Rocky McIntosh
OLB | (6'2
", 237, 4.63) |
MIAMI (FLA.)
Scouts Grade: 85
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Strengths: A physically gifted and versatile LB prospect that peaked as a senior. Possesses a very good combination of height, weight and speed. Has adequate bulk and room left on his frame to get bigger. Has long arms, a wide wingspan and impressive agility for his size. Also has very good straight-line speed for his size. Is at his best working in space versus the run. Does a good job of slipping blocks and pursuing. He is a sideline-to-sideline run supporter who also makes a lot of plays in the backfield. Shows very good initial quickness and closing burst. He is a solid wrap-up tackler in space. Shows good speed and closing burst as a pass rusher. If he can improve his pass rush moves he can be an impact pass rusher in the NFL. He has upside in coverage because of his wingspan and speed. He has a great work ethic and is an intense player. Excellent production and experience on special teams.
Weaknesses: Lacks ideal overall strength and plays with too narrow of a base. Does not show explosive upper-body power, either. He does not like to take on blocks and will occasionally take himself out of position by running around blockers. Takes too long to disengage and must improve his hand usage. Still has room to improve in terms of his recognition skills in coverage. Better in man-to-man than he is in zone coverage. Has had some durability issues in the past. Knee in 2003 (missed opener vs. La. Tech) and shoulder in spring of 2004.
Overall: McIntosh redshirted in 2001 and was a part-time starter the next two seasons (2002-'03) before taking over as the team's starting SLB during his junior season in 2004. McIntosh finished second on the team with 111 total tackles as a junior. He also has 13 tackles for loss, four sacks and three passes broken up. McIntosh started all 12 games as a senior in 2005 and finished with 89 tackles (team-high), 10 TFL, 5.5 sacks, two fumble recoveries and on forced fumble. McIntosh is a versatile prospect with experience at all three linebacker positions. He was bothered by a lingering shoulder injury in 2004 but still had a productive season and he continued to make positive strides as a senior in 2005. McIntosh still has room to improve in terms of his upper-body strength and ability to take on and disengage from blockers. However, McIntosh has the physical tools to develop into a solid starter in the NFL. He played more SLB than any other LB position in college but he has the frame, athletic ability and speed to play any or all three spots in the NFL, and we think his best fit will be at the WLB position. He also played a great deal on special teams while at Miami and shows a lot of promise in that facet as a pro. In our opinion, McIntosh warrants second-round consideration as one of the top-10 overall linebacker prospects in the 2006 class.