Dominic Douglas, 6'1" 229MLB, Mississippi State
Rankings: Pro Football Weekly: 35th-ranked OLB, graded as a free agent with a chance to be in an NFL training camp.
NFLDraftScout.com: 33rd-ranked ILB, #733 player overall. Free agent grade.
Biography/Honors:
2008: Led SEC in tackles with 116. Named to second-team All-SEC. 5.5 tackles for loss and 1 INT. Four starts at outside linebacker, eight at middle linebacker.
2007: 78 tackles, 8 tackles for loss. 11 starts in 13 games at OLB.
Major: fitness management.
Injuries: Missed the second half of one game in 2007 because of a sprained ankle.
Pro Day Stats:
None available. Douglas is credited with a 4.78 40. He worked out at the University of Miami to prepare for pro day but there's no evident record online saying how he did.
Positives: Smooth and covers a lot of area on the field. Secure tackler who knows how to deliver punishing hits. Excellent technique - stays low, keeps his feet moving, uses his hands very well, uses good leverage. Works hard through traffic. Reacts quickly to run keys and to throws in front of him. Decent drop in pass coverage. Has some explosiveness as an edge pass rusher. Plays special teams and has ideal attitude for that unit. Team leader with experience calling defensive signals.
Negatives: Undersized for the middle. Not quick-footed, not quick enough laterally to handle coverage outside. Needs to take on blockers more instead of trying to run around them. Does not catch up to receivers when trailing. High tackle total may be misleading, an effect of MSU's aggressive system. Lacks the measurables to be more than a backup.
Fun Facts: I don't know if Douglas is a fan of Brad Van Pelt, but like Van Pelt (who passed away in February) did in college and the pros, he wore jersey #10 at Mississippi State. (He has #54 as a Ram.) Douglas' first name is spelled like Dominic but pronounced like Dominique, as in Wilkins. Rams running back coach Sylvester Croom was Douglas' head coach all four years at MSU.
RamView: Dominic Douglas makes you think of other LBs who were significantly downgraded because of size, like London Fletcher or DeMeco Ryans. He also made me think of Tim McGarigle, another LB who piled up an absolute ton of tackles at the college level who has been able to stick in the pros a little bit as a 7th-round pick. But Douglas is a good 15 pounds lighter than all of those guys. Just like he's 15 pounds behind fellow Bulldog alum Quinton Culberson on the Rams roster. The Rams are working Douglas out in the middle, which is curious; Will Witherspoon was ultimately too small to work out well there, and he's got a good 10 pounds on Douglas. Signing a small MLB doesn't make a lot of sense from my standpoint, so thumbs down, though Douglas sounds like a smart football player and could snatch a roster spot by playing his butt off on special teams. I'll be pulling for him.
Sources: 2009 Pro Football Weekly Draft Preview, NFL.com, CBSSports.com, NFLDraftScout.com, CNNSI.com, MileHighReport.com
photo from Mississippi State University website
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