Draft Scout Snapshot: 2007: All-Big East Conference first-team selection…Started all year at middle linebacker, ranking 16th nationally and second in the conference with an average of 10.67 tackles per game…Led the Cardinals with a career-high 128 tackles (76 solos), including two sacks for minus 9 yards and eight stops for losses of 19 yards…Recovered and caused three fumbles…Registered at least ten tackles in six contests, including a career-high 22 vs. Kentucky, tied for fifth on the school game-record list.
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Overview
Lamar Myles might be a bit on the short and light side for some teams, but his style of play draws comparisons to former Steelers safety Carnell Lake, who was a smaller-than-ideal college linebacker who went on to great success in the defensive backfield.
Cover-2 defenses might still consider Myles linebacker material. Most teams look to shift him to outside linebacker, where his quickness could be better served impacting the backfield coming off the edge. Other teams feel that his pass-coverage skills and range could be suited for strong safety at the next level.
At Lake Region High School, Myles was a four-year starter who recorded more than 400 career tackles. He was ranked 71st in the state of Florida by the Insiders.com and named to the Class 4A All-State squad. He was ranked as the 58th-best player in the state of Florida by the Orlando Sentinel and voted the District XII Player of the Year and the Most Valuable Player. He was also named the team's MVP while serving as squad captain.
Myles averaged more than 130 tackles a season during his last two seasons and also averaged 9.0 yards a carry at the fullback position. As a junior, he guided the gridiron team to the state playoffs, as he registered 125 tackles and a pair of sacks. He also won the state weightlifting title as a junior by more than 50 pounds.
Myles redshirted as a freshman at Louisville in 2004. He appeared in 10 games in 2005, starting at middle linebacker vs. Oregon State. He went on to record 23 tackles (14 solo) with 1.5 stops for losses. He also caused a fumble and deflected one pass.
As a sophomore, Myles ranked sixth on the team with 45 tackles (33 solo) in 2006. He added two sacks and four stops for losses, as he caused three fumbles and recovered another. Off-field trouble pushed Nate Harris to the sideline and gave Myles an opportunity to start again at middle linebacker, answering the bell vs. Cincinnati, Syracuse, West Virginia and Rutgers.
With Harris out of the picture, Myles took over middle linebacker duties full-time in 2007. The first-team All-Big East Conference choice ranked second in the league and 16th in the nation, averaging 10.67 tackles per game. He paced the Cardinals with a career-high 128 tackles (76 solo), as he also collected two sacks and eight stops behind the line of scrimmage. He caused three fumbles and also had three fumble recoveries.
Myles decided to forgo his senior year and declared for the 2008 NFL Draft. "The time is right for me to move on to the NFL," Myles said Friday. "The coaching staff helped me improve as a player and I look forward to competing in the NFL."
In 35 games at Louisville, Myles started 17 contests at middle linebacker. He registered 196 tackles (123 solo), four sacks for minus-22 yards and 13.5 stops for losses of 37 yards. He caused seven fumbles and recovered four others. He also deflected one pass.
Analysis
Positives: Undersized, but has a compact frame with good upper-body muscle tone, a V-shaped torso, good bubble, tight waist and developed thighs and calves...Could trim down and use his range and quickness at the strong safety position, showing the loose hips and depth in his pass drop to handle receivers in the zone...Best athlete on the team and a hard worker in the weight room, displaying true aggression and a competitive nature on the field...Shows good vision and reacts quickly in run support, using a strong hand swipe and arm extension to keep blockers off his feet...For a player his size, he possesses above-average strength and leverage...Despite giving up considerable bulk to offensive linemen, he is a slippery athlete with good avoidance skills on the move, but will also not shy away from one-on-one confrontations...Has good balance and body control flowing to the perimeter to impact outside running plays and is quick to locate and track down the ball through trash...Decisive closing once he locates the ball, as he shows that he can accelerate quickly to the run alleys and good instincts zeroing in on the ball...Has loose hips in his stop-and-go motion with good quick-twitch movements and body lean coming around the corner as an edge rusher...Has the elusiveness to win the inside battle with his rip move, but will lose the battle if engulfed...Shows good power behind wrap-up tackles, showing proper arm extension and hand placement when attacking the outside thigh of the ballcarrier to impede forward progress...Has enough quickness to mirror the receivers in the short area and does not allow much cushion underneath...Settles in nicely when dropping off in the zone, handling the switch-off with ease and likes to stay right in a receiver's face...Adjusts smoothly to the ball in flight, but lacks the natural hands to make the interception...Also shows good production as a gunner on special teams...Has the change-of-direction agility and quickness to get through the backside and pursue the quarterback through the trash.
Negatives: Has good range, but needs to refine his technique in deep coverage, as he gets turned around some on head fakes...Lacks crispness in his plant and drive, tending to cross his feet when switching off in the zone...Will get engulfed by larger blockers trying to get through trash...Limited size and bulk could lead to a shift to strong safety at the pro level...Frame might be at maximum growth potential and additional bulk will likely affect his timed speed...Gets overmatched at the point of attack and must rely on rip moves in order to elude, as he has had problems when trying to disengage when the larger blockers lock on to him...Has good range, but tends to leave his feet at times when making tackles, causing him to slip off the opponent...Best when making plays in front of him and, while he has loose hips, he will take false steps at times in transition and does not have the recovery burst to get back on his man when the receiver gets behind him...Has good avoidance skills, but lacks the lower-leg drive to power through double teams.
Compares To: THOMAS DAVIS-Carolina...Like Davis, Myles' range and quickness might be a better fit at strong safety, but in a Cover-2 scheme, he has enough tenacity and range to make plays along the perimeter from weak-side linebacker. He is too undersized to handle action in the middle, even with massive defensive tackles clearing seams for him up front. He is a good athlete with just a little over one year of starting experience and could have used another year in school.
Career Notes
Myles' 128 tackles in 2007 were the most by a Louisville player since Robert McCune totaled 143 in 2003...His 22 tackles vs. Kentucky in 2007 tied Terry Rice-Locket (vs. Illinois, 1997) and Alan Campos (vs. Army, 1994) for fifth on the school list behind Doug Buffone (35 vs. Kent State, 1965), Tom Jackson (30 vs. North Texas State, 1971) Mike Detenber (27 vs. Southern Illinois, 1967) and Eddie Johnson (24 vs. Drake, 1979).
2007 Season
All-American third-team choice by The NFL Draft Report...All-Big East Conference first-team selection...Started all year at middle linebacker, ranking 16th nationally and second in the conference with an average of 10.67 tackles per game...Led the Cardinals with a career-high 128 tackles (76 solo), including two sacks for minus-9 yards and eight stops for losses of 19 yards...Recovered and caused three fumbles...Registered at least 10 tackles in six contests, including a career-high 22 vs. Kentucky, tied for fifth on the school game-record list.
Played in 13 games, starting four midseason contests vs. Cincinnati, Syracuse, West Virginia and Rutgers for starting middle linebacker Nate Harris...Ranked sixth on the team with 45 tackles (33 solo), adding two sacks for minus-13 yards and four stops for losses of 16 yards...Caused three fumbles and recovered another.
Played in 10 games, starting at middle linebacker vs. Oregon State...Recorded 23 tackles (14 solo), with 1.5 stops for minus-2 yards, a forced fumble and a pass deflection...Made four tackles vs. Virginia Tech...Added five tackles vs. West Virginia...Registered a season-best six tackles vs. Cincinnati...Made first collegiate start vs. Oregon State, recording two tackles and forced a fumble.
2004 Season
Redshirted as a freshman.
Injury Report
2008: Suffered a hamstring pull running a 40-yard dash at March Pro Day.
Attended Lake Region (Winterhaven, Fla.) High School, where he was a four-year starter who recorded more than 400 career tackles...Ranked 71st in the state of Florida by the Insiders.com and named to the Class 4A All-State squad...Ranked as the 58th-best player in the state of Florida by the Orlando Sentinel and voted the District XII Player of the Year and the Most Valuable Player...Named the team's MVP while serving as squad captain... Averaged more than 130 tackles a season during his last two seasons and also averaged 9.0 yards a carry at the fullback position...As a junior, he guided the gridiron team to the state playoffs, as he registered 125 tackles and a pair of sacks...Won the state weight-lifting title as a junior by more than 50 pounds.
Personal
Justice Administration major...Son Susan and Leon Wilson...Born 1/07/86...Resides in Winterhaven, Florida.
Player Statistics
Draft Scout Player News
01/12/10 - LB Lamar Myles' practice squad contract with Jackonsville expired.
11/24/09 - LB Lamar Myles and DE James Wyche were added to the Jaguars' practice squad.
10/14/09 - LB Lamar Myles was dropped from the Rams' practice squad.
10/07/09 - LB Lamar Myles was signed to St. Louis' practice squad.
08/24/09 - LB Lamar Myles, who re-signed after finishing last season on the practice squad, was waived by Jacksonville.
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