Toro Times
Fansided

Ranking AFC South Units: Linebackers

By Josh McSwain

facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
4 of 4
Next

1. Jaguars

Sep 7, 2014; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia Eagles running back LeSean McCoy (25) tries to move past Jacksonville Jaguars outside linebacker Telvin Smith (50) during the third quarter at Lincoln Financial Field. The Eagles defeated the Jaguars, 34-17. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 7, 2014; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia Eagles running back LeSean McCoy (25) tries to move past Jacksonville Jaguars outside linebacker Telvin Smith (50) during the third quarter at Lincoln Financial Field. The Eagles defeated the Jaguars, 34-17. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports /

This is a little different because the Jaguars are the only team that runs a 4-3 defense, but still the talent they have at linebacker is tremendous.

On the inside, Paul Posluszny is a tackling machine. In five years in Jacksonville he has racked up 622 tackles—including 162 in 2013, second best in the league; he also can cover well with 14 career interceptions. Due to the teams he has played for (the Jaguars and Bills before that) he never really has gotten enough recognition for how good he is.

On the outside, they have two of the best linebacker prospects of the last few years. Former Florida State linebacker Telvin Smith had a great rookie year in 2014 with 104 tackles and the defense showed how much it missed him when he went out with an injury over the last two games over 2015, giving up over 30 points in losses to both the Saints and Texans. This offseason they picked Myles Jack from UCLA in round two, a guy who might have been a top ten pick if not for his injury risk.

If Jack can stay healthy, this will be among the best LB units in the league. During his time at UCLA Jack played both linebacker and running back, and now that he just can focus on being a linebacker it should make him that much better. He was named Freshman of the Year in the Pac-12 on both offense and defense in 2013, clearly showing he can do both.

There is tremendous talent at linebacker for them. But if Jack can’t stay healthy and they have to use Dan Skuta or other replacements they could be overtaken for the top spot. Overall though there are some very strong linebacking units in this division.

Home/Houston Texans News