Darius Leonard LB - SC State

Leonard has this bad habit of stopping his feet and not using his hips at all on contact with a ball carrier. He often ends up hugging the ball carrier down rather than exploding through them. This could get him hurt in the NFL. He needs to be the hammer, not the nail. There's a lot of sloppy, lazy tackling from him. No bueno.

Originally posted by TheNef77:
Man, this guy does a great job reading and fitting the play. Strong enough to play the SAM, smart enough to play the Mike, fast enough to play the Will. Can he do it against NFL Guards and Tackles? Maybe not at first but therein lies the frame and potential that he has. Not sure he's there at the NO pick in the 2nd but if we don't go LB in the 1st, he'd be a steal in the 2nd.

this guy plays coverage like a db. Also seems to be better at diagnosing plays than edmunds. I would love him.

Originally posted by gold49digger:
seems to be better at diagnosing plays than edmunds. I would love him.

Ehh, I'm not so sure about that.

Leonard is a guesser at times and has a lazy/bad open-field tackling habit that concerns me.

Admittedly, this is based on the very limited available tape on Darius Leonard, so the sample size is tiny. I'm sure he looks much better in other games. I still like him as a prospect, tho.

Looks like a late round, STer. Depth player only

Lynch won't leave Shanahan without a solid b/u plan if they part ways w/Foster. That planning is underway....as it should be. I hope Foster stays, but depending on what the courts (Ala & CA) do, the Niners may not have a realistic choice to keep him. At a minimum, they could lose him for much, if not all of the 2018 season. Let's face it, it's not reallly just about Foster. The entire LB corps has some real question marks...will Malcolm Smith fulfill the role Saleh envisioned for him. Will Harold continue to disappoint? I'd say between FA and the draft, Lynch is likely to acquire at least 2 LB's. Leonard could well be one of them. He's really good. I'd love to see Lynch draft Isiaih Wynn & Leonard. I'm hoping he signs Trumaine Johnson thereby allowing him to address OG and LB first. We'll see.

Ok, Rashaan Evans might be the better MLB prospect...but Leonard's not chopped liver, either. He's the 5th rated LB in NFL.com draft profiles and the 3rd ranked prospect in Walter Football.

Got hurt on the 40.

I've been following Darius on social media. He has a big chip on his shoulder. Most of his activity is about proving doubters and detractors wrong lol. I like that. It really sucks that he hurt himself at the combine.

One lesson I learned many years ago: Guys who dominate Senior Bowl week rarely fail in the NFL. I think he is going to do quite well.

Bummed 49ers haven't talked to Leonard at all. A good LB coach in the NFL will teach him how to break down properly and explode through his target and he'll be dandy.

Reads it quick, scrapes, and splits the double vs pin-pull for the tackle. There's a lot there to work with. I hope Lynch is watching.

Originally posted by Heroism:

Bummed 49ers haven't talked to Leonard at all. A good LB coach in the NFL will teach him how to break down properly and explode through his target and he'll be dandy.

Reads it quick, scrapes, and splits the double vs pin-pull for the tackle. There's a lot there to work with. I hope Lynch is watching.

Heard Saleh knows something about LBers

Jonah Tuls if NDT scouting said this about him

"While coming from a small program, Leonard has an NFL-ready skill set with his ability to cover and flash from sideline to sideline. He is more instinctive than he gets credit for and is excellent at flowing to the ball. His take-on technique needs work, but he has the profile of a starting weakside off-ball linebacker.

Comparison: Daryl Washington"

Originally posted by NYniner85:
His take-on technique needs work

That's exactly what I'm referring to below. It's the biggest flaw I noticed in his tape and is a must fix at the next level. NFL RBs are going to run right through his face if he continues to do this. His pad level, take-on technique, and footwork all need refinement.

Originally posted by Heroism:
Leonard has this bad habit of stopping his feet and not using his hips at all on contact with a ball carrier. He often ends up hugging the ball carrier down rather than exploding through them. This could get him hurt in the NFL. He needs to be the hammer, not the nail. There's a lot of sloppy, lazy tackling from him. No bueno.

Don't run pin-pull concepts to DL's side with unathletic OL

Having a sick rookie year !!!!! 104 tackles, 5 sacks, 1 int, 4 forced fumbles..can't see how he's not in the lead for DROY..