Among this year’s crop of linebackers, most of the top players fit the desired parameters of height, weight and speed.
Florida’s Jevon Kearse actually exceeds them.
Texas A&M; inside linebacker Dat Nguyen, however, is neither big nor speedy.
But where Nguyen measures up with the likes of Kearse, Southern California’s Chris Claiborne and Ohio State’s Andy Katzenmoyer is in productivity.
The 5-foot-11, 234-pound Nguyen (pronounced “win”) finished his career at Texas A&M; as the school’s all-time leading tackler with 517 and was the Lombardi Award winner last year.
And although Nguyen likely won’t be selected in the first round of today’s NFL Draft, he could be a steal for the team that picks him.
Born in a refugee camp in Arkansas after his parents escaped from Vietnam in 1975, Nguyen says his inspiration while growing up was former Chicago Bears linebacker Mike Singletary.
“Everybody talked about his lack of size and speed, but he is a Hall of Famer,” Nguyen said. “The guy I really like who is playing now is Zach Thomas. He always seems to be a step ahead of everyone else.”
It’s easy to see why the 5-11, 235-pound Thomas is a favorite of Nguyen.
Thomas was a fifth-round draft pick of the Dolphins in 1996 and has led the team in tackles each of his three years in the NFL.
If Nguyen resembles Thomas in more than just stature, the team that drafts him will have a top-notch inside linebacker.
“I was not born to be a football player,” Nguyen said. “I’m living the American dream.”
The most coveted outside linebacker in the draft may be Kearse.
A nearly unanimous All-America selection and the Southeastern Conference defensive player of the year, Kearse has the size (6-4, 262 pounds) and the speed. He ran a 4.47 in the 40-yard dash at his workout.
His size and wide wingspan earned him the nickname “The Freak” at Florida.
“Just look at him,” said Mike Peterson, Kearse’s teammate and fellow draft hopeful at linebacker. “You won’t see anybody else like him. The size he’s got, the things he can do with his size, he’s a freak of nature.”
The top two inside linebackers in the draft are Claiborne and Katzenmoyer. Both should be first-round selections.
Claiborne played three brilliant years at middle linebacker for the Trojans and led the team with 107 tackles last season.
He could play inside or outside because of athleticism.
“Hopefully, I’ll be able to mix it up and do both,” Claiborne said. “That’s the coach’s call. I’ll roll with it. A lot of people are looking at me in the middle, but they know I can play outside too.”
Katzenmoyer left school after a junior year in which he had an offseason drunk-driving arrest and had to attend summer school to be academically eligible.
His numbers dipped in ’98, at least in part because of the way he was utilized in the Buckeyes’ defense.
“I thought I played the best I played in three years at Ohio State,” Katzenmoyer said. “I did everything I was asked. I made a few mistakes. I didn’t have the numbers, but we had an excellent defense last year.”
