Name: Stephone Anthony
College: Clemson
Class: Senior
Position: Inside Linebacker
Height: 6'3"
Weight: 245
Background/Character | Leadership: 8 | Experience: 7.5 | Off-the-Field: 8.5 |
| Mental Capacity: 7.5 | Mental Toughness: 8 | Durability: 10 |
Anthony was a significant contributor in all four years as a Clemson Tiger, and played in each and every game in his college career to this point. He has played in all but seven games at Clemson, including a start in each of the games in his junior and senior year. Anthony is a defensive captain, and has played through some of the biggest games in the program's history, including a huge performance against Florida State this season notching eight tackles, a sack, and a pass defensed. He majors in sociology (ClemsonTigers.com) and has no off-field issues that we are aware of at this time. Final Grade: 8.08
Athleticism | Balance: 6.5 | C.O.D.: 8 | Explosiveness: 8 |
| Flexibility: 7 | Coordination: 7.5 | Body Type: 9 |
Anthony has improved a lot since last season, but one area that he lacks in is his balance. At times he is upright and it costs him a step in his acceleration. He does show excellent explosiveness in flashes when he decides at the right times, but can be exposed with his upright running style. He has a perfect body type for a middle linebacker, and has shown the ability to make plays with speed. Final Grade: 7.66
Overall | Football I.Q.: 7 | Motor: 8 | Aggressiveness: 9 |
| Initial Quicks: 6.5 | Tackling: 8 | Stamina: 8.5 |
Anthony is an excellent tackler, and makes excellent decisions on not allowing his target to gain leverage on the inside as a ball carrier. Anthony uses the sideline as a teammate, and forces running backs, or ball carriers to beat him to the sideline, which he has proven is a tough task. At times, he will struggle to pick a hole once he commits, which leads to him being taken out of some plays completely. Final Grade: 7.83
He is very aggressive by nature, but that comes with the territory in the Clemson defense, who consistently rank among the top teams in the country in terms of tackling opponents for losses. Anthony is on the field almost every play, and rarely takes snaps off.
Run Defense | Read/React: 8.5 | Positioning: 7 | Range: 7.5 |
| Pursuit: 8 | Hole Clogging: N/A | Block Shedding: 8 |
Stopping the run is one of Anthony's strengths, and watching Clemson will prove that he is playing behind one of the better defensive lines in the country, making his job easier. At times, he makes a poor decision in positioning, leading to big runs on option plays, but for the most part he makes the correct read and explodes to the ball.
He is a conservative tackler, which is odd because of his aggressiveness, but really can "lay the wood" if need be and it makes for a presence in the middle of the Tigers' defense. Final Grade: 7.8
| Player Comparison | A quicker DeMeco Ryans |
| Projected Draft Position | 2nd-3rd Round |
| Best Scheme Fit | 4-3 |
| Injury History | N/A |
| Career Accolades | Second-Team All ACC, Honorable Mention Sophomore All-American, Bednarik Watch-List and Third-Team All ACC |
| Career Stats | 240 tackles, 24 tackles for loss, seven sacks, nine passes defensed, three forced fumbles. |
Anthony rarely misses a tackle, which would be a force behind a solid defensive line. He makes a lot of plays behind an excellent front, and dominates at the point of attack. It's a rarity for him to be moved off the ball, which creates value in the NFL because a running back will not be able to hold him off in any situations, and he is quick enough to maneuver around most guards.
Anthony uses his long arms to his advantage, and really puts himself into an excellent position to make a tackle when he is near a ball carrier. He is one of the most sound tacklers that I have watched so far, and if you need a two-down linebacker with potential to play three downs, he is your guy in the late second or third round.
Information from ESPN and ClemsonTigers.com