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Marcus Spears DL LSU 6’4 298
By: Robert Davis

Marcus Spears has been a force on the Tiger defensive line since his sophomore season. He doesn’t put up eye popping numbers, but the opponents know that they have to stop Spears to have success against LSU. During his All SEC junior campaign, Spears had 49 tackles, 13 for loss, and 6 sacks from his DE position. He had 46 tackles, 3.5 for loss, and 3 sacks during his sophomore season. Spears is so versatile that he was named freshman All SEC as a TE during his true freshman season.

Spears is a beast physically. You will not find very many near 300 pounders with the natural athleticism or speed Spears has. Most players his size are moved inside to tackle, but Spears has been on the outside, and has had success staying out there. Spears isn’t just big, but he brings a great deal of strength to his position. Physically, he brings it all to the table at DE. He is such an athlete that he has played three positions during his time at LSU, playing TE his freshman season along with fullback and DE, and playing DE full time since then.

The knock on Spears is that he doesn’t always play up to his physical ability. A player as big, strong, and athletic as him should just be able to manhandle college offensive lineman, but Spears doesn’t do that all the time. If he played with the aggression that matched his physical tools, we might be looking at a Top 5 pick in this draft.

Marcus Spears is a very good prospect. He may not be the freak pass rusher off the edge, but he can do it all from the end position. If someone gets him to play with more intensity, he could be one of the best players out of this draft. He reminds me a lot of Richard Seymour of the Patriots, with his size and athleticism allowing him to play DE in the NFL. Seymour wasn’t the biggest playmaker in college, but in the NFL, he has developed into one of the best DL’s in the game. I believe Spears will hear his name called n the first round, possibly in the Top 20.

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