Alabama Football 2016 NFL Draft Profiles: Reggie Ragland

Reggie Ragland

Position: Inside Linebacker

Height/Weight: 6'1"/247 lbs.

40 Yard Dash Time: 4.72 seconds

Bench Press Reps (of 225 lbs.): 13 reps

Hand Size: 9 7/8 inches

Arm length: 32 inches

Vertical Jump: 31.5 inches

Broad Jump: 116.0 inches

20 Yard Shuttle: 4.28 seconds

2015 season

Ragland started every game for the Crimson Tide, leading one of the best defenses in the country. He led the team with 102 total tackles with 60 of those being solo tackles. He also recorded 6.5 tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks, two forced fumbles, seven pass breakups and six quarterback hurries. Ragland was a unanimous first team All-American and was also named first team All-SEC by the Associated Press and coaches from the SEC. Ragland took home some individual hardware after being named SEC Defensive Player of the Year. He was also a finalist for the Butkus award for the nation's best collegiate linebacker, as well as a finalist for the Bednarik Award and Nagurski Trophy.

Strengths

Ragland is one of the better old-school style linebackers in recent history. He is not afraid to charge a hole and hit someone as hard as he can (just ask Malcom Mitchell). His biggest strength lies in his intelligence on the field. Ragland contains the IQ that is demanded from the anchor of the defense.

He never seems to out-run a play or over commit to the ball carrier, which can be a flaw of some head hunters at the position. Ragland plays smooth and knows where to be and when to be there. In many games last season, he showed his versatility by being able to line up as an edge rusher and hit the quarterback. Ragland is not only someone who can shut down the run, but he can also disrupt passing plays with his pass-rushing ability.

Weaknesses

He can be a little slow in man-on-man coverage when matched up with a slot receiver or a good receiving tight end. He may also need to improve his ability to fight off blocks with speed and elusiveness rather than brute strengths, because many pro offensive lineman possess the ability to over-power linebackers one-on-one when running downhill. His speed is really the biggest question mark as he could have some trouble cutting off wide running plays against speed running backs.

Verdict

Ragland's ability to play tough on the inside and rush the passer make him a player worth using a first round pick on. If you are looking for a smart player who can anchor a tough defense, then Ragland is the go-to-guy, because of his skill set and his overall knowledge of the defensive side of the football.

Prediction

There is a slight chance that he falls out of the first round, but I would not count on it. Ragland has first round intelligence and talent. I think logical landing spots for Ragland would be Buffalo at 19, Washington at 21 and Green Bay at 27. If he does fall to the second round, look for Tennessee as a possible destination for him.