FAYETTEVILLE — Four questions for four writers previewing Arkansas' linebackers heading into the 2017 season.
Is Dre Greenlaw an All-SEC caliber player if healthy?
Clay Henry: I believe Dre is the key to the defense, a true playmaker who is capable of making All-SEC. He should be the team's leading tackler. He would have been last year until he was knocked out by injury. Paul Rhoads says he's a natural playmaker, but not a natural linebacker. He still is learning linebacker keys and technique. August drills will be important since he didn't practice in the 3-4 in the spring, but he can be the best player on the defense and will be perfect for the 3-4.
Jimmy Carter: He will probably record more than 100 tackles, so that will get him into All-SEC discussion. You worry a bit about all the time he’s missed, but when healthy his speed and instincts are very good. I think he’ll have a big season.
Dudley Dawson: I think Greenlaw will lead the team in tackles and will make one of the three teams of SEC linebackers that are usually on the lists.
Matt Jones: I think so, but maybe not first-team. He was a Freshman All-American in 2015, so that's an indication that his play gets noticed. He should be near the top of the SEC in tackles and stats go a long way in voters determining who makes all-conference teams.
How confident are you that Scoota Harris will be a solid SEC MLB in 2017 on a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 being not confident and 10 being very confident?
Henry: Scoota Harris is a seven right now, but could be an eight or a nine. He's just inexperienced. He's a natural leader and you saw that in the vote for captains. He got votes as a first-year player. That tells you that the team believes in him and expects him to get it done. What we don't know is if his body will hold up in the grind up front as an inside linebacker. I expect he'll be fine, but it's the question that I have about young linebackers. You can look at Dre Greenlaw as a case in point.
Carter: I’ll go with a 7 for 2017. Long-term, I’ll go 9.5. I really like Harris. He’s physical and is a natural playmaker. He’s still young, so there will be some hiccups this fall, but he has a high ceiling.
Dawson: I'll take an 8 on the Scoota Harris hype train.
Jones: He didn't look overwhelmed when he had to start as a freshman, so that's an indication that he'll be effective as he gets older. My confidence in him being a solid linebacker is high, probably 9 or 10.
Is depth still an issue at inside linebacker? Who, if any, of the backups are you confident in?
Henry: Depth at inside linebacker is a real issue. When you think that two walk-ons are key players, then you can't look at it any other way. Josh Harris and Grant Morgan are going to play a lot on special teams, but each lacks something that makes him a sure thing as an SEC linebacker. Harris lacks height and speed. Morgan lacks height and bulk. But they are natural linebackers and might play better than their measure-ables would suggest. Morgan reminds me of Sam Olajubutu, a playmaker who has the ability to wiggle and slide through big bodies to get to the ball. He just lacks size and there's no way to put any more weight on such a small frame.
Carter: Yes, it’s very much an issue. True freshman early enrollee Kyrei Fisher took reps with the ones in the spring, along with walk-ons Josh Harris and Grant Morgan. The staff likes Dwayne Eugene at outside at the Razor position, but if Harris or Greenlaw went down, I think they’d move him back inside. I do like Fisher. He’s got good size and flashed a few times in the spring. He’s just young.
Dawson: While there were plenty of people on the field this spring playing inside, I hesitate to pronounce it a depth-filled position because many of them just simply have not had a college snap yet.
Jones: Linebacker depth has long been an issue for Arkansas, but it's that way for most teams. Quality linebackers are like quality cover corners: hard to find and hard to replace. I think there is a gap between the starters and all of their understudies.
How good can Randy Ramsey be at OLB? How important is he to running the 3-4?
Henry: Randy Ramsey is a long, fast athlete that should fit in the outside linebacker spot. He seems to be the one linebacker who understands his position the best. He looked like a playmaker in the spring. When I see him play, I think of what Wilson Matthews used to tell me about true linebackers: they look like a water moccasin about to strike. He's got pass rush skills and cover skills. He might be a difference maker in the 3-4, helping avoid the need to water down the defense with nickel and dime players who aren't great against the run.
Carter: Ramsey has the versatility that makes him a potentially very good fit at the Hog, the lighter, quicker of the 2 outside linebacker spots. He was a playmaker in limited snaps last year, wreaking havoc as a pass rusher. Him being that same type of player in a much larger role is critical for the success of the defense, because there isn’t another player like him at the position. Arkansas will target rangy prospects like him in recruiting moving forward, but the roster is somewhat lacking in that department at this point.
Dawson: Ramsey appears ready to have a big, big year.
Jones: I think his quickness and ability to get off blocks will make him a quality pass-rusher against teams with drop-back quarterbacks. I'm interested to see how he'll do against offenses that put a lot of pressure on the perimeter linebackers with quick passes and runs to the outside.