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2023 NFL Draft Scouting Report: Micah Baskerville (LB – LSU)

2023 NFL Draft Scouting Report: Micah Baskerville (LB – LSU)

As the NFL season winds down, FantasyPros will be taking a look at early NFL draft scouting reports before the combine in March. Here’s a look at Micah Baskerville.

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2023 NFL Draft Scouting Report: Micah Baskerville (LB – Louisiana St.)

Micah Baskerville (LB – LSU)

6’1″ – 228 lbs.

Background:

Three-star recruit who rotated into the defense and played on special teams in his first two seasons before taking over the starting middle linebacker job in the shortened 2020 season, a year in which he posted 55-4.5-0.0. Had probably his best season in 2021 (83-9.0-2.0, one interception), but was also productive this past year (89-4.5-1.0).

Positives:

Productive three-year starter for a major program. Appears to have solid length. Good communicator. Patient when making his reads. Does a good job of keeping his shoulders square to the line. Flexibility and quickness allow him to work his way through traffic to the ball carrier when playing between the tackles. Gets good extension when playing off blocks and holds the point of attack better than his size would suggest. Smooth, good athlete who is capable of getting to the edge and chasing down ballcarriers on outside rushing attempts, sweeps, etc.; shows a solid motor in pursuit. Reliable tackler with a relatively wide radius; has missed fewer than ten percent of his career attempts. Shows quick feet and solid balance when dropping into coverage. Able to carry backs out into the flats or downfield on wheel routes. Uses his length effectively to feel routes developing. Has prior special-teams experience.

Negatives:

On the smaller side for a pro linebacker. Works around rather than through blocks, which leads to some inefficient, circuitous paths to the ball; not the type of guy who’s going to step into the hole and crush a fullback to stonewall a run. Likely to spin off of blocks rather than using hand technique to discard. Appears to have some miscommunications in coverage; has improved since his first season in the starting lineup but doesn’t have the best overall feel or the most diverse coverage responsibilities. A little bit of gather in his transitions from backpedaling to driving.

Summary:

One of the better athletes at the position in this year’s class, with the speed and flexibility teams look for in the modern game. As a three-year starter, shows above-average instincts/awareness for the position as well. Still, as it currently stands, effectiveness can sometimes be impaired by his unwillingness to take on blocks, which leads to some inefficiencies in pursuit. If he develops the ability to anchor and shed between the tackles, could find himself in a lot more plays and work his way onto the field for a pro defense.

Projection: Round 4

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