1. Rolando McClain, Alabama.
McClain’s pedestrian speed (4.7+ forty) and case of Crohn’s disease are somewhat concerning, but the Academic All-SEC honoree lived in college backfields, racking up 26.5 tackles for loss and seven sacks in his final two seasons as the play-calling “Mike” 'backer in Nick Saban’s 3-4 defense.
Draft Prediction: Broncos, No. 11 overall.
2. Brandon Spikes, Florida.
While Spikes’ 5.05 forty will take him off most 4-3 teams’ radars, the three-time first-team All-SEC selection is a thumper with rare ball skills for an inside linebacker, picking off six passes in his final two seasons and returning a pair of them for touchdowns.
Draft Prediction: 49ers, No. 79 overall.
3. Donald Butler, Washington.
At 6-foot-1 and 245 pounds, the Huskies’ middle linebacker and 2009 team leader in both tackles and tackles for loss runs a 4.61 forty and is athletic enough to man the all-important “Mike” position in an NFL Tampa-2 scheme.
Draft Prediction: Bears, No. 75 overall.
4. Sean Lee, Penn State.
Lee was a better player before his 2008 ACL tear, but remained plenty active in 2009 with 11 tackles for loss on a Nittany Lions defense that didn’t allow a single 100-yard rusher, and figures to regain some explosiveness two years removed from surgery.
Draft Prediction: Giants, No. 76 overall.
5. Jamar Chaney, Mississippi State.
Combining ideal size (6'1/242) with ideal speed (4.54 forty), Chaney was the Bulldogs’ leading tackler the past two seasons and an impact run defender in the SEC.
Draft Prediction: Raiders, No. 39 overall.
6. Micah Johnson, Kentucky.
Johnson goes an impressive 6-foot-2, 258 and was a projected second-round pick had he entered the 2009 NFL Draft, but his production dropped off as a senior and Johnson hurt his stock with a 4.99 forty at the Combine.
Draft Prediction: Steelers, No. 151 overall.
7. Pat Angerer, Iowa.
Kirk Ferentz’s starting middle linebacker in 2008 and 2009, the 6-foot-0, 235-pound Angerer made first-team All-Big Ten as a senior after racking up a studly 145 tackles -- 56 more than any other Hawkeye.
Draft Prediction: Chiefs, No. 136 overall.
8. Darryl Sharpton, Miami.
The Hurricanes shuttled Sharpton all around the defense before finally settling him in at middle linebacker as a senior, and the versatile, if undersized (6'0/229) second-team All-ACCer exploded with a career-best season.
Draft Prediction: Ravens, No. 157 overall.
9. Phillip Dillard, Nebraska.
The Cornhuskers’ second leading tackler in 2009 (behind Ndamukong Suh), Dillard left school as Nebraska’s only ever four-time all-conference selection but will be red flagged by NFL teams for persistent knee problems.
Draft Prediction: Bills, No. 140 overall.
10. Kion Wilson, South Florida.
A former community college transfer, the smallish (6'0/232) if athletic Wilson immediately took over at middle linebacker in the Bulls’ annually stout defense and led the team in tackles last year with 105, to go with nine stops for a loss.
Draft Prediction: Vikings, No. 167 overall.