As my first attempt at some useful copy here on MHR, I thought I would start at the bottom of the barrel, try to counter-act some the negativity that comes with the months of scrutiny between combine and season, and try to make an argument for why some of the guys who are falling off of people's depth charts will end up on the squad. I am calling the series:

Why He'll Make the Team

We are going to start first with one of my favorite UFA pickups of the year, Wesley Woodyard. Admittedly I, as a Lexington, KY native, hold a place in my heart for UK Wildcats, but this guy has a whole lot going for him. He also took a lot of knocks in the last few months. We will look at those, and then I'll try to refute them.

The Criticisms

Most scouting profiles on Woodyard complain about 3 things: his "tweener" size, lack of direction changing speed and concerns about his strength. In addition his body control and hip fluidity have been questioned. Let's deal with his size first.

The critique goes that Woodyard doesn't have the size (6'1" and a combine weight of 219) to play linebacker in the NFL. He was able to put on additional weight last season, but had a hard time keeping it on as his frame is lean, and his legs thin. Nick over at his Thin Air blog on MVN noted this in seeing Woodyard at the Senior Bowl - the other team started sending big TE's and FB's at him, and he had a hard time shedding their blocks close to the line. This puts him right on the size line between safety and linebacker, without ideal size for either.

As for his ability to change directions - the word on the street is that his significant straight forward speed doesn't translate into an ability to move laterally at the drop of a hat - as would be needed to succeed as a safety in the NFL. ESPN's combine analysis suggests as much. He has trouble staying with a play, even when he recognizes it, if following lateral motion.

The last major knock on Woodyard is that he didn't lift at the combine. Although he had put on weight before the combine, he strained his shoulder and couldn't lift. Because of that, the general perception (combined with his struggles up on the line) is that he doesn't possess the strength to perform as a linebacker in the NFL.

The Response

Wesley Woodyard may not possess the prototypical size to continue playing as a linebacker in the NFL. People don't recognize, however, that he started out as a safety at Kentucky as a freshman, and only began playing linebacker that year because the coaches liked his "football mentality," despite his lack of size. He was the first ever Wildcat freshman to serve as captain in a game and went on to total 100+ tackles each of his final three seasons. He is generally lauded for his ability to track the play and react to it, even if not the smoothest guy on the field. He may not make it as an LB, but he certainly has a shot at a safety position.

If it were true that he didn't have the size for his position,  one would expect that  frequent tackling in the tough SEC would lead to a lot of injuries, but Woodyard only missed a single game in his career. And that's going after loads like Darren McFadden, Felix Jones, Jacob Hester, Ronnie Brown, Cadillac Williams and DeShawn Wynn (among many others). Size and durability - not so much an issue.

On top of that, for all the talk about his inability to move, Woodyard notched six fumble recoveries, returning four for touchdowns, and 11 tackles for a loss his senior season. Tack on a couple of career INTs for good measure. Nick at Thin Air's observations at the Senior Bowl back this up:

The first thing that strikes you is field presence.  The 49ers’ coaches used Woodyard a lot in the open field in a "read and react" type placement, and it was clear that the reason is because he can quickly zero in onto where the ball is going.  For starters, he was able to start in the middle of the field yet still hunt down running backs when it was clear they were getting the ball.

Woodyard may not look great doing it - heck he may even have stiff hips. But he seems to have the in game speed to make plays on the edges. So much for that critique.

In addition, Woodyard threw down a tremendous showing at the combine. He put up a 4.51 in the 40 yard dash - the 2nd highest for an LB - and top ten finishes for his position in the broad jump, and the 20 and 40 yard shuttles. His 2nd best for LB's 60 yard shuttle (11.46) was up there with the cornerbacks and safeties. Terrence Wheatley only delivered an 11.58. In short, even though you would like to see more speed in the 3-cone drill, this guy clearly has some straight ahead speed, and can switch directions fairly quickly

Given these other combine results, it seems silly to get concerned about his bench press strength, especially given that Woodyard put on about 20 pounds after starting college. He knows the gym. If you watch this clip of him you will also see that he knows how to unload on an opponent. Strength? Check!

Finally, on top of  all this - Woodyard is one heck of a human being. On top of being named to the SEC Academic Honor Roll, All-SEC first team and captaining his Wildcat squad, Woodyard was a member of the Christian Fellowship of Athletes and a mentor to a local school while in college. Many coaches and observers cite his love of the game, his high motor even on special teams and his locker room leadership. He was powering up draft boards, but still ended up without a team at the conclusion, which is when the Broncos wisely gave him a ring.

The Prospects
Wesley Woodyard has a lot going for him as a football player. If he proves to be coachable enough to improve his technique and compensate for his shortcomings and lack of size he could be a dynamic defensive playmaker for the Broncos.  In the meantime, expect him to leave his mark on the special teams.

A lot of comparisons have been made between him and our very own Marlon McCree - who himself has managed to put together a nice little career in the NFL. If you look at the numbers, McCree in his combine visit was quite a bit slower than Woodyard in the 40, while they share nearly identical height and weight. Similarly, his dimensions, and his hard hitting style, are a bit reminiscent of John Lynch. Not bad company to be in, and learn from.

With his heart, drive, enthusiasm and skill I could see Woodyard catching Shanny's eye in practice or a preseason game (a la TD!)  and upending the safety, or even LB, depth chart (depends a lot on scheme - I suppose) This year could be spent mostly on the bench/practice squad learning the intricacies of the safety position from John Lynch and Marlon McCree. With that kind of start to his career, I could see him developing into a solid strong safety, possibly even to use in some sort of 33-stack formation (thanks for the term HT)  to match up against the elite TE's of the AFC West. Although some scouts seem to think he will stick as a linebacker, it is hard to see a place for him there. He is probably too slow for the Will, and too small for Mike or Sam. Even so - don't count Wesley Woodyard out.

Phew - some first fan post. Now tear it apart folks! Why is Wesley *not* going to make the squad? Do you think he has a better shot at safety or linebacker? Who does he bump if he makes the team?