Head to Head: Kindle vs. Graham

Throughout the 2010 Draftseason, we’ll be pitting two highly regarded prospects against each other and evaluate them on different aspects of the game and see which one emerges victorious.  Today it’s a the battle to be the first rush linebacker off the board as Michigan’s Brandon Graham duels Texas’ Sergio Kindle

1. SIZE: Graham is listed on his team’s website as 6’2 and 263 pounds.  He is probably closer to 6’1 so he doesn’t exaclty have the ideal height teams are looking for.  Kindle on the other is listed at 6’4 and a generous 255 pounds so he is on the lean side, maybe too lean.  Teams will have to decide if they want to sacrafice height for bulk and vice versa.  Clearly a toss up.
ADVANTAGE: PUSH

2.  DURABILITY/CHARACTER: Kindle does have some concerns about both his durability and his character.  He has missed a few games over his career with ankle and knee injuries but the real red flag will be about his DWI in 2007 and the incident last year where he drove his car into an apartment complex and then fled the scene.  Graham missed one game in 2008 with an infection in his leg, and there aren’t any concerns about his character.
ADVANTAGE: GRAHAM

3. COVERAGE SKILLS – This is an area where Brandon Graham will really have to focus his rookie year.  He isn’t a natural athlete and played most of his college career with his hand on the ground.  He does move well for his build and he should be able to cover a tight end adequately.  Kindle is very athletic and did play some outside linebacker in a 3-4 in his time as a Longhorn.  His overall speed, athleticism, and experience gives him the edge in this category.
ADVANTAGE: KINDLE

4. PASS RUSH: Kindle relies on his speed and quick burst to get around lineman.   He uses his long arms to create separation and then will burn around the man trying to block him.  His closing speed is very good and he has a motor that just won’t quit.  Graham also shows a good burst off the line but uses strength and power to get to the quarterback.  He can fight through a block and get to the ball carrier but is also explosive enough to get around a lineman on speed alone.  This is an area where these prospects are pretty evenly matched.
ADVANTAGE: PUSH

5. VS. THE RUN: Graham is solid against the run as he his strong enough to battle through blocks and get down to the ball carrier.  His tackling is very good, and he plays with a lot of intensity and doesn’t quit.  Kindle  is also a sound tackler with good technique.  He can get overpowered but uses his elite speed to pursue the ball carrier and track him down.  His motor stands out on film as he seems to have an endless supply of energy and is always going 100 mph.
ADVANTAGE: PUSH

6. PRODUCTION: Kindle’s stat line looks like this: 148 tackles, 16 sacks, 1 fumble forced.  That was accomplished in 4 seasons at Texas.  Graham spent the same amount of time at Michigan and his stats are as follows:  138 tackles, 28 sacks, 0 fumbles forced.  Kindle leads two of these categories but Graham has a big lead in the sack department, and we all know guys with sacks get the chicks.
ADVANTAGE: GRAHAM

CONCLUSION: Graham edges out a 2-1-3 victory, but shouldn’t feel to comfortable in his victory as these prospects are very closely matched.  Graham will need to work on his coverage skills to be an effective 3-4 outside linebacker while Kindle will need to add some bulk to his frame to hold up in the NFL.  Kindle’s character issues could push some more teams Graham’s way, but in the end, both of these players could make an immediate impact in their rookie seasons.