JAMES LAURINAITIS
ARPER
OHIO STATE
#33
PROJECTION: 1st-2nd Round COMPARISON: -
CLASS SENIOR
HEIGHT 6-3
WEIGHT 240 lbs.
HOMETOWN Hamel, MN
HIGH SCHOOL Wayzata
BIRTHDAY 4/3/1987
|
YEAR |
TACKLES |
TFL |
SACKS |
INTS |
FF |
|
2008 |
130 |
7.0 |
4.0 |
2 |
1 |
|
2007 |
121 |
13.5 |
8.5 |
2 |
0 |
|
2006 |
115 |
8.5 |
4.0 |
5 |
3 |
|
2005 |
6 |
0.5 |
0.0 |
0 |
0 |
SCOUTING REPORT
STRENGTHS: Excellent size & strength...Good athlete...Smart & instinctive...Intense leader...Excellent tackler
WEAKNESSES: Needs to finish & attack more...Suspect coverage & hips...Needs to disengage blocks quicker
OVERALL: A three year starter and highly decorated LB, James Laurinaitis wasn’t highly recruited out of high school in Minnesota as he wasn’t considered among the top 50 linebackers by most recruiting services. He saw some action as a true freshman behind AJ Hawk, Bobby Carpenter, and Anthony Schlegel before becoming the starter as a sophomore and won the Nagurski Award, given to the to the nation’s best defensive player. As a junior in 2007, Laurinaitis won the Butkus Award, which recognizes the top linebacker in the nation. Over his career, he was a two-time Big 10 Defensive Player of the Year, First-Team All-Big 10 three times, and was named to numerous All-American Teams by several publications. Laurinaitis looks the part with very good strength. He is a good, but not great athlete and works best with the play in front of him. Laurinaitis is an intense player and a natural leader in the huddle – the QB of the defense. The biggest aspect of his game that he must improve is his ability to finish. Laurinaitis is a terrific form tackler and uses excellent technique, but too often it takes another defender to finish the play. He works well between the tackles in traffic, but needs to disengage blocks quicker. Laurinaitis shows very good coverage abilities, but shows a bit stiffness in his hips that will be exposed at the next level. He breaks down plays very quickly and is extremely instinctive and smart. Projects as a middle backer in the NFL.
BOTTOM LINE: Some feel he hurt his draft stock by returning to school, but Laurinaitis has excellent NFL potential with his combination of size, strength, instincts, and natural leadership skills.
|
DATE |
OPPONENT |
RESULT |
TACKLES |
TFL |
SACKS |
INTS |
FF |
QB HURRY |
|
8/30 |
YOUNGSTOWN ST |
W 43-0 |
5 |
0.0 |
0.0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
9/6 |
OHIO |
W 26-14 |
9 |
0.0 |
0.0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
|
9/13 |
@ USC |
L 35-3 |
9 |
0.0 |
0.0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
9/20 |
TROY |
W 28-10 |
12 |
1.0 |
1.0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
9/27 |
MINNESOTA |
W 34-21 |
12 |
0.0 |
0.0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
10/4 |
@ WISCONSIN |
W 20-17 |
10 |
0.0 |
0.0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
10/11 |
PURDUE |
W 16-3 |
10 |
0.5 |
0.0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
10/18 |
@ MICHIGAN STATE |
W 45-7 |
11 |
1.5 |
1.5 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
10/25 |
PENN STATE |
L 13-6 |
12 |
0.0 |
0.0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
11/8 |
@ NORTHWESTERN |
W 45-10 |
11 |
0.0 |
0.0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
|
11/15 |
@ ILLINOIS |
W 30-20 |
8 |
1.5 |
0.5 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
|
11/22 |
MICHIGAN |
W 42-7 |
12 |
1.0 |
1.0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
1/5 |
BOWL-TEXAS |
L 24-21 |
9 |
1.5 |
0.0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
|
10-3 (7-1) |
|
130 |
7.0 |
4.0 |
2 |
1 |
1 |
2008 STATISTICS