Cory Littleton, LB, Los Angeles Rams
Given the increasing use of nickel and dime sets as base defenses in the NFL, and the corresponding increasing need for linebackers who can roam the entire field in both run-stopping and coverage roles, Rams linebacker Cory Littleton is hitting the open market at exactly the right time. Last season, the Rams played a dime+ defense, with six or more defensive backs on the field, on 41% of their defensive snaps, ranking third in the NFL. Littleton had 561 coverage snaps, which means that he was the lone linebacker on the field for a lot of those plays.
As Pro Football Focus points out, Littleton’s six interception are second only to Atlanta’s Deion Jones (seven) among qualifying linebackers who entered the league just in 2016. Littleton also has the 2nd most forced incompletions (16) and is tied for second with the fewest missed tackles (four). NFL teams will go high on college linebackers like Clemson’s Isaiah Simmons and LSU’s Patrick Queen when considering these types of skill sets, but with Littleton, some team is going to get a guy who’s already succeeded in that paradigm at the highest level.