NFL.COM:
OVERVIEW
Prepped in Ohio where he also was a state champion discus thrower and state champion and All-American shot putter. Played through a shoulder injury as a senior. Redshirted in 2009. Appeared in six games as a reserve in '10 and 10 games as a reserve in '11. Started all 12 games at center in '12 despite hurting his foot against Illinois in early November. Had it surgically repaired and sat out the following spring. Started all 14 games at center in '13. Team captain.
ANALYSIS:
STRENGTHS:
Stout base. Works to re-anchor. Jolting punch. Strong upper body to latch onto and control defenders in short area. Generates movement in the run game. Understands angles and positioning. Excellent weight-room strength -- bench-presses 500 pounds and squats a small house. Smart and dependable. Communicated all the line calls and checks. Is tough and will play hurt. Hardworking team captain with leadership traits.
WEAKNESSES:
Has short arms. More strong than explosive -- doesn't roll his hips and blow nose tackles off the ball. Falls off blocks when he bends at the waist. Pedestrian foot athlete -- slow to cut off linebackers, labors to pull and lacks lateral quickness to recover when beaten. Stressed by quicker rushers. Tied for the lightest offensive lineman at the combine.
DRAFT PROJECTION:
Round 7-Priority free agent
BOTTOM LINE:
Strong-bodied, heavy-handed, short-area mauler who anchored one of the nation's most physical, productive rushing attacks. Has athletic limitations, but compensates with strength, smarts and competitiveness. Has the makeup to overachieve, and could increase his value by proving versatile enough to back up at guard.
CBS.COM:
PLAYER LOWDOWN
COMBINE RESULTS | |||||||
40 YD | 20 YD | 10 YD | 225 BENCH | VERTICAL JUMP | BROAD | SHUTTLE | 3-CONE DRILL |
- | - | - | 36 | 27 | - | - | - |
WORKOUT RESULTS | |||||||
40 YD | 20 YD | 10 YD | 225 BENCH | VERTICAL JUMP | BROAD | SHUTTLE | 3-CONE DRILL |
5.03 | 2.82 | 1.78 | - | - | 08'11" | 4.53 | 7.46 |
STRENGTHS WEAKNESSES
STRENGTHS: Good foot quickness with natural athletic traits to work well on the move. Stays light in pass protection to slide back and forth with a quick recovery step.
Mobile and does a nice job at the second level with an accurate sense of his surroundings. Always keeps his head on a swivel after the snap with good awareness to pick up blitzers and slide with extra rushers.
Good core strength to hold his ground, not an easy guy to move from his spot - absorbs contact well and uses his hands well to combat rushers. Good initial movement at the point of attack with quick limbs and momentum to surge into defenders. Quick hips and base to gain correct body positioning, keeping his butt low and knees bent to play with leverage.
Good tenacity through the whistle and looks to eliminate his target. Veteran presence with versatile experience at guard and tackle. Tough and durable, playing through pain - started every game the past two seasons (26 straight starts) for one of the top offenses in the country.
WEAKNESSES: Average size and length with little growth potential. Too patient at times and is susceptible to explosive inside rushers. Doesn't always play urgent and will be surprised at times at the snap.
Lacks natural explosion and needs to improve his set-up quickness. Strong, but won't overpower defenders and needs to better control blocks once engaged.
(2/6/14)
PLAYER OVERVIEW
Linsley isn't easy to move off the ball, which isn't surprising considering he was also a shot-putter for his high school in Youngstown, Ohio, where he also played basketball.
One of the strongest players on the Buckeyes, Linsley benches over 500 pounds and is extremely durable, starting 26 consecutive games over the past two seasons.
He isn't an exceptional athlete, but Linsley is an experienced pivot who boast strength and good quickness and awareness to be an effective blocker into the second level.