PFF scouting report: Kentrell Brothers, LB, Missouri

Below is the PFF draft profile for Missouri's Kentrell Brothers which incorporates PFF’s college grades and scouting intel from our team of analysts. To see all of PFF’s 2016 scouting reports, click here.

Position fit: Inside linebacker. Spent 673 of his 843 snaps in 2015 at inside or middle linebacker

Stats to know: Led the nation with 78 tackles resulting in a defensive stop

What he does best:
• Can shed blocks from offensive lineman, has heavy hands. Played a big role in him finishing 2015 with the second-highest grade against the run amongst all linebacker
• Sifts through traffic to find the ball, good agility to mirror running back. Third-best grade on the “back side” of running plays
• Impressed against the run at the Senior Bowl, with three tackles resulting in a defensive stop on just 23 snaps
• Graded negatively against the run in just three of his past 27 games
• Solid, if unspectacular contributor as a blitzer over the past two seasons, with three sacks, six hits and 11 hurries on just 88 pass rushing snaps
• Disciplined, committing just three penalties on 1,683 snaps between 2014 and 2015
• Made a tackle resulting in a defensive stop on 15.8 percent of his plays against the run in 2015.

Biggest concerns:
• Can be late to read pulling guard on running plays
• Had a few ugly missed tackles in space
• Doesn’t always pack a punch against lead blockers, would rather stack and shed
• Lacks elite speed and takes false steps in coverage. May be limited to two-down role in NFL
• Struggles against the pass were evident in his missed tackles too, missing a tackle once every 6.2 attempted in coverage, compared with once every 12.1 against the run in 2015. His tackling efficiency in coverage ranked 34th amongst the 65 linebackers in this draft class who played at least 120 snaps last season
• Despite the above, still wasn't great as a tackler against the run, with his efficiency in that aspect ranking 30th out of 65. The same was true of his tackling in 2014, missing a tackle once every 14.2 attempted against the run, and once every 6.8 attempted in coverage

Bottom line: Brothers was one of the most impressive players against the run in the nation as a collegiate in 2015. In today's NFL that doesn't make him a top prospect however, and with limited athleticism, he'll need to shore up his tackling to make up the difference at the next level. Not the most polished linebacker in coverage, which likely limits his skill set to avoiding obvious passing downs early in his career at least, something which pushes him down the draft board. All that said, just how impressive he has been against the run makes him an interesting player to keep an eye on, depending on his landing spot.