Raks New England Sports Blog

CBS Anayalsis:

In 46 games at Nebraska, Ruud started 33 contests. He registered 216 tackles (117 solo) with 4 ½ sacks for minus-43 yards, 25 stops for losses of 84 yards and 16 quarterback pressures. He caused six fumbles and recovered two others, returning two for a total of 53 yards. He deflected 13 passes and intercepted five others for 208 yards in returns, including three touchdowns

Positives: Has a solid build and lean and defined upper- and lower-body muscles, broad chest and room to carry at least another 10 pounds of bulk to help his body mature at strong-side linebacker … Quick to key and diagnose the play and is active vs. the run, showing the functional strength to take on blockers and the hand usage to shed blocks … Uses his hands effectively to control and reroute tight ends and short-area receivers … Instinctive player with good vision and shows good tackling form, using his hands effectively to take on, shed blocks and make the play … Has a decent change of direction, showing a nice spring in his step and while not quick-twitched, he does have enough of a lateral flow to the ball … Opens his hips properly and is fluid in his pass drops, staying low in his turn-and-go action … Doesn’t always play with leverage to contain vs. plays directed at him, but has enough chase speed to pursue plays away from his territory, as he can sift through trash quickly … Shows the initial first step as a blitzer to generate decent backside pursuit, but needs to improve his strength to be more effective with his inside gap responsibilities … Stays close to the tight end and runs with acceleration in man coverage … Not a natural mover in pass coverage with sudden change-of-direction agility, but can plant and drive cleanly in transition and close on plays in front of him … His vision and awareness let him get a good jump on the ball and he does a decent job breaking down in space … Takes good angles shortening his path to the ballcarrier and while he might bite the runner’s ankles at times, he has the hand strength to hold on until help arrives … Has good hip snap and arm extension, timing his leaps well to compete for jump balls … Catches the ball cleanly and runs with a good stride on interception returns … More of a blitzer than a pass rusher, but does have a nice spin move to slip off blocks.

Negatives: Has good straight-line quickness, but struggles to redirect, showing some hip stiffness when attempting to change direction … Will lose leverage on inside run plays when he leads with the wrong shoulder … His lack of bulk causes him to get engulfed by the larger blockers and while he needs to add more weight, it could impact his timed speed … Needs to use his hands better when attempting to chase and drag down the ballcarriers (can grab, but lacks the strength to jerk to the ground, needing help to complete the play) … Good wrap-up tackler, but needs to play under control more, as he tends to over pursue … Gets a little out of control in his backside pursuit, causing him to miss some tackles behind the line of scrimmage … Moves well when covering, but needs to show better sideline range, as he has a tough time weeding through traffic … Can control the tight end and mirror his moves in the short area, but was rarely asked to drop back in zone coverage until shifting to the strong-side as a senior … Flashes a good spin move, but his swim moves are negated by his short-arm approach (needs to extend his arms better to stave off blockers trying to latch on to his jersey) … Has good speed to mirror short-area receivers, but is sluggish redirecting and lacks the second gear to trail on deep routes.. Might still be nursing a knee injury he suffered late in the year.