FAIRHOPE, AL --- The South team began Senior Bowl week with the first practice Tuesday, with some linebackers impressing early on, a position that could be of need for the Colts depending on how Ryan Grigson feels about his pass rushers and how the situation plays out with potential free agent Jerrell Freeman.
Here are some of the names that stood out at the linebacker position:
Alabama ILB Reggie Ragland (6'1", 259 lbs) - Ragland's weight is up from what Alabama listed him at during the season, at 252 pounds. His official height at the Senior Bowl is one inch shorter than what it was listed at in college. It's what he did on the practice field though and not the weigh-in that turned heads.
"Reggie Ragland was excellent (Tuesday). Nick Saban saw something he's seen a bunch, and that's Reggie Ragland making plays all over the field, although not from his inside linebacker position," said NFL Network analyst and former scout Daniel Jeremiah. "He's kicked out this week (to outside linebacker), rushing the passer, really dominated the one-on-one session with the running backs."
Jeremiah has Ragland at #17 in his first mock draft, one pick before the Colts would be on the clock. NFL.com College Football writer Chase Goodbread caught a couple glimpses of Ragland excelling against an SEC tackle and running back in pass rushing drills.
LSU OLB Deion Jones (6'1", 219 lbs) - His weight is what stands out here, undersized for most prototypical OLBs. It's why most are projecting Jones as a 3rd round pick, but Jeremiah likes what he saw from his first Senior Bowl practice.
"LSU inside linebacker Deion Jones is really undersized (219 pounds), but he is extremely explosive," said Jeremiah. "He covered a lot of ground (Tuesday). He's going to be excellent as a nickel linebacker."
Utah State OLB Kyler Fackrell (6'5", 250 lbs) - NFL.com Draft Analyst Bucky Brooks tabbed Fackrell as one of his 10 prospects with the most to prove at the Senior Bowl.
"As one of the few experienced hybrids in the 2016 class, Fackrell offers an intriguing mix of rush skills and disruptive playmaking ability off the edge," said Brooks. "However, scouts will want to see if the 6-foot-5, 250-pounder has the athleticism to drop into coverage or create chaos as a "sideline-to-sideline" defender…"
Daniel Jeremiah ranks Fackrell as his #28 prospect.
