Plenty of mock drafts have had Boston College’s Luke Kuechly as the first linebacker off the board and that doesn’t figure to change after his combine performance on Monday.
Kuechly, who left Boston College after his junior season, had a strong collegiate career but there were some concerns about whether he was a good enough athlete to excel at the professional level. He answered those doubts with strong results across the board that should solidify him in the top half of the first round come April.
Kuechly wound up with a 4.58 in the 40-yard dash and a 38-inch vertical leap, ranking third among linebackers in each metric, and was at or near the top of the position group in the other drills. There have been plenty of players over the years with strong game performance and weak combines as well as others who are workout wonders without the ability to back it up on game film. Kuechly showed scouts Monday that he ranks well in both things and that spells a high draft position.
The Eagles have been linked with Kuechly quite often with the 15th overall pick and he makes even more sense after Monday’s showing. The question now will be if he remains on the board that long.