Max is one of the more active linebackers I evaluated during the pre-season. The first play of his game highlights against Bullis shows him spying the quarterback on as passing play, making the decision to attack, and closing the gap quickly to hit the quarterback and cause a fumble. The second highlight shows his football IQ. Max drops back into his zone during a pass play, realizes there’s no one attacking his area, and he decides to go and get the quarterback and makes the tackle. The third play, he attacks the quarterback, gets a hurry, and causes an incompletion. Max’s highlights prove that he’s a sideline-to-sideline guy and is more than a capable pass-defender. I think we already knew he was a tackling machines.

Dilanian made 77 total tackles (53 solo), sacked the quarterback twice, and generated seven quarterback hurries last season. He’ll be counted on even more to lead a defense that lost eight players who were in the top 9 in tackles for the team last season.

Dilanian competed at Columbia’s prospect camp back on July 7th.

Max is a strong tackler who makes a lot of plays in the box. He consistently makes plays near the line of scrimmage and usually stops momentum with good form tackling. Max plays a disciplined style of football and is usually where he needs to be for his defense. Even on one play where he over pursued a little bit, he still managed to punch the football out of the running back’s hands and recover the fumble. Currently on the light side of things as a linebacker, he’s able to overcome with with technique, instincts, physicality, and quick read-and-react ability. Accoring to his X (formerly Twitter bio), he is now 205 pounds (up from 10 pounds previously). I expect him to take his game up another level headed into his junior year.