Perry Riley Scouting Report

After playing in a backup role at linebacker for his first two seasons at LSU, Riley exploded onto the scene as junior in 2008. He played in all 13 games -- starting eight -- and recorded 60 tackles. Riley, a finalist for the 2008 Butkus Award, was named Defensive MVP of the Chick-fil-A Bowl, in which the Tigers hammered Georgia Tech. As a senior, Riley finished second on the team with 97 total tackles, including 4.5 for loss. Riley has good size at 6'1 and 245 pounds. He has the look of an inside linebacker, but his instincts are not the best and he sometimes gets caught by the play-action pass. Riley also has good speed and has been clocked as fast as 4.53 in the 40-yard dash, although he generally runs that distance in around 4.60. He played weakside linebacker in Baton Rouge, but the speed and athleticism might not be there to play the same position in the NFL. As such, Riley could be a risky pick as teams consider him to be in between the those two spots on the defensive side of the ball. Still, he has the talent to emerge as a solid middle linebacker after spending a season or two as a backup. Look for him to go off the board in the fourth or fifth round of the 2010 NFL Draft.