him ever turning into anything more than a depth piece on defense.
Main photo:
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