NFL Draft 2013: Kevin Minter Scouting Report

The 2013 NFL Draft is quickly approaching and players have made their impact on NFL teams and personnel members. All that is left is private interviews where the players have an opportunity to showcase their intangibles during the one-on-one meetings.

While the private workouts and interviews are the final stages of evaluation for NFL teams, they will always go back to the film to see how the players performed this past season and throughout their entire career. With that in mind, we are going back through the games and watching some of the top draft prospects in this year’s class that your team could be welcoming to town in a matter of weeks.

Next up on the list of scouting reports is LSU Tigers linebacker Kevin Minter.

Minter is a player that you see popping into the first round of mock drafts everywhere as early as the twenties and most often to the Baltimore Ravens at pick No. 32.

He was the most consistent defender for LSU all season long and he fits multiple NFL schemes. The options and matches for Minter are there in the first-round, but is he worth the first round pick?

Here’s what the tape had to say:

Player: Kevin Minter
School: LSU
Height: 6-foot
Weight: 246-pounds

Pros:

• Aggressive
• Hard-hitter
• Excellent against the run
• Great tackler
• Sideline-to-sideline defender
• Fits multiple schemes
• Solid blitzer
• NFL ready body

Cons:

• Lacks coverage skills
• More of a reactor than a reader
• Low awareness
• Can get fooled easily with misdirection
• Lacks burst, closing speed

Overview:

Minter fits multiple teams in the bottom of round one — Houston, Cincinnati, Baltimore and Denver to name a few — so it seems all but certain that he will be drafted in the first-round. While he is an excellent run defender and physical presence in the middle of your defense, his lack of coverage skills and burst are a bit troubling. As I noted, Minter is more likely to react to what is going on around him rather than anticipate the play.

When you pair his lack of burst, coverage skills and play awareness, the fear begins to mount that Minter could be a two-down linebacker.

It’s not the popular belief surrounding Minter, but it’s what I see when I watch him play. Many people believe Minter is a three-down backer and if that’s the case, he is worth a first-round pick. For me, I would hold off on taking Minter until the 40-50 range to be sure I get an elite playmaker with my top pick in the draft.

Videos via DraftBreakdown.com.