Round 5, Pick No. 150: Appalachian State LB Akeem Davis-Gaither

If I can’t come away with one of the top linebackers in this draft, I’m going to be looking at a few of the lesser-known prospects from small schools. Akeem Davis-Gaither is a very intriguing prospect. He’s one of those guys who falls somewhere between a safety and a linebacker. He’ll probably need a little time working in an NFL weight room.

Davis-Gaither has instincts that you can’t teach. He’s very natural in zone coverage drops and his reaction time once he identifies a play is lightning fast. In college, he’s shown the ability to stick with receivers, running backs and tight ends in man coverage. I question if that’ll continue in the NFL where things get quite a bit faster.

At the very least you’re getting a multi-phase special teams player in Davis-Gaither. I am of the opinion that with a little polish and growth he could become a defensive weapon at the WLB position and be a crucial component in certain subpackage groupings.