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Sean Weatherspoon
6-1/240
Missouri Senior

Pros: Has good speed and range. Has good closing burst and usually takes good angles in pursuit. A passionate player that shows good toughness and physicality on defense. Works well in zone, does a good job reading the quarterback and breaking up the pass. Breaks down well and can make a tackle at the point of attack. Has good upfield burst and ability to shoot gaps to make plays in the backfield, as well as showing potential as a blitzer.
Cons: Has trouble getting off blocks when you run at him and gets caught up in traffic. Runs around too many blocks. Needs to do a better job wrapping up. Needs to play with better recognition and discipline on defense. Doesn't possess a relentless motor when it comes to playing on defense.
Overview: Weatherspoon is a fast, rangy outside linebacker that can make plays all over the field. He plays mostly the weakside at Missouri, but also will play in the middle at times. He fits best in an attacking 4-3 defense on the outside. He's good in coverage and so fast and rangy, that at times it looks like he could also play safety at the next level.
NFL Forecast: If Weatherspoon plays in the right scheme, he could be an impact defender. He reminds me a lot of Will Witherspoon, and like the other 'Spoon, I think he can be a good player in an attacking scheme. Weatherspoon should be a good starter and productive player at the next level. He is a player that is best when he's allowed to flow to the ball. He's not quite a complete player because he's not great when you run at him, but the plays he can make sideline to sideline and in coverage should offset that. He should be a player that can be a Pro Bowler in the right scheme. He'll be even better if he can play with a middle linebacker that is a good run stuffer, which allow him to flow to the ball even more. Weatherspoon should be a solid, productive player with the ability to make the Pro BOwl on an annual basis dependent on the fit. Like Will Witherspoon, some team might want to move him to the middle because of his range, but he wouldn't be as effective there unless he had two big hogs in front of him that could keep blockers off him on a consistent basis.
ATL Forecast: Weatherspoon would be a good fit in Atlanta because he could impact right away in the nickel because of his coverage potential. He would likely replace Lofton right away in that role, and be groomed behind Peterson on the weakside. He's good enough that the Falcons could tinker with putting Peterson on the strong side and starting Weatherspoon right away. But by his second year he'd definitely be a starter, and would work well with Lofton in the middle because he wouldn't have to be a run stuffer, since that's Lofton's role. He could flow to the ball and make plays in pursuit. He would be a nice playmaker for the Falcons and be capable of being one of the better outside linebackers in the league in our scheme.
Value: Weatherspoon is worth a first round pick. His speed and range will make him a playmaker that can contribute right away. He's probably a better fit in the latter part of Round 1, but on a team that runs an attacking scheme, he might merit a middle first round pick.

SKILLS
1-poor, 2-weak, 3-above average, 4-very good, 5-elite

SPEED: 5.0
TACKLING: 4.0
COVERAGE: 4.0
POINT OF ATTACK: 2.0
INSTINCTS: 3.5
PASS RUSH: 3.0

Pros: Good size, strength and speed. He is a good tackler and packs a punch as a hitter. He breaks down well in space to wrap up the ballcarrier and attacks the run at the line of scrimmage once he finds a seam into the backfield. He flows to the ball very well and has good range from sideline to sideline. He is fluid in coverage and has the speed to cover running backs downfield or along the sideline and is physical enough to guard tight ends in man coverage. He reads the quarterback’s eyes well in zone and has good hips to turn and run in coverage. He is a fiery leader and is very vocal, and I think that he will eventually be the heart of whatever defense he goes to.

Cons: He struggles to shed blocks from offensive lineman. He can get off blocks from TE’s but will get popped or taken out of plays by good blocks from offensive lineman. He is a sound tackler but will miss tackles when he is out of control. He also doesn’t give very good pursuit from the backside when the play is run away from him. I expected his motor to be better but I was disappointed with his effort and pursuit from behind or on the backside. He can be an effective blitzer when he gets an open lane, but he doesn’t have any pass rush moves and doesn’t shed blocks well enough to get off a block if he gets engaged.

Overall: Weatherspoon is a good linebacker prospect and could play inside or outside depending on the defensive system. He is good enough in coverage to play in a Cover-2 defense or in a traditional 4-3 defense at weakside linebacker. He is good in run support but be struggles to shed blocks which could be an issue playing inside. However, he flows very well to the ball is very good at avoiding blocks to make his way to the ball-carrier. If he can improve his hand usage to rip and shed blocks from bigger players he could develop into a very good linebacker, as that is one of his major weaknesses. I think he will be a quality player in the NFL, but I don’t think he will ever be a Pro-Bowler unless he can improve his hand usage to increase his effectiveness versus the run.

Projection: Top 20: I think he could go as early as #15 to the Giants but I don’t think he will fall past the Falcons. If he does the Eagles and Saints would be lucky to get him.

SKILLS
1-poor, 2-weak, 3-above average, 4-very good, 5-elite

SPEED: 4.5
TACKLING: 4.0
COVERAGE: 4.0
POINT OF ATTACK: 2.0
INSTINCTS: 3.5
PASS RUSH: 2.5