3. Dylan Moses, ILB
The NFL was infatuated with both LSU’s Devin White and Michigan’s Devin Bush enough that the two inside linebackers were selected inside the Top 10 of this year’s draft. Both White and Bush represented the evolution of the middle linebacker position, each being undersized compared to your traditional inside ‘backer.
But both have the type of sideline-to-sideline speed and coverage skills that made them coveted pro prospects as the NFL moves deeper in the spread revolution and pass-happy offenses.
Next up in the same mold will be Dylan Moses. Moses is listed at 6-foot-3 and 233 pounds, so while he’s a bit taller than both White and Bush, his frame is just as slight. White and Bush were lauded for their athleticism, and each ran 4.4 40-yard-dashes at the combine. I expect Moses to test very similar at next year’s combine in Indianapolis.
Moses had a good sophomore season, his first in a starting role. He was named a finalist for the Butkus Award as a result. Now, Moses will shift over from Alabama’s WILL linebacker role to the MIKE, where he will replace Mack Wilson.
That makes Moses the signal-caller of the defense, so he’ll have the added responsibility of making sure everyone else is lined up and doing their job properly as well as flying all around the field to make plays himself.
Big things are expected from Moses next season, and if he can live up to the hype, and test as well athletically as most expect, he could find himself in the Top 10 of the 2020 draft.