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Demarcus Ware OLB Troy 6’4 251
By: Robert Davis

Demarcus Ware wanted to be an Auburn Tiger out of high school, but they felt he was not good enough to play for them. In the past four years, Ware has added 60lbs. to his frame and developed into one of the most feared edge rushers in the country. He moved into the starting lineup as a sophomore and never gave the job back up. He finished the year with a career high total of 72 tackles, with 19 of them coming for loss and 8 of them sacks. As a junior in 2003, Ware’s numbers dipped a bit with more attention, but he still had good numbers across the board, with 62/16/6 for the year. He capped off his career with his best overall season, with 53 tackles, 19 for loss, and 10.5 sacks. His 57 tackles for loss and 26.5 career sacks are Troy records.

Pound for pound, Ware may be the best athlete in this draft. At 250lbs, he has awesome closing speed, lateral agility, and quickness. He is a great pass rusher, and has a knack for getting to the QB. He also shows the ability to read the play and track down the ball carrier in pursuit. He is a hard worker, a player his teammates look up to, and has done his share of community service off the field as well.

Even though it may look like it’s becoming vogue to be labeled a “tweener”, it still causes questions at the next level. Ware played end in college, but will likely drop back to linebacker in the NFL. He is the ideal 3-4 OLB, but probably doesn’t have the pure bulk to remain at end in the NFL.

Wherever he plays, Ware is going to be a major threat as a pass rusher. He has all the physical ability in the world to play the linebacker spot, and is creeping up teams’ boards after his impressive combine performance. He was among the leaders, if not tops in most OLB categories. If given a little time to adjust to linebacker in the NFL, he may become one of the better pass rushing linebackers in the game. He looks like he could get into the late first round at this point, but he will not get out of the Top 40.

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