Ali Highsmith

[Staubach12]

His stock has really plummeted lately, mostly due to that 40 time. However, while the 40 time is admittedly terrible, you can't ignore his play on the field. It's really hard when evaluating a player like him because of his terrible 40 time but fantastic play. So, where does Highsmith land?

[Jakey]

3rd round IMO...i cant see him going any earlier than that!

[Yatta!]

I think his stock was falling before the combine anyway. Slow and undersized do not make a good combination. He's a 4th or 5th rounder now imo.

[Larry121283]

Taken earlier than the experts think. Perfect T2 linebacker. Timed speed means jack for Ali...he plays fast.

[neko4]

His stock is fallen, but he is a way better LB than that 40 time. I believe he did good in the 3 cone and other drills

[Flyboy]

Could he be H.B. Blades-esque?

[Paranoidmoonduck]

Could he be H.B. Blades-esque?

The concern is probably way higher with Highsmith, because, although Blades was slow, he was one of the bigger and harder hitting middle linebackers in the draft. Highsmith is really quite light and most were expecting him to function in the NFL as a weakside linebacker.

Whether he makes onto the field as a starter in the NFL is in serious question, so I'm going to say 4th round at the highest probably.

[BaLLiN]

end of 4th probably

[hugegmenfan]

im going to say 4th or 5th round- but i think its a steal for whoever picks him up there

[Staubach12]

I think his stock was falling before the combine anyway. Slow and undersized do not make a good combination. He's a 4th or 5th rounder now imo.

Before the combine, his stock was fine. He was a late 1st, early 2nd pick. He wasn't slow on the field. On tape, the kid plays sideline-to-sideline.

[toonsterwu]

I think 4th is probably his peak. And that's debatable, as someone like Xavier Adibi could fall to the 4th. Don't be surprised if he falls to that 6th/7th area. I think he's a good player, but he's

a) A linebacker - a position that has a tendency to fall
b) A small linebacker - there's enough undersized weakside backers in this draft. As interesting as Bryan Kehl is as a talent, I think part of his rise is due to the lack of full sized linebackers as well. That said, as a talent, Kehl was a deserving 3rd/4th type anyways, so his rise is understandable.
c) A small, slow linebacker - That's just not a good combination

I don't think he's a 4.9 player, which was his combine time, but his Pro day time was 4.7, which puts him around a 4.8. Much as I think he plays faster than 4.8, that hurts. And he didn't have particularly standout short area and agility times to necessarily overcome it.

Short of it is, best case scenario, 4th. Don't rule him out of falling out of the entire draft, though.

[BallerT1215]

I think Late 3rd is best case scenario for him...

Most likely 4th rnd - Which is very good value for him IMO.

[SchizophrenicBatman]

All the OLBs who run slow times like him fall to the deep second day. 5th round

[Iamcanadian]

Highsmith has a very serious neck condition which explains his poor 40 time. I have serious doubts about his ability to pass a pro physical and because of that he may not be drafted.

[yourfavestoner]

He's probably not gonna get drafted.
Remember last year that Earl Everett moved all the way up to third on a lot of peoples' OLB rankings last year after the National Championship game. He proceeded to run in the 4.7-4.8 range and wound up getting undrafted.

[etk]

The perception that Highsmith is slow is simply false. Linebacker is more about quickness in short areas and changing directions than straight-line speed. I believe Highmsith had the best short shuttle and one of the best 3 cone times for a LB at the combine. He will have no problems stopping the run with his quickness and agility, but his speed raises questions about his coverage ability. It would be tragic if he fell to the 6th round over the 40 time because Highsmith changes directions better than almost any LB in the league, and he was very impressive against McFadden this year.

[Dam8610]

I see him going somewhere between rounds 4-6. He seemed like a great fit for the Tampa 2 until that crap 40 time, but players with slow 40s have become stars in the past in that system, they were just drafted a bit later (John Lynch).