2015 NFL Draft Scouting Report: Eric Kendricks

Aug 30, 2014; Charlottesville, VA, USA; UCLA Bruins linebacker Eric Kendricks (6) lines up against the Virginia Cavaliers at Scott Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

My Take

Strengths: My take agrees with all of the scouts’ takes on his strengths but I want to take it further. When I saw Kendricks on tape, I said to myself, “Wow, this is the most prepared linebacker in college football. He seemed to know what was coming on each play and knew exactly how to get there to stop it.

And please believe, on every play that there was a tackle that wasn’t a 6o-yard completion, he was near the ball. And something the scouts didn’t bring up is how his production wasn’t fake in any way, shape or form. In his three years as a starter, all over 100 tackles, two of those years, he had over 90 solo stops.

Weaknesses: The weaknesses the scouts had for him was purely cherry picking on their part. After having 10 in the last two years combined, Kendricks didn’t have a tackle for a loss this year. And as for the scout who told Lang and Brugler his coverage was lacking, that’s bogus because he’s excellent in coverage as he covers backs, tight ends, and wide outs.

Next: Bottom Line