Temple linebacker Chapelle Russell hasn’t receiver much media buzz but he’s one of the most intriguing senior linebacker prospects in this NFL Draft class.
The 6-foot-1, 230-pound redshirt senior is a part of Temple’s single-digit club, and he’s fought back from multiple ACL injuries to provide toughness and leadership for the Owls defense.
He generally plays SAM linebacker but he has the versatility to line up at any stack linebacker spot.
Russell displays good straight-line speed for the position and possesses fluid hips and quick feet. He changes directions with quickness and flashes impressive closing speed in pursuit.
He’s an instinctive run defender that is almost always around the ball. While Russell has speed coming downhill and can wrap and finish effectively, he does have times where he doesn’t maintain gap discipline and ends up out of position, creating lanes for opposing backs.
Russell is a good athlete, but there are times where he’s a little too reliant on his agility. When faced with blockers at the 2nd level, he has a tendency to try to finesses to make guys miss, which comes with mixed results.
When linemen are able to get their hands on Russell, he hasn’t consistently displayed the ability to shed and get to the ball, but he does a nice job at least occupying space. There are flashes, but he needs to continue to refine his hand usage.
Temple generally employs Russell at the line-of-scrimmage, but he’s displayed intriguing traits in coverage. He displays good zone awareness covering the curl-hook and he reads and reacts with quickness.
Russell has no problem changing directions and transitioning to the ball carrier when it comes his way, and he’s a reliable tackler in space.
Russell and the Owls face one of the nation’s more potent rushing attacks when they take on Memphis this weekend.
The Tigers could have senior running back Patrick Taylor Jr. back this Saturday, but they’ve continued to impress in his absence. Redshirt freshman Kenneth Gainwell (great name for a running back) is a speedster that has already rushed for 620 yards and 6 touchdowns. Slowing him down will be key if Temple wishes to win the game.
Russell is going to play a critical factor in whether the Owls can pull off an upset against the 23rd ranked team in the country.
If he displays the same range in pursuit that he has so far, and he’s able to display refinement getting off blocks, Russell will go a long way in shoring up his NFL Draft stock.
His past knee issues will likely hurt his grade regardless, but he looks like strong point in an otherwise weak senior linebacker group.