3. Nick Bolton, Missouri
Size: 5-11, 237
The Good: In a draft full of a fast hybrid types and guys who can only play on the outside, here’s your inside linebacker.
He might not be as bit as some might like, but he’s a high-end SEC defender who came up with close to 200 tackles in his last two years at Mizzou with the leadership to play in the middle and toughness to hold up against the run.
While he’s not going to be a flash, he’s got the burst to get behind the line and has the functional ability to hold his own in pass coverage.
The Not-So-Good: The lack of bulk might matter. He’s not big enough or thick enough to be an NFL thumper, and he’s not really a sideline-to-sideline guy who’ll fly to the ball and do something flashy in the open field.
The raw NFL tools are just okay. There isn’t any real knock, but he doesn’t have any one elite thing that stands out. He might not be the shot-for-the-stars type some might like in the top 50, but …
#MIZ 🐯🏈 pic.twitter.com/DnGAqUcKJy
— Mizzou Football (@MizzouFootball) April 4, 2021
NFL Draft College Perspective Thought: He’s just a really good football player. He can be a leader, he’ll bring a thump, and he’s always going to be around the action making things happen. He might not show up on the stat sheet in some areas like the star outside guys in this draft, but don’t be shocked if he leads a team in tackles.
Projected Round: Second