Tony Pauline, for Sports Illustrated:
Luke Kuechly, Boston College: Questions about Kuechly’s speed and athleticism preceded the combine. He answered his critics in dynamic fashion, running both of his 40s in the mid 4.5-second range. His vertical jump of 38-inches and broad jump of 10-feet, 3-inches graded among the better marks from today’s linebackers. He was smooth opening his hips in coverage drills and was able to get great depth on pass drops. Kuechly did not display a smooth change of direction and some will question his pursuit skills, but on the whole it was a great performance by the Boston College junior.
I’m confused. Kuechly’s worst combine drill yesterday was the bench press, and he was still sixth among linebackers on that one. Who exactly is going to “question his pursuit skills” at this point?
The new question of the day: can Kuechly play outside linebacker as well? If (when) the Eagles address middle linebacker in free agency, the answer will tell us whether he could still be a draft target.