NFL SB44 Champs LR Hood NEW ORLEANS SAINTS
51.99
With many professional teams begging for speed at linebacker, Curtis Lofton entered the 2008 NFL Draft pool as junior knowing he has a chance to make a big splash.
A strong-side linebacker for most of his career, Lofton is just starting to tap his vast potential and may have found his calling at middle linebacker. He shifted inside for his final four games with the Sooners and finished his junior campaign with one of the most productive seasons by a defender, as his 157 total tackles are the most by an Oklahoma player since George Cumby amassed 160 hits in 1979.
At Kingfisher High School, Lofton was a standout inside linebacker who also competed at fullback. He was rated the eight-best middle linebacker in the nation by ESPN.com and the second-best overall player in the Midlands region by Super Prep and Scout.com, who also had him listed as the state of Oklahoma's second-ranked player. Rivals.com rated Lofton the fourth-best inside linebacker and 62nd-best prospect in the prep ranks.
A Parade first-team All-American as a senior, Lofton added Daily Oklahoman All-State and Oklahoma High School Coaches Association All-State first-team accolades. He lettered three times, leading the team in tackles with 168, adding eight sacks as a senior. In 2003, he collected 187 tackles and had 150 stops as a sophomore.
For his career, Lofton registered 505 tackles, leading the team to the Class 3A State Championship in 2003 and helped the squad advance to the semifinals in 2004, when he also rushed for 12 touchdowns. Nominated for the March of Dimes Oklahoma Headliners Banquet as one of the top scholar-athletes in the state of Oklahoma, he was a three-time Honor Roll student. He also competed for the basketball and track teams.
Lofton enrolled at Oklahoma in 2005, but was relegated mostly to special teams while seeing just a few snaps at middle linebacker. He had a two-yard kickoff return and had three solo tackles, including one behind the line of scrimmage.
In 2006, Lofton appeared in all 14 games, starting at strong-side linebacker in five games. He ranked ninth on the squad with 37 tackles (20 solo), including 4.5 stops for losses. He caused and recovered a fumble, adding a 14-yard kickoff return in the Fiesta Bowl vs. Boise State.
Lofton wrested a full-time starting job in 2007. He lined up at strong-side linebacker for the first 10 contests before shifting to the middle for the final five games. His career-high 157 tackles (94 solo) rank seventh on the school's single-season list and were the third-highest total in the NCAA ranks (his average of 11.21 tackles per game ranked seventh nationally).
Lofton also had a sack, 10.5 stops for losses and four forced fumbles. He recovered a fumble for a touchdown, scored once on three interceptions and deflected two passes. That performance earned him consensus All-American and All-Big Twelve Conference honors, in addition to being selected Big Twelve Defensive Player of the year by the Associated Press.
After the season, Lofton declared that he was entering the 2008 NFL Draft. Lofton said the atmosphere at Oklahoma readied him for the next step.
In 39 games at Oklahoma, Lofton started 19 times, including four starts at middle linebacker. He recorded 197 tackles (117 solo) with a two-yard sack and 16 stops for losses of 33 yards. He caused five fumbles and recovered two others, returning one 12 yards for a score. He gained 71 yards on three interceptions, returning one for a touchdown and batted down two other throws. He also gained 16 yards on a pair of onside kickoff returns.
Positives: His frame is stocky, but not overly thick, with solid overall muscle development, tapered hamstrings and a thick chest, broad shoulders and defined calves...Instinctive player with above-average quickness and playing speed to close on the ball with good urgency...Physical tackler with a nose for the ball...Like DeMeco Ryans, his instincts, downhill closing speed and ability to sift for the ball through trash makes him a better prospect in the middle than the strong side...Moves well laterally, but is best when making tackles inside vs. wide plays...Has a solid work ethic and strong leadership ability...Smooth and flexible when giving chase and shows the feet to get good depth in his pass drops...Able to slip and avoid blocks on the move, showing natural pop and strength to bring down ballcarriers on initial contact...Changes direction well and has the acceleration to close...Plays with good emotion and will give chase until the whistle...Will run a long way to deliver a hit and is a violent collision-type tackler who sells out to make plays...Well-respected by the staff and has a solid work ethic, as he will do the little extras to improve...Rarely caught out of position and reacts decisively to the run or pass...Able to anticipate and track the ball in flight...When he sees blocking schemes develop, he moves quickly to avoid...Keeps his pad level down to get inside the offensive lineman and slip blocks...Effective reading the inside run and stepping up to take on the lead blocker in attempts to stack (will struggle vs. double teams)...Can stuff a fullback and clog the rush lane when he squares his shoulder and lowers his pads to stick his hat in the opponent's chest...Has the upper-body strength and hand punch to reroute tight ends and slot receivers...Adequate when playing over the tight end, playing off blocks and taking good angles when chasing down outside runners...Slippery getting around trash and shows enough range to the sideline to push the run back inside, sifting and scraping, showing the short-area burst to close on the ball...Strong tackler who explodes behind his hits when striking people on contact...Can lock on and stay on the hip of short-area receivers, thanks to loose hips and quick feet to shadow...Picks up secondary receivers well in the zone and gets a quick break on the ball, showing good hands and vision to track the ball in flight and get to the pass at its high point...Not much of a pass rusher, but on the bull rush, he can bring the heat and chase down ballcarriers from behind.
Negatives: Lacks the ideal size to play strong-side linebacker, as offensive tackles can engulf and neutralize him on the edge, but he is an effective bull rusher...Does not have the pass-rush moves to impact the pocket from an outside position and is best when making plays downhill rather than attacking the backfield on a regular basis...Has good change-of-direction agility, but is just a little stiff in his turn when working in space, with the burst to close...Has a good motor chasing down the ball, but needs to generate better stop-and-go action to recover when he outruns the play...Must use his hands better in attempts to avoid cut blocks...Does not have the "sand in his pants" to stack and control double teams...Has decent wrap-up technique, but is better as a collision-type, drag-down tackler due to his upper-body strength (does not always keep his hands inside his frame to wrap and secure)...Good in his chase pursuit, but can get caught up inside due to his size and when blitzing off the edge, he lacks the array of moves to surprise blockers.
Compares To: DeMECO RYANS-Houston...Like Ryans, Lofton might be a better fit at middle linebacker, where he can feed off his defensive tackles. While he was effective at Oklahoma isolated on the edge over the head of an offensive tackle, the strong-side spot might be his second-best position. He is a smart, instinctive player with quick feet to close, but he is a violent tackler who might get a bit reckless in his pursuit. He is a quick read-and-react type who appears to have the vision and timing to make the interception. With the success that the undersized Ryans had the last two years, teams that view Lofton as a similar player in size and ability won't let him slide on draft day.
No injuries reported.
