Weaknesses:
Summary: The Rutgers team lived off of Greene in 2012. The Scarlet Knights didn’t have a high-powered offense and were led by their stop unit. Greene and cornerback Logan Ryan had tremendous seasons to carry the defense.
It was impossible to not notice Greene when watching Rutgers. He was all over the field and constantly around the ball. Greene was superb as a run-stuffer. He also attacked the line of scrimmage and produced big plays in the backfield. Greene made his presence felt in pass defense both as a blitzer and by dropping into coverage. He totaled 136 tackles, six sacks, six forced fumbles, five passes batted, two interceptions and 12 tackles for a loss this year.
Greene played safety his first two collegiate seasons before moving to outside linebacker as a junior. The move payed off for Rutgers as he used his speed to fly around the field and make tackles. Greene led the team with 141 tackles, 14.5 tackles for a loss, 3.5 sacks and two forced fumbles in 2011. He broke his ankle against Iowa State in the 2012 Pinstripe Bowl. Greene had 77 tackles and two interceptions as a sophomore.
Surprisingly, Greene didn’t really stand out at the 2013 Senior Bowl, but he has plenty of good game tape to win over NFL talent evaluators. Greene should develop into a starting Will (weakside) linebacker in a NFL 4-3 defense. He would fit an attacking scheme or a Tampa 2 defense. Greene’s speed and athleticism should let him be a three-down linebacker in the NFL.
Greene should grade out as a second-round pick and looks extremely likely to go in the second or third round.
Player Comparison: Lance Briggs. There are some similarities in the style of play between Briggs and Greene; Both are fast with good instincts. Each player can cover a lot of ground and also has the ability to dish out some hard hits. Briggs (6-1, 244) was a third-round pick by the Bears in the 2003 NFL Draft and has turned into an excellent pro. As Greene ages in an NFL strength and conditioning program, he could top out in the 240s like Briggs.
NFL Matches: Detroit, St. Louis, New York Giants, Cincinnati, Jacksonville Linebackers for a 4-3 scheme can fall on the second day of the draft because there are a number of 3-4 teams that don’t fit their skill set. That happened with Lavonte David in the 2012 NFL Draft. Plus, not all 4-3 teams need linebackers. Thus, Greene could turn into a great value pick in the second or third round.
The Lions need to improve their linebacking corps, and Greene would be a good fit in their defense. St. Louis also has to upgrade its outside linebackers this offseason. Greene could upgrade the Rams’ run and pass defense in the middle of the field.
New York has been in need of improved play from its linebackers, and Greene would fit the Giants’ scheme well. He could be an option for them in the second round.
The Bengals need to improve their linebacking corps, too. Cincinnati would be a good landing spot for Greene. If the Bengals draft him, they could move Vontaze Burfict inside to middle linebacker with Greene as the Will.
Jacksonville, meanwhile, could lose Daryl Smith in free agency. Julian Stanford and Russell Allen left a lot to be desired, so Greene could start quickly for the Jaguars. He would be a nice third-round pick for them.
RELATED LINKS:
2013 NFL Mock Draft: Charlie’s | Walt’s
2013 NFL Draft Prospect Rankings
2013 NFL Draft Scouting Reports
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