| 2011 NFL Draft Watch #41: Dont’a Hightower | ||||
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The countdown continues and our number forty-one prospect in college football is... Inside Linebacker Dont'a Hightower, Alabama (Junior):
Players Profiled To Date: 1. Andrew Luck, Quarterback, Stanford 2. Jake Locker, Quarterback, Washington 3. A.J. Green, Wide Receiver, Georgia 4. Marcel Dareus, Defensive Lineman, Alabama 5. Patrick Peterson, Cornerback, LSU 6. Robert Quinn, Defensive End, North Carolina 7. Cameron Heyward, Defensive End, Ohio State 8. Ryan Williams, Running Back, Virginia Tech 9. Adrian Clayborn, Defensive End, Iowa 10. Mark Ingram, Running Back, Alabama 11. Anthony Castonzo, Offensive Tackle, Boston College 12. Julio Jones, Wide Receiver, Alabama 13. Allen Bailey, Defensive Lineman, Miami 14. Greg Romeus, Defensive End, Pittsburgh 15. Prince Amukamara, Cornerback, Nebraska 16. Gabe Carimi, Offensive Tackle, Wisconsin 17. Ryan Mallett, Quarterback, Arkansas 18. Marvin Austin, Defensive Tackle, North Carolina 19. Michael Floyd, Wide Receiver, Notre Dame 20. Bruce Carter, Outside Linebacker, North Carolina 21. Aaron Williams, Cornerback, Texas 22. DeAndre McDaniel, Safety, Clemson 23. Stephen Paea, Defensive Tackle, Oregon State 24. Jonathan Baldwin, Wide Receiver, Pittsburgh 25. Matt Reynolds, Offensive Tackle, BYU 26. Jurrell Casey, Defensive Tackle, USC 27. Ras-I Dowling, Cornerback, Virginia 28. Akeem Ayers, Outside Linebacker UCLA 29. Nate Solder, Offensive Tackle, Colorado 30. Rahim Moore, Free Safety, UCLA 31. Da'Quan Bowers, Defensive End, Clemson 32. Quan Sturdivant, Outside Linebacker, North Carolina 33. Brandon Harris, Cornerback, Miami 34. Von Miller, Outside Linebacker, Texas A&M 35. Jerrod Johnson, Quarterback, Texas A&M 36. Mark Herzlich, Outside Linebacker, Boston College 37. Christian Ponder, Quarterback, Florida State 38. Stefen Wisniewski, Offensive Guard/Center, Penn State 39. Jared Crick, Defensive Tackle, Nebraska 40. Mike Pouncey, Center/Offensive Guard, Florida * * * * * Available Now: Get your copy of the 2010 Post-Draft Recap & Rookie Fantasy Football Analysis right here. For more exclusive player reports order a copy of our first ever 2011 NFL Draft Prospectus, featuring the stars of tomorrow for '11 and beyond! CLICK HERE Follow us on Twitter @NFLDraftBible Let us know your thoughts, leave a comment below... Photo Courtesy of Alabama Media Relations 
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The Skinny: This inside linebacker is an incredible physical specimen—he’s 6’4”, 260 pounds and incredibly athletic—and has healing powers that have to be considered otherworldly. Hightower’s remarkable recovery from a season-ending knee injury has been downright shocking. On the field the Tennessee native has impressive short-area quickness for a man of his size. Agile, he can change directions well; not many can sift through the garbage as well as he does. Even when Hightower’s quick feet aren’t enough to dance around blockers, he is more than strong enough to take them on at the point of attack. His powerful upper-body strength allows him to absolutely blow up fullbacks who try to block him one-on-one. He is thick, with the wide frame to anchor when engaged and the strong hands to shed blockers and complete tackles. As a blitzer Hightower could be the rare inside linebacker who averages over five sacks a season. The primary negative from a scouting perspective remains the horrible injury he suffered during his sophomore year. Yes, Hightower is on the fast track to recover and looked good during the spring, but that doesn’t change the fact that he tore his ACL, MCL. He is much more natural instinctively and athletically when moving forward as opposed to moving back. If he comes out and lights up the SEC with his aggressive brand of football and proves to have no lingering issues surrounding his knee, Hightower has the size, athleticism, and versatility to force his way into the first round of next year’s draft.