Defense End/Rush Linebacker

Florida

6-3 266

40 time (projected): 4.69

Draft board overall prospect rank: #57

Draft board defensive end rank: #7

Overall rating: 77*

1/21/10: He doesn’t have amazing athleticism, but he has an amazing motor and that’s really half of the battle. He would fit very well as a rush linebacker or a cover 2 defensive end. I think a lot higher of him than most places do and he’ll probably be drafted in the 4^th round at the highest, but he has borderline 2^nd round skills. His fundamentals are very sound.

12/12/09: Scrappy is a word used most with baseball and basketball players, but Jermaine Cunningham is a scrappy football player.

            11/27/09: Jermaine Cunningham is one of my favorite underrated college football players. He was a big time recruit out of High School and picked the University of Florida, where he has yet to establish major statistical success. He doesn’t have great measurable size or measurable speed, but I have been extremely impressed with him when I have watched him. He hustles every single play and has a great heart. He’s a great leader on the football field and though his sacks totals aren’t extremely high, they are consistently above average. He’s often in the backfield and uses his hands very well. He breaks up passes and also has an interception which leads me to believe that he’ll be a very good rush linebacker in the NFL, which would negate his lack of elite size and allow him to display his full range of speed rushing moves. He also uses his hands in the trenches on passing plays to negate his lack of size. He pushes off of offensive linemen very well and he has very long arms which makes him tough to block. He is a sound tackler and is not easily broken because his arms are both long and strong and he wraps up properly. He hits hard as well and has a good number of forced fumbles especially for his size. He’s an extremely smart player as well. The major knock on him is obviously his size. He can be driven off of the line quickly and though he never gives up on a play and is constantly trying to break blocks, that will hurt him in the NFL. However, if he moves to rush linebacker, that won’t be an issue. He also fits extremely well as a cover 2 defensive end because he has a good repertoire of speed rushing moves, he plays faster than he times, and because of his great uses of his hands and his arms. He was arrested in December 2007 for an altercation in a sandwich shop, but as bad as that sounds, that seems to be a one time isolated incident, and thus somewhat excusable for an NFL prospect (I said lettuce, dammit!). His character on the field with his hustle and his willingness to play through injuries, played the entire 2008 season through a hyper extended knee which also could be to blame for less than excellent production that year, makes up for that incident. He is a small guy, but uses everything he has to get the job done and he’s a consistent senior with 3 strong college seasons. He’ll make a good rush linebacker or cover 2 defensive end in the NFL, but might not be drafted, because of his lack of elite production, elite size, or an elite 40 time, until the 4^th round.

NFL Comparison: Alex Brown