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The Outside Linebackers for the Denver Broncos is one of the more stable positions going into the 2013 season. There is always room for improvement though. There is also depth and youth developing behind the starters. Von Miller is a stud and outside of injury, his understudy better be able to play the other Linebacker positions as well as Special Teams to get any playing time.
With Wesley Woodyard producing more and more each year, one has to wonder where D.J. Williams fits in the scheme of things. If Woodyard starts ahead of him, there are six million reasons why D.J. would be a burden for the team. Perhaps he will renegotiate again this year.
Here is the current makeup of the Outside Linebacker position for the Broncos.
| Pos. | Player | Age/Exp | 2012 | 2013 |
| SLB | Von Miller | 23/2nd | $1.33M | $2.28M |
| SLB | Nate Irving | 24/2nd | $465K | $555K |
| WLB | Wesley Woodyard | 26/5th | $1.5M | $2M |
| WLB | D.J.Williams | 30/9th | $1.6M | $6M |
| LB | Keith Brooking | 37/15th | $1M | UFA |
| LB | Danny Trevathan | 22/R | $390K | $405K |
Of course, there are a few players in this year’s Draft that could help out this team. Denver still needs a solution for covering Tight Ends like Kevin Boss, Antonio Gates, Marcedes Lewis, Brent Celek, Chris Cooley, Dennis Pitta, Owen Daniels, Coby Fleener, Jason Witten, Martellus Bennett, Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez. Those are all players the Broncos will see in 2013.
So let’s take a look at the available OLB prospects in the 2013 NFL Draft and how their production added up during their collegiate careers.
Once again, the formula for the Production Ratio looks like this:
(SACKS + TACKLES FOR LOSS)/NUMBER OF GAMES PLAYED = PRODUCTION RATIO
This formula comes from Pat Kirwan’s book, "Take Your Eye Off the Ball." If you haven’t read it, I highly recommend it. It is an easy read.
What we are looking for someone who scores a 1.0 or better.
Rnd - The Projected Round for the prospect to be drafted in.
OVR - The overall draft ranking from CBSSports.com
TPG - Tackles Per Game
Under Interceptions and Fumble Recoveries, "()" or "t" indicates a Touchdown return.
| Rnd | OVR | Player | School | Hgt | Wgt | 40T | GM | TKL | TFL | SK | TPG | PD | Int | FF | FR | P.Ratio |
| 1 | 7 | *Jarvis Jones | Georgia | 6-2 | 242 | 4.7 | 22 | 83 | 21 | 13.5 | 3.77 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1.56 |
| 1 | 23 | *Alec Ogletree | Georgia | 6-3 | 234 | 4.7 | 30 | 197 | 20 | 6 | 6.56 | 9 | 1 | 3 | 1t | 0.86 |
| 2 | 53 | Khaseem Greene | Rutgers | 6-1 | 230 | 4.6 | 37 | 250 | 18.5 | 5.5 | 6.75 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 2 | 0.64 |
| 2 | 64 | Arthur Brown | Kansas St | 6-1 | 228 | 4.6 | 37 | 118 | 10 | 2 | 3.18 | 4 | 2(1) | 0 | 1 | 0.32 |
| 2 | 65 | John Simon | Ohio St | 6-2 | 260 | 4.7 | 50 | 154 | 43 | 20.5 | 3.08 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 1t | 1.27 |
| 2-3 | 67 | Chase Thomas | Stanford | 6-4 | 248 | 4.7 | 52 | 226 | 50 | 19.5 | 4.34 | 6 | 2 | 9 | 4 | 1.33 |
| 2-3 | 72 | Brandon Jenkins | Florida St | 6-3 | 260 | 4.6 | 40 | 119 | 37.5 | 22.5 | 2.97 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1.50 |
| 2-3 | 78 | Sean Porter | Texas A&M | 6-2 | 230 | 4.6 | 37 | 219 | 28 | 13.5 | 5.91 | 12 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1.12 |
| 3 | 83 | Jamie Collins | S. Mississippi | 6-3 | 240 | 4.6 | 52 | 314 | 45.5 | 21 | 6.03 | 15 | 3 | 7 | 4 | 1.27 |
| 3 | 93 | *Jelani Jenkins | Florida | 6-0 | 237 | 4.5 | 36 | 182 | 16.5 | 6 | 5.05 | 7 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0.62 |
| 3-4 | 104 | Travis Long | Wash. St. | 6-4 | 245 | 4.76 | 47 | 201 | 42 | 20.5 | 4.27 | 10 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 1.33 |
| 3-4 | 111 | Trevardo Williams | Connecticut | 6-1 | 234 | 4.52 | 50 | 134 | 40.5 | 30.5 | 2.68 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 1.42 |
| 4 | 116 | Zaviar Gooden | Missouri | 6-2 | 230 | 4.49 | 49 | 256 | 20.5 | 4 | 5.22 | 11 | 5 | 2 | 5 | 0.50 |
| 4 | 126 | Gerald Hodges | Penn St | 6-2 | 238 | 4.75 | 44 | 140 | 12.5 | 4.5 | 3.18 | 6 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0.38 |
| 4 | 133 | Sio Moore | Connecticut | 6-1 | 230 | 4.63 | 41 | 274 | 44 | 16 | 6.68 | 18 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 1.21 |
| 4-5 | 147 | Keith Pough | Howard | 6-2 | 235 | 4.79 | 35 | 349 | 72 | 7.5 | 9.97 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2(1) | 2.27 |
| 5 | 152 | DeVonte Holloman | S. Carolina | 6-2 | 241 | 4.64 | 50 | 204 | 14 | 2 | 4.08 | 13 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 0.32 |
| 5 | 159 | Lerentee McCray | Florida | 6-2 | 249 | 4.64 | 38 | 65 | 12.5 | 4.5 | 1.71 | 5 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0.44 |
| 5 | 164 | Meshak Williams | Kansas St | 6-2 | 245 | 4.74 | 26 | 73 | 27 | 18 | 2.81 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 1.73 |
| 5-6 | 172 | Brandon Sharpe | Syracuse | 6-1 | 253 | 4.67 | 48 | 84 | 24.5 | 14.5 | 1.75 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0.81 |
| 5-6 | 183 | Michael Mauti | Penn St | 6-2 | 235 | 4.64 | 39 | 183 | 12.5 | 4.5 | 4.69 | 10 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0.43 |
| 6-7 | 206 | Etienne Sabino | Ohio St | 6-3 | 238 | 4.65 | 47 | 119 | 12 | 5 | 2.53 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0.78 |
| 6-7 | 219 | Cameron Lawrence | Mississippi. St | 6-2 | 230 | 4.69 | 48 | 291 | 18.5 | 7 | 6.06 | 13 | 4 | 5 | 0 | 0.53 |
| 7 | 246 | Michael Clay | Oregon | 5-11 | 224 | 4.72 | 37 | 176 | 11 | 4 | 4.75 | 7 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 0.40 |
| 7-FA | 263 | Ja'Gared Davis | SMU | 6-1 | 235 | 4.77 | 52 | 301 | 41 | 20.5 | 5.78 | 20 | 4 | 8 | 2 | 1.18 |
| 7-FA | 276 | Maalik Bomar | Cincinnati | 6-2 | 228 | 4.63 | 47 | 178 | 15 | 3 | 3.78 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0.38 |
| 7-FA | 284 | Jory Johnson | Connecticut | 6-1 | 228 | 4.72 | 45 | 227 | 20.5 | 0 | 5.04 | 7 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 0.45 |
| 7-FA | 295 | John Lotulelei | UNLV | 6-0 | 235 | 4.73 | 25 | 121 | 4.5 | 0 | 4.84 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0.18 |
| 7-FA | 323 | Nathan Williams | Ohio St | 6-3 | 240 | 4.83 | 45 | 132 | 30 | 13 | 2.93 | 5 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 0.95 |
| 7-FA | 337 | Ty Powell | Harding | 6-2 | 246 | 4.68 | 15 | 47 | 17.5 | 10.5 | 3.13 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1.86 |
| 7-FA | 340 | Kenneth Tate | Maryland | 6-4 | 230 | 4.73 | 49 | 239 | 12.5 | 9 | 4.87 | 11 | 7 | 5 | 1 | 0.43 |
| -- | 354 | Brandon Magee | Arizona St | 5-11 | 234 | 4.68 | 43 | 222 | 23.5 | 10 | 5.16 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0.78 |
| -- | 365 | Jake Knott | Iowa St | 6-2 | 240 | 4.68 | 47 | 347 | 18 | 1.5 | 7.38 | 23 | 8 | 10 | 0 | 0.41 |
| -- | 381 | Demetrius Hartsfield | Maryland | 6-2 | 240 | 4.79 | 41 | 338 | 27 | 8.5 | 8.24 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 0.86 |
| -- | 401 | Herman Lathers | Tennessee | 6-0 | 230 | 4.74 | 36 | 193 | 12 | 4.5 | 5.36 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0.45 |
| -- | 417 | Alonzo Highsmith | Arkansas | 6-0 | 234 | 4.76 | 19 | 134 | 16.5 | 6.5 | 7.05 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1.21 |
| -- | 440 | Archibald Barnes | Vanderbilt | 6-4 | 235 | 4.72 | 50 | 151 | 7.5 | 3 | 3.02 | 9 | 3 | 5 | 0 | 0.21 |
| -- | 452 | Phillip Steward | Houston | 6-1 | 230 | 4.64 | 52 | 215 | 50 | 16 | 4.13 | 18 | 11 | 6 | 3 | 1.26 |
| -- | 473 | Mike Taylor | Wisconsin | 6-2 | 225 | 4.75 | 46 | 375 | 38.5 | 7 | 8.15 | 13 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 0.96 |
| -- | 486 | Ray Shipman | UCF | 6-4 | 242 | 4.76 | 34 | 217 | 8 | 3.5 | 6.38 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.33 |
| -- | 495 | Terence Gavin | W. Virginia | 6-3 | 222 | 4.65 | 47 | 235 | 21.5 | 10.5 | 5.00 | 13 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 0.33 |
| -- | 511 | Kenny Cain | TCU | 6-1 | 225 | 4.76 | 45 | 189 | 9.5 | 2.5 | 4.20 | 12 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0.26 |
| -- | 519 | Jordan Campbell | N.Mex Highl. | 5-10 | 244 | 4.64 | 22 | 214 | 51.5 | 17 | 9.72 | 8 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 3.11 |
| -- | 528 | Raymond Buchanan | Miami (Fla) | 6-1 | 228 | 4.52 | 41 | 116 | 14 | 0 | 2.82 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.34 |
| -- | 539 | Nick Moody | Florida St | 6-2 | 237 | 4.68 | 42 | 142 | 5 | 1 | 3.38 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0.14 |
| -- | 545 | Jonathan Willard | Clemson | 6-1 | 223 | 4.57 | 40 | 204 | 16.5 | 3 | 5.10 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0.48 |
| -- | 556 | Shaq Wilson | S. Carolina | 5-11 | 225 | 4.67 | 52 | 237 | 15 | 4 | 4.55 | 5 | 4 | 2 | 4 | 0.36 |
Looking at this chart, the Broncos don’t have a shot at Jarvis Jones at all this year, by virtue of their 13-4 finish in 2012. They have the 28th, 60th and 92nd picks (so far) in the 2013 NFL Draft on April 25-27th. I really don’t think OLB is a position of need that should be addressed in the first 3 rounds personally, but so far, Arthur Brown and Jelani Jenkins are sitting around the 2nd and 3rd picks. Those two might get consideration for Best Player Available when the Broncos are on the clock.
There are some intriguing small school guys situated lower in the current rankings. Sio Moore, Keith Pough in the 4th-5th round area put up some good numbers. Ja’Gared Davis appears to be pretty well rounded. Jake Knott has 23 Pass Breakups and a ton of Tackles, he just isn’t a penetrator.
Jordan Campbell of New Mexico Highlands has a Production Ratio of 3.11. That was enough to make me investigate further. It turns out that he went to USC, but made the choice to leave in 2010. Redshirted as a freshman fullback in 2007, his first year at USC, Campbell played on special teams and served as a backup strongside linebacker in 2008 after switching from FB in the Spring of 2008. He was the backup at weakside linebacker and excelled on Special Teams as a sophomore in 2009.
He took advantage of an NCAA-regulated free-transfer policy for juniors and seniors in June 2010, because he couldn't get much playing time.
He said he lost his place in the depth chart because of the (sprained ankle)injury. By the time he was healthy, his spot was no longer available and he felt he had lost valuable competition time.
"I'm confident enough in my game where I can go to another school and start for the next two years," said Campbell.
USC also went under sanction from the NCAA right around the time Pete Carroll conveniently skipped out of town.
Jordan transferred to Louisville from USC, but never played a game for the Cards because of those sanctions, an academic issue and a false rumor that he hired an Agent. Thus, he ended up at New Mexico Highlands.
Scouting Report
Jordan Campbell New Mexico Highlands University Linebacker - Video
That should leave us with something to discuss.
Go Broncos!
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