2018 NFL Draft: BYU’s Fred Warner should get more hype as early round pick
In a deep class for linebackers that we’ll start to see fall off the board around Round 3 in the 2018 NFL Draft, watch for Fred Warner of BYU football.
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BYU football had a rough go at things during the course of a tough schedule in 2017. A four win campaign under Cougars head football coach Kalani Sitaki massively fell short of expectations. Yet, most of the blame here falls on the offensive side of the ball. BYU had trouble finding a starting quarterback that could put it all together.
Since the defense played pretty well most of the way, some NFL Draft prospects were able to emerge. Of all the defensive standouts for the Cougars, senior linebacker Fred Warner had his third consecutive year of top-notch production.
Strengths
Warner led the Cougars in total tackles last year with 87, and he also had close to his third consecutive season with double-digit tackles for loss. Possibly the most notable stat for this skilled linebacker saw him nab at least one interception in each of his four seasons at BYU.
The physical tools are getting overlooked for Warner too. It’s not like he lacks size, at 6-foot-4 and 230 pounds.
Weaknesses
An issue that gets pointed out for an area for Warner to improve is consistently getting his motor going. He doesn’t show up with the same prowess on each down.
Draft expectations
His effort is something that can be fixed with the right off-season work ethic levels when he makes the jump to the NFL. All the positives easily outweight the negatives for Warner’s draft stock, and he could jump up draft boards starting on April 26.
Any team that needs a versatile linebacker that can play with the speed and awareness of a pass rushing safety, should look no further than Warner. Walter Football projects Warner as a fourth to sixth round pick in the 2018 NFL Draft. We should be talking about a guy that falls more around the third or fourth round given his unique skill set.
Next: Complete 7-round 2018 NFL Mock Draft
Outside linebacker is a rather deep position in this draft class come the middle rounds, but teams should not take sleepers like Warner for granted. He’s the type of player that could emerge in a big way for one lucky NFL team early in his career.