Jamar Chaney - ILB 6'0 3/4 242 lbs Mississippi State
I posted in another thread a little something about this guy from some observations I've seen from some actual game film, but after his solid combine, it prompted me to look a little more in depth.
First off, I'm going to say that personally, I feel his combine time was a fluke. Yes, I think it was a fluke. I think he plays faster than his 4.54. He is said to have been a pretty consistent 4.48-4.49 guy. After his top performances in 6 catagories, the 40, bench press, vertical, 3 cone, 20 yard shuffle and the 60 yard shuffle, I think he's just put himself on many teams radars.
He is said not only to be a true workout warrior, but he is also a real student of the game. He is said to be the first one in the film room and the last one to leave. He is an emotional leader on the field, on the sidelines and in the locker room. He is a high character kid.
On the field, he has great sideline to sideline range. He is very quick to diagnose plays and is very rarely fooled by misdirection, playaction passes or complex blocking schemes. He reacts quickly to the snap of the ball and knows exactly where he is supposed to be. He has full confidence in his teammates and trusts that they will be where they are supposed to be. He rarely if ever has any lapses in his assignments and is very aware of any receiver trying to slip behind him while in coverage. Is very capable in coverage whether it be man or zone, but he excels in zone coverage. Numerous times on film, I have seen him run step for step with a wideout 50+ yards down the field however. Not a tight end and not a running back, but a wide receiver. Will allow some catches to be made as he doesn't always turn his head and locate the ball, but he is usually so tight in coverage that he immediately is in position to tackle the receiver. He is not much of a pass rusher.
Playing the run, he demonstrates superb gap control and discipline. Will not leave his assignment to try to make a spectacular tackle, instead he will lock his gap down until the other defenders box him in. He will then assist in bringing the ball carrier down. He is not said to be very physical, however, in the film I've seen of him, he can be very physical when needed. He uses his hands very well and has a variety of moves to slip the blocks. He has beaten many double teams with excellent hand maneuvers coupled with his quickness. Is better in pursuit than given credit for, often running 40 yards across the field to assist in making a tackle. Is not a huge hitter normally. Will not punish the ball carrier, instead, he relies on near perfect technique when tackling, however, he does tend to tackle high on occasion, but he always wraps up the ball carrier. He plays with generally good pad level and always keeps his head up. Very high motor and is relentless from snap to whistle. Has solid leg drive. Very good instincts and is almost always around the ball.
He does need to work on staying low when making a tackle. Sometimes, he seems to rely a little too much on his athleticism and as a result will occasionally take bad angles. Although he is more physical than I initially thought, in order for him to have real success at the NFL level, he will need to get stronger, which should not be a problem for him (especially if he gets to work with John Lott
). The broken leg he suffered seemed to have hampered his production a little this past season, as at times he seemed a little tentative, but after watching some of his game film from 2007, I was assured that he is alot more aggressive than I originally thought. I think another year removed from the injury will do him good. Scouts say that he has the room to add another 10-15 pounds on his frame without losing much speed. This can only help him.
Summary: I think he has all the tools needed to develop into a high quality ILB in a 3-4. I see him as a perfect eventual replacement for Gerald Hayes. Not the prototypical "thumper" as most would desire for the SILB, but he has all the range needed to play the position. His solid tackling coupled with his athleticism and range to play the run and cover would give us an added dimension to our base defense and he certainly has the ability to be a 3 down LB used in our nickel packages. Couple him with A.J. Edds or Sean Lee on the weakside, and we'll have a very formidable ILB tandem for years to come.
