NFL Draft: Top 10 outer linebackers the Ravens should target
By Ben Palmer
9. Devonte Fields – Louisville
Devonte Fields has a lot of natural talent. He’s 6’4″, 240 pounds, and has excellent speed off the edge, especially for his size. Fields’ biggest issue has been off-the-field things, and that could be what drags down his draft stock.
Fields initially played for TCU in 2012 and exploded onto the scene, grabbing first-team All-Big XII and Big XII Freshman of the Year honors. He then missed the next two seasons due to injury and eventually transferred to Louisville.
Things started off rough at Louisville, but he eventually turned things around in a big way and went nuts for the latter half of the season. He finished his final season with Louisville with 45 tackles, six sacks, nine tackles for loss, and three batted passes.
Fields’ speed is his greatest asset, and it makes him an excellent pass rusher. He can get to the quarterback in a hurry and can also use his speed to chase down running backs in a way that a lot of edge rushers can’t.
Fields needs to improve his run defense game however. If faced up against a big, strong offensive tackle, Fields can get pushed around. If he stays a little more steady on his feet and is able to put away all the off-the-field issues, Fields could be a really good NFL OLB.