College Talent Scout

Name: Scott McKillop
Position: Inside Linebacker
School: Pittsburgh
Height: 6010 E
Weight: 244 E
40 Time: 4.71 E

Athleticism: 5.5
McKillop has enough athleticism to start in the NFL, but he will not get drafted based on his athleticism. He doesn't have the quickness needed to make plays on the sidelines, even at the college level he struggled to meet the RB at the corner on outside runs. McKillop is actually surprisingly smooth dropping into coverage, showing the hip flexibility needed to drop into zone coverage.
Quickness: 5.5
Balance: 6.0
Fluidity: 6.0

Physical Talents: 6.0
As always, I am grading him as a fit for Seattle. While McKillop has ordinary size and an ordinary frame to most teams, it would make him big for a Cover-2/Tampa-2 defense. He has good functional strength, as he can take on blockers without embarrassing himself, though more often he tries to get around blockers. He really does not have an explosive step at all.
Body Type: 6.5
Strength: 6.5
Explosion: 5.5

Polish: 6.5
McKillop really set a bad first impression here with his horrendous game against WVU. It's hard to figure out exactly why he was so often biting on misdirection in that game while so solid otherwise, but in the end I chalked it up to a bad game against an offense designed to work on misdirection. McKillop has good technique in coverage (could stand to sink his hips more), but when he tackles he does not deliver any punishment at all to the ball carrier.
Understands Playbook: 6.0
Proper Technique: 6.0
Instincts: 7.0

Competitiveness: 6.5
McKillop is a tough, clutch player who came up big in big time situations. However, I can't get over how overmatched he was against WVU's speed and many bad reads he made on misdirection. While he was overall solid making reads in other games, I am a little concerned that there seemed to be no ?oepunisher” aspect to his game.
Toughness: 6.5
Consistency: 6.0
Clutch Play: 6.5
Effort: 6.5

Football Character: 7.0 Hard worker who should bring the intangibles desired from the ILB spot.
Personal Character: 6.5 No prior history of off-field troubles, should not be a problem at all.
Durability: 6.5 Two years starting without injury problems is a good sign.

Linebacker Specific Skills
Read & React: 6.5 WVU aside, McKillop generally makes very good reads. Can bit on PA and misdirection.
Initial Quicks: 6.0 Seems to make his reads quickly. Physically, not especially quick but acceptable.
Hit Power: 5.0 There's really no umph. He usually makes the tackle, but even when he squares up he wraps up more than hits.
Block Shedding: 6.0 Needs to protect his legs more, but uses good hand technique and has enough bulk to beat the FB.
Tackling: 6.5 Very reliable, has a nose for the football. Wraps up when he can but can make tackles even when blocked.
Range: 5.5 Seattle asks their LBs to cover a lot of ground, and that's not McKillop's specialty. He can make plays within the hash marks but will be outclassed by NFL speed.
Man Coverage: 6.0 I liked his hip flexibility, but he's best covering the middle of the field in zone as he lacks great speed for man coverage.
Zone Coverage: 6.0 Good hips, gets into his drop quickly. Lack of speed hampers him in Tampa-2 specifically (MLB in deep zone) but he will be a plus in most systems.
Pass-Rush: 5.5 Doesn't offer a whole lot, but has enough burst to notch the sack when unblocked.
Errors: 6.0 Needs to play more disciplined and bite less on PA/Misdirection, but overall plays solid, smart football.

Summary: When I started scouting McKillop, I was hoping he would be able to play outside in Seattle's defense. Then I had the misfortune of watching WVU befuddle McKillop, which was especially damning because WVU has legitimate NFL speed on their team and a game against good competition is always worth more than poor competition. However, as the scouting process continued I began to see that McKillop had some value, but in a 3-4 defense playing the ?oeMike” position. He is a tackling machine, and while he doesn't scare anyone with his hitting ability, he has a place in the NFL. I wouldn't recommend Seattle take him, but he could be a good backup with potential as a starter in the right system.

Final Grade: 5.7 (Seattle, probably a 5.9 for the right team)

Note: It is possible I will watch more Pitt games, so I reserve the right to change this grade at any time.

• http://collegescout.wordpress.com/2009/03/25/scott-mckillop-ilb-pittsburgh/