Miami Football: Is Shaq Quarterman worth more than Day 3 NFL draft pick?

Shaq Quarterman was a productive starter since the time he stepped on campus as a freshman for Miami football, but could he fall in the NFL draft?

Miami has had some of the best linebackers of all time come through its doors and go on to have stellar careers in the NFL. From Ray Lewis to Jonathan Vilma to Jon Beason, Miami is one of the schools that contends for that title of Linebacker U.

Shaq Quarterman was a starter from day one when he stepped on campus and that is a rare privilege at Miami. He and fellow freshmen Michael Pinckney and Zach McCloud became the first ever trio of freshman linebackers to start at Miami, and together they were one of the best units in the ACC and the entire country.

However, Quarterman has several questions that he has tried to answer through the NFL combine and he was a player that could have really benefitted from in person workouts leading up to the draft.

Quarterman arrived at Miami as a four-star linebacker recruit and was looking to make an immediate impact in former head coach Mark Richt’s first season on the job. He finished the season with 84 total tackles and three sacks and helped the Hurricanes to a 9-4 record, while also returning the defense to levels of respectability under then defensive coordinator Manny Diaz.

Quarterman and the defense were expected to get even better in the their sophomore season in 2017 and it was one magical ride for him and the Hurricanes. The 2017 season introduced college football fans to the Turnover Chain and Miami had one of the top-ranked defenses in the entire country and Quarterman was a big part of that, finishing the season with 83 total tackles and 2.5 sacks.

Miami started the season off 10-0, but ended the season on a three game losing streak, leaving the impression that the Hurricanes had something to prove in 2018. Quarterman was back to lead the Canes defense in 2018 and the expectations were high for the Canes and the Turnover Chain. Unfortunately, 2018 turned out to be a massive disappointment as the Canes stumbled to a 7-6 record, but Quarterman led an elite defensive unit that ranked among the country’s best and he finished the season with 82 tackles, six sacks and an interception.

After contemplating going to the NFL after his junior season, Diaz convinced him to stay for another season. Quarterman set his career high in tackles (107) last season and led another top 15 defense, the Hurricanes suffered a horrible season and finished the year 6-7 and that ended his career in South Beach.

Let’s take a look at Quarterman’s strengths, weakness and also give him draft projection.

Strengths

Quarterman has good size for an NFL linebacker at 6-foot-1 and 240 pounds. He’s a hard-hitting linebacker that knows his assignments and run fits well and that is the most NFL ready part of his game.

He finished his career with 12.5 sacks and showed his ability as a blitzer and that will be very attractive to NFL teams. He finished every season with at least 80 tackles and showed his durability  by starting in every game of career while at Miami.

Quarterman also possesses great intangibles like leadership and that is something that you want in a middle linebacker in the NFL.

Weaknesses

While Quarterman was a very productive starter at Miami, there are several things that could keep from enjoying long term success in the NFL. He’s a very limited athlete and that is evidenced by 4.74 40-yard dash.

Linebackers in todays NFL need to be able to run sideline-to-sideline and play fast and that is not exactly Quarterman’s strength. He’s is just a two-down player in the NFL and that is not going to warrant a high draft pick.

Quarterman does not seem to make many plays or force turnovers and that is evidenced by his one career interception and only two forced fumbles in his career with the Hurricanes.

Draft Projection

Quarterman could make an impact as a special teams player in the NFL but I don’t think that he has the athleticism or playmaking instincts to be a high impact player at the next level and that will cause his draft stock to fall.

Projection: Round 4-5