Khaseem Greene I Rutgers I OLB I 6010 I 230 I Senior
Howard Smith-US PRESSWIRE
40 Time (E): 4.55
Overview: Khaseem Greene is a safety convert that has led the Scarlet Knights in tackles the past two seasons. He’s loaded with athletic talent and looks the part of a weakside linebacker in the NFL. The ultimate complement to Greene is that you can’t watch Rutgers tape without becoming fixated on his play. The best way to describe Greene is defensive playmaker with a knack for making splash plays. He’s an excellent blitzer that has a tendency to make plays in the backfield. The major knock on Greene will be his lack of size. Greene does struggle disengaging from blocks and isn’t as solid in coverage as you would expect from a former safety. Greene is a solid second day pick that brings leadership and play making to a defense from day one.
Pass Rush: By far, Greene’s greatest asset is his ability to make plays in opponents backfield, specifically rushing the quarterback. Greene is patient in allowing the gap to open then uses fantastic speed and closing burst to rack up sacks. He’s an instinctual linebacker that could excel using his burst to rush NFL QB’s. He’s become an artist at the strip sack and has an overall knack for forcing fumbles.
Run Defense: Greene is effective against the run but has some downsides to his transition to an NFL run defender. Greene possesses solid instincts and is able to beat blockers to the punch. He does a nice job using his hands to ward off blockers and fight through trash. On the downside, he struggles getting off blocks once engaged. He isn’t overly powerful and doesn’t do a great job of taking on lead blocks. I also don’t see great read and react skills in the run. He’s slow to diagnose the blow and allows blockers to engage him before his first step.
Pass Coverage: You expect more from Greene as a pass defender. He wasn’t asked to do much in pass coverage because of his ability to rush the passer. He has the speed and athleticism to cover tight ends and backs and does a nice job of reading the play. Too often he loses his receiver while peaking at the QB in man coverage.
Instincts/Read and React: I have seen and heard a lot of respected individuals rave about Greene’s read and react skills. I didn’t see that on tape and actually viewed it as a major downside to Greene’s ability to be drafted high. A lot of Greene’s stop come down the field. He’s racked up a ton of tackles at Rutgers but many of them are coming too far down the field.
Size/Strength/Athleticism: The biggest knock on Greene will be his size. At 6-foot-1 and 230 pounds, Greene needs to get stronger to take on lead blocks and to fight off of blocks. Greene is a vicious tackler with excellent hip drive through the tackle.
Bottom Line: Khaseem Greene can develop into a solid starting weakside linebacker in the NFL and should be gone on day two of the draft. I’ve seen comparisons to Lavonte David and I don’t think they are on same level. Greene makes a lot of splash plays but doesn’t have David’s instincts. Too many of Greene’s tackles come down the field. David was making tackle after tackle in the backfield with the ability to read and react with the best of them. Greene doesn’t have those same read and react skills. That said, the guy has a knack for making big plays and can turn games around quickly. He’s an excellent pass rusher as he patiently waits for blockers to engage and then uses his speed/burst to hunt down the quarterback. I think Greene could be a top 50 pick in April’s draft and is an excellent value after pick 50.
