Piece By: Owen McCullor | My Youtube
Pete Werner
LB, Ohio St
Senior
Age: 21(6/5/99)
Height: 6’2 7/8”
Weight: 238lbs
40 time: 4.64/4.58
Bench Press: 20
3 Cone: 6.95
Short Shuttle: 4.38
Pros
NFL level height and weight
Good ability to deconstruct blocks, doesn’t allow blockers into his body
Capable blitzer, hast fast hands to find counters to lineman’s initial move, power to bull linemen back into the QB
Above average knowledge of zone coverage and sticks to bigger TEs(see vs Penn St and Pat Freiermuth)
No issues with tackling, few missed tackles, can lay the wood on occasion
Identifies run plays quickly and sets the LOS when up near the line
Cons
Average to slightly below average athlete in space. Will be challenged covering smaller athletic RBs in space
Occasionally takes bad angles when chasing down from the backside
Most likely not scheme flexible, projects to be a 4-3 SAM
Summary
Werner is one of my biggest sleepers in this draft, some people view him as a day 3 pick who will only be a role player due to his lack of high-end athleticism. I personally didn’t see that much of an issue on film with his athleticism, but he may not be suited for a different role outside of the strong side in an even front scheme.
He processes the game quickly but lacks the true sideline to sideline speed required for a true MIKE and tends to take poor angles when working from the backside which does not help his ability to catch up to the play. He has the required size to play on the strong side as a SAM in a base 4-3. He has shown the ability to line up off the ball or pressed on the line. Using his strength to handle bigger blockers which allows him to disengage from blocks at the second level and not give up ground on the LOS.
His blitzing is above average, finding ways to get to the QB and provide pressure consistently. However, what I believe makes him a special player is the trait most teams particularly have on their play side linebacker, which is his pass coverage ability. He can stick to TEs in man(watch him vs future NFL Tight End Pat Freiermuth), has a good awareness of where different routes are combining, and the Football IQ to find players when his zone is empty as to not just be standing around covering grass.
This next level of pass defense had people talking about him as a converted safety, but I believe he can keep his weight where he is and be that rare 3 down linebacker that allows a team to run base without fearing the sacrifice in coverage by not running nickel.
Best Fit: Buffalo Bills
The Bills don’t have any pressing needs on their roster after retaining most of their key contributors in free agency. However, one spot on the defense that could use an immediate impact would be the strong side linebacker position currently held down by AJ Klein. Klein did have some flashy games(here’s looking at you Seattle), but he is turning 30 this season and next offseason can be cut to save the team 5.2 million dollars.
Klein’s biggest weakness as a player is in pass coverage and if Buffalo adds Werner, say by trading back in the first and using an early second, they could find an immediate upgrade and save Klein for heavy boxes or a rotating blitzer on pass downs. Werner would be an all down linebacker and could allow Matt Milano to flex out and be more of the Big Nickle to cover smaller backs/bigger slot receivers. All of this without sacrificing size in the box where Milano is subpar to begin with.
Round Projection: Early/Mid 2nd
Big Board Ranking: 34th
Positional Ranking(LB): 5th
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