LSU product Kevin Minter has sort of flown under the radar because of all of the talented defensive players he has suited up with in the last few seasons. But in his last two campaigns, Minter started 24 of 27 games (including all 13 of his senior season) and amassed 191 tackles, 18.5 for a loss, five sacks, two forced fumbles and one interception. Let’s take a look at this interesting prospect, who is currently ranked as the best inside linebacker in this year’s draft class here at eDraft.
| Ht | Wt | Class | Ranking | Projection |
| 6' | 246 | Senior | 18 | First Round |
Strengths
Vision: Minter has a great eye for the entire field. He can read offenses very well, and often knows where the ball is going to be before it even gets there.
Angles: Minter uses his superb vision to know where the ball will be, and takes the best angle of all the defenders to get their first. He consistently takes the best/quickest lines to the ball and can often beat teammates down the line who were much closer to the ball.
Versatility: Minter is great against the run; sniffing out the hole early and even making contact with the lead blocker before shaking him off to make the tackle. He’s also equally good in the blitz; using his arms and hands to get extended and create space against the blocker before shaking him off and continuing upfield towards the quarterback.
Weaknesses
Lack of Speed: Because of his top-tier vision and angles, Minter usually does a good job of making up for his lack of speed. While he’s pretty fast in a straight line, he has a much harder time running laterally. In the NFL where things are even faster paced than the college ranks, this could be a problem against screens and run plays to the outside.
Coverage Ability: Minter is a bit undersized, and his lack of speed make him a liability in coverage between the hashes. He has a very hard time turning his hips and moving with the receiver and will struggle against the NFL’s new fast and huge tight ends and speedy receivers in the slot.
Bottom Line
Despite his top-end speed and coverage concerns, Minter is a smart and athletic player that makes the most of the tools he has. He will be great in blitzing packages and stopping the run at the NFL level.
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