Darrian Beavers
LB Cincinnati 6-3 237 SR #0
GRADE: 79 OVR RANK: NR POS RANK: NR
ARM LENGTH: 32 3/8”//HAND SIZE: 9 ¾”//40YD: 4.70 (68%)//10YD: 1.63 (72%)
VJ: 36 ½” (86%)//BJ: 10’05” (94%)//BP: ( %)//SS: 4.17 (91%)//3C: 6.91 (91%)
Projection: Will need to develop his reading of Gap runs to develop into a solid two-down LB thumper. Good enough in Zone to develop, within his rookie contract, into an every-down LB, best fit as a Mike, in a Zone heavy defense. Draft Projection: Day 3 ~ GrindingTheMocks.com
Ravens Fit: His best shot to play every down in the NFL is likely as a Mike in a Zone heavy defense. He can contribute reasonably early in his career as a two-down thumper. He doesn’t fit the Ravens perfectly given his limitation in man coverage but they will like his grit, explosion and toughness and might consider that he could develop into a Sam LB in time. I think his greatest strength as a coverage LB is in Zone and you likely want to maximize his chances to do this, while also taking advantage of his processing ability, playing the run from Mike.
Overall Fit 
3/5
Vs Run
He’s able to read run/pass quickly and diagnoses Zone runs quickly and gets in position to make a play on the ball carrier. When challenged by OL who are Zone blocking in space, he’s able to use his processing and explosion to soften angles and be able to run through shoulders to the ball carrier. If he has to, he can use quick and accurate hands to shed the blocker in space and get to the ball carrier. He matches angles quickly with reach blocks and can blow through the back-side of reach blocks on his way to tackling the RB behind the LOS. He reads his keys from the RB effectively, identifying the aiming point and potential cut-back lanes. He’s able to process and sort vs zone effectively and gets underneath the vertical movement from the OL.
Against Gap he is slower to break down types of blocks, he can shoot the gap only to be Down-blocked out of the play and he can struggle to see pulling linemen coming far enough off to get under them without losing gap discipline. When defending Base blocks or setting the edge, he has good hand placement and timing. He can lock out and is able to control the point of attack against OL before shedding and making a tackle on the runner in his gap. He could use his hands to take on blocks more. He has good physical toughness and has no hesitation in running through bigger blockers to set teammates up to make a play. He can make plays outside of his assigned area, especially in short spaces to the sideline, i.e. starts outside the hash with the ball on the hash. He can process and sort quickly and take good angles to the football in these short areas, wading through traffic effectively to get to the ball carrier.
His initial explosion and ability to get off his spot quickly help him with his range but when he has to go longer distances to make a play, he takes less efficient angles. When he gets to the ball carrier, he is a good tackler when flowing to the ball from the inside, he can use his angles to run the player down and he delivers hard hits. If he is tackling in the gap at the LOS, in the backfield or in open space, he is liable to go a little high and be run through by RBs with better contact balance and play strength, or not bring his feet with him and lunge at RBs with better lateral agility.
Coverage
His good processing extends to his awareness in Zone coverage, he can read route progressions and the Quarterback effectively to maintain proper leverage on receivers coming into his Zone. He is good at dealing with multiple threats and takes away targets to WRs/TEs who are breaking behind him when he is in a hook/curl zone. He has some tightness when matching up in Man coverage but has enough hip fluidity to cover RBs out of the backfield and downfield. He has good play strength to cover TEs/RBs at the break-point but his drive mechanics include some wasted movement. Has good placement and timing in his ball skills.
SUMMARY
Takes good angles, processes/sorts well against Zone run and to the outside. Could process quicker vs Gap runs. Good in Zone coverage. Some movement deficiencies in Man.
PRODUCTION
SR: 6 Sack, 6 QB Hits, 96 Total Tackles, 2 FF, 1 INT, 2 PBUs JR: 2 Sacks, 4 QB hits, 54 total tackles, 1 FF, 2 INT, 2 PBUs INJURY: None
RAVENS FIT
Athleticism 3
Intelligence 4
Versatility 3
Grit 4
Scheme 2
