Sam Montgomery

Each year there is at least one elite pass rushing talent that takes college football by storm, and Sam Montgomery is this year's man.  As a redshirt sophomore, Montgomery put up monster numbers at LSU, earning All-American honors across the board from Rivals, SI, and FoxSports.  9 sacks, with at least 0.5 sacks in 8 games, reveals just how effective AND consistent he is.  This is not a guy who puts up big numbers in 2 to 3 games and is silent the rest of the year; he is a game changer, and is only going to be even more impressive this upcoming season.  Standing 6'4" and weighing in at 245-250 lbs, he has the look of a HIGHLY athletic DE at the next level.  Don't let the weight fool you, he has the frame to add on at least another 20-30lbs and still be a beast.  Montgomery has the ability and versatility at the next level to play either as a rush backer in a 3-4 D or continue doing what he does best and put his hand in the dirt as a DE in a 4-3 and terrorize QBs.  When you watch him on tape, the first thing you notice is elite quickness.  Put on the Oregon tape and you see him all over the field making plays-and chasing guys down.  This seems to be a new label, but he has a great motor and never gives up on a play.  He engages blockers and can use either his solid inside move or beat them on the outside using pure speed.  He has great moves for a young guy, and will only improve as he matures and continues to learn the game.  As athletic as he is, the ability to get leverage on a blocker is also evident when watching Montgomery.  Even though he is consistently outweighed 50-70lbs most weeks, Sam still drives linemen back by getting great position.

The negatives associated with Montgomery are the usual suspects with elite pass rushing talents.  He does not have brute strength, and will not ever.  He is occasionally taken out of the play simply because the blocker is that much stronger than him and is able to manhandle him.  The Alabama-LSU game was a great example of this, as Barrett Jones put on a clinic against him.  His tackling ability is average, nothing glaringly wrong, but nothing to be proud about either.  At 245-250lbs, he needs to add bulk if he wants to be a 4-3 DE at the next level, or at least improve his strength if he is looking to be a  3-4 outside linebacker.  A big issue with Montgomery, and something that will only improve with proper coaching and more reps, is his inability to fire off the line.  Watch tape on him, and you notice 60-70% of the time he is a count late off the snap.  In college he can overcome this by shear athleticism; in the NFL he will be pancaked.  Some people say he has an injury risk-he suffered a season ending knee injury in 2010, but he has not shown any propensity since then for injuries being a concern.

The overall package Sam Montgomery presents is very intriguing heading into the 2013 college football season.  He has established a reputation as an elite, if not the elite, pass rusher.  A pedestrian season will knock Sam down a few notches, but baring a season ending injury/epic collapse he is still going to be a hot commodity based solely on his potential and athleticism.  The flip side of this is that Montgomery has all the ability to put up monster numbers, and solidify himself as a top 5, maybe even top 2 pick.

RATINGS
STRENGTH: C
SPEED: B+
AGILITY: A-
PASS RUSH: A
RUN STOP: C+
TACKLING: C+
DURABILITY: B
POTENTIAL: A+
OVERALL: A-/B+