Where will Burfict land in 2012?
Arizona State linebacker Vontaze Burfict declared for the 2012 NFL Draft on Tuesday joining a slew of other declarations on the day.
Burfict will be poked and prodded through the pre-draft process to see if his on-the-field indiscretions will hamper a bright NFL future. Burfict has loads of talent but his propensity to draw personal foul penalties at inopportune times has been a source of dismay for his college coaches, so much so that it led to his benching during the final game of the regular season.
Burfict’s talent is undeniable but his play on the field doesn’t always match that level. He’s a top 15 talent as a middle linebacker but has a tendency to overpursue ball carriers and seems to guess on gap assignments at times. For all the negatives on Burfict there are a ton of positives. He’s a sideline to sideline athlete that tackles with tenacity. His aggression on the field can be positive for a MLB if a team can reign it in.
As the 2011 season wore on, it became clear that Burfict was becoming a thorn in the side of the ASU coaching staff. NFL GM’s and scouts will surely talk to former ASU head coach Dennis Erickson who will likely not have kind words about the enigmatic Burfict. Erickson has already described Burfict’s season as “average” which doesn’t bode well for him. If he’s willing to say that publicly what will he spill in private to colleagues.
As always you can check out the list of underclassmen declarations here.
