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Green Bay Packers draft target: ILB Stephone Anthony

By Keegan Matheson

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The Green Bay Packers will leave no stone unturned in their search for a starting inside linebacker, and Clemson’s Stephone Anthony is emerging as a leading candidate. With A.J. Hawk and Brad Jones recently released to create over $7 million in cap space, the Green Bay Packers will be looking to add at least one linebacker to fill the void next to Sam Barrington.

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The 6’3”, 243 pound Anthony finished a very strong career at Clemson as a co-captain, recording 90 tackles, 10.5 tackles for a loss, 2.5 sacks and 11 quarterback pressures in 2014. Originally pegged by many draft evaluators as a mid-round pick in late April, a standout performance during Senior Bowl week and strong Scouting Combine numbers have sent his stock upwards. Anthony was often overlooked on tape as he played next to Vic Beasley, who was a human highlight reel at times this past season.

Stephone Anthony now finds his name grouped in with Bernardrick McKinney, Paul Dawson, Denzel Perryman and Eric Kendricks. The 2014 draft offered up Alabama’s C.J. Mosley as the clear-cut top prospect at inside linebacker, but this year’s top-5 could be ranked very differently from team to team. In this situation, it comes down to schematic fit, which is very important in the 3-4 scheme run by Dom Capers and the Green Bay Packers.

Sep 19, 2013; Raleigh, NC, USA; Clemson Tigers linebacker Stephone Anthony (42) tackles North Carolina State Wolfpack runningback Tony Creecy (26) at Carter Finley Stadium. The Clemson Tigers won 26-14. Mandatory Credit: Liz Condo-USA TODAY Sports

Tony Pauline of TFY Draft Insider recently reported that the Packers’ front office is very high on Anthony, and that the linebacker is a “favorite of defensive coordinator Dom Capers”. Anthony plays with a  downhill style against the run, and comes with an ideal frame for the position, something that scouts have questioned in Perryman, Dawson and Kendricks, none of whom crack 6’0″ or 236 pounds.

The trait working against Anthony the most is his sideline-to-sideline capabilities. This comes up frequently in scouting reports, and is a fairly traditional “con” to peg on a downhill inside linebacker. I will argue that his short-area quickness and long speed are underrated, though. This shows in the first play of this film against FSU, where Anthony stepped up to the plate with one of his strongest games, recording 8 tackles, 1.0 sack and a pass defended while pushing the Seminoles into overtime.

Instead of Anthony’s issues coming from his physical abilities while moving laterally, I see his greatest flaw being in his decision making process. Instinctually, Anthony can have troubles picking the right time to explode into a play. Against the run, he often guesses the running lane before the back makes their cut, which can open up the second level. He then exists on the other end of the spectrum against the pass or in space, as Anthony can be too hesitant before committing to his runs and angles.

Anthony projects best into the 3-4 inside linebacker position, in my opinion, and these weaknesses can be smoothed over if he is placed in the proper scheme under the right staff. You cannot teach instincts, but you can place a young player in a position where his physical skills will shine as his mental game develops within a defensive strategy. If an organization can do this, the physical skills are there.

Past the issues of talent and schematic fit, the NFL Draft obviously requires that value matches with pick number. Anthony’s recent ascent through prospect rankings has put him in the fringe conversation of the first round, but I still consider him to be a second round talent as it stands. The Green Bay Packers already sit in a premium position for a trade back at pick number 30, so Anthony could become a top option should the Packers slide back into the early or middle portions of round two.

As the draft nears, it is becoming more evident that this inside linebacker class is not the strongest group. The drop off from a round one player to a round two player in this group will not be as drastic as it is at other positions, which could allow Ted Thompson and the Packers to be creative early, while still addressing their need with a targeted player.

Next: Green Bay Packers top-5 draft needs

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