5A’s Top Unsigned Linebackers

<strong>Ben Patterson - Hutchinson High School, 6’0 185 (Unranked Sr)</strong> Patterson is a highly instinctive mike prospect, with some juice to his game when he’s closing on ball carriers. When the film comes on in the first few plays, the common theme is the ability of the watcher to follow Patterson to the ball carrier. He possesses instincts that are very hard to teach and is a linebacker coach’s dream due to his eye discipline and patience. He very rarely takes false steps and does an excellent job anticipating where the offense is trying to attack in the run game. His feet are in perpetual motion and with a solid downhill burst he closes on ball carriers in a hurry. Patterson additionally has some nice country strength for a smaller mike prospect, and can absolutely rip down ball carriers down, as well as ripping the ball away from them on occasion. With his balance, quick feet and low center of gravity, he will only need to refine his hands a bit to be able to take on blocks at the next level and rack up tackles like they were going out of style. <strong>M.J Overstreet – Blue Springs South High School, 5’11 200 (Unranked Sr)</strong> Coaches at every level place tremendous value on versatility and Overstreet brings that to the table in spades. Used mainly as an overhang nickel linebacker and strong safety, the Blue Springs South product has the attributes to fill a variety of roles and fill them well.  Although there aren’t too many snaps at middle linebacker on film, Overstreet brings some untapped potential at that position. He looks to have a natural feel for the flow of the offensive line when defending the run and does an excellent job timing his triggers and attacking decisively. He is an absolute thumper in the run game and has the foot quickness to sift through traffic in tight areas. What stands out the most in this regard is his explosion, and ability to get up and under his target when he blows up ball carriers. As he plays a fearless brand of football, it is very easy to envision him blowing up offensive linemen at the next level when he’ll be able to spend some time in a collegiate weight program. When asked to cover in the slot, he shows a coordinated back pedal, and smooth enough hips to turn and run with backs and tight ends. With modern defensive schemes asking their linebackers to line up on multiple positions, the well-rounded game Overstreet possesses should make him a valuable asset at the next level <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="35591" first="Jake" last="Laurie"] – Blue Valley Southwest High School, 6’2 205 (Prep Redzone Sr LB10)</strong> The word that is unequivocally produced by a Rorschach test when flipping on Laurie’s film is <em>rangy. </em>The senior linebacker has a smooth, long stride, which allows him to cover ground deceptively fast, and he flashes a little juice to erase angles when he has a chance to get into his stride. With considerable experience at running back, Laurie shows a good understanding of pursuit angles, and does an excellent job staying patient with his eyes up. He also has very active feet, and good stop/start ability. These attributes allow him to consistently be in position to string out stretch and outside zone plays and bring down the ball carrier before he can turn upfield. In addition, Laurie flashes lower body flexibility,  which allows him to square up ball carriers and get up and under his target when squaring up a ball carrier in the open field. With the explosion he brings to the table, he also has the ability to deliver momentum shifting hits. With the prevalence of inside zone schemes at every level of college football, Laurie can be an asset in run defense, and has the potential to be an every down linebacker for the program that’s lucky enough to sign him.