April 13th, 2010 
Jesse Bartolis 
Posted in
taken from: http://media.kitsapsun.com/media/img/photos/2009/11/29/20091129-182901-pic-4425150_t160.jpg
Measurables
6’1 245 pounds.
35 reps at 225 (Best for linebackers, would have been fifth for linemen-that’s offensive or defensive linemen)
4.62 40
Stats
Career: 235 tackles, 5 FF, 2 INT
2009: 91 tackles, 3 FF 1 sack, 2 INT
CBS Nfl Draft Scout
Butler didn’t begin to make a name for himself on a national level until his senior campaign.
Moved back to inside linebacker under new head coach Steve Sarkisian and former USC defensive coordinator Nick Holt — Butler split time inside and outside as a junior — he enjoyed a breakout season in 2009, finishing third in the Pac-10 in total tackles (94) and second in tackles for loss (15.5) on his way to earning second-team all-conference honors.
Though not initially among those invited to the Combine, Butler’s strong showing during the week of practice at the Senior Bowl forced scouts to make him one of 19 seniors added late.
Butler is aggressive in taking on blocks, but has to pick a side of the oncoming offensive lineman and slide off, rather than facing him fully. His narrow build might make it difficult for him to add the size and strength necessary to handle the bigger, stronger guards in the NFL. His relentlessness and good open-field tackling skills will help him rack up tackles, but too many may come yards downfield. Considering his frame and relative comfort in coverage, some teams will view Butler as an outside linebacker prospect
| Analysis |
| Read & React: At least marginal key-and-diagnose skills. Can be fooled by effective play-action, but has the athleticism to recover quickly.Run defense: Good speed and agility to elude blockers in the open field and to close quickly on the ballcarrier. Attacks the line of scrimmage in run support. Dips his shoulder to effectively get underneath the blocker and slip past to make the play in the hole. Looks smaller than his listed size on film, especially in his lower body. Relies on his size and athleticism to elude blockers. Struggles breaking free of blocks once engaged.Pass defense: Gets good depth on his drops and shows a smooth backpedal for a linebacker. Can turn to change direction fluidly and stick with most tight ends in coverage. Too often allows tight ends off the line of scrimmage without an effective jam and doesn’t appear to have the straight-line speed to consider the transition to defensive back. Appears to have soft hands and good awareness for coverage, but loses out at the critical moment against bigger tight ends and drops passes he shouldn’t.Tackling: Breaks down well in space to make the secure open-field tackle. Secure wrapping up, but more of a catch tackler who shows only occasional pop.Pass Rush/Blitz: His greatest strength. Good timing for the blitz. Can explode upfield and instinctively “gets skinny” to slip through the gaps and into the backfield. Good balance, lateral agility and acceleration to change direction and close. Flashes an explosive pop to shove blockers away, but lacks the bulk or strength to disengage.
Intangibles: Good special-team defender who times leaps nicely and has two career blocked kicks. Suspended for three games last season for his part in Florida State’s academic scandal. Tough player willing to play through pain, but has been hampered with injuries throughout his career, further casting doubt as to whether he can hold up for a full NFL season as a linebacker. Underwent Tommy John surgery following the 2008 season, which kept him out of spring practices in ’09. NFL Comparison: Michael Boulware |
draftcountdown.com
Strengths:
Great size with a muscular physique — Very Athletic — Explosive and fast with a burst — Smooth with nice agility and quickness — Terrific instincts to read and react — Excellent strength — Does a fantastic job in pursuit and closes in a hurry — Able to avoid blockers — Reliable tackler — Can match up in man coverage — Decent blitzer — Hard Worker — Leader — Versatile — Superb special teamer — Productive.Weaknesses:
Durability may be a concern — Struggles when he has to take on and shed blockers — Lacks power in his game — Not a big hitter — Can be too aggressive at times — Gets engulfed when massive linemen lock on — Is not stout at the point of attack — Frame might be maxed out
NFL.com
Has good size and strength but lacks great speed. He is a solid athlete with decent foot agility, balance and short area quickness to close in the open field. Butler should be more physical on contact but is a solid hitter between the tackles. … Butler has the size, strength, instincts, toughness and athleticism to contribute on special teams as well adding valuable depth to a club in his rookie season. … Fluid enough to stick in man coverage and reads underneath routes in zone. Hard worker that was very productive in the Pac-10…. Needs to be more physical to be successful at the next level
Big Board Rankings
Drafttek.com 83rd overall
Walterfootball.com 8th ranked Inside LB (rounds 5 or 6 )
National Football post.com 7th Best ILB
ESPN Scouts INC 5th best ILB
Bartolis Summary and Final Verdict
We posted an article here recently from ESPN.com that said that the New York Giants Perry Fewell is going to go to the Tampa 2, which is something we’ve wondered about for awhile. The question is though is this guy ASSUMING that becuase the sites we usually partol and rely on for NY Giants information have made no mention of this and it would not be the first time ESPN jumped the gun or made some sort of assumption.
IF the New York Giants are looking to go to the Tampa 2 Butler might be a wise choice. He ran faily well, he’s also gained some weight.
Butler is an interesting prospect because you get one scouting report that says, doesn’t have great strength and can’t disengage from blockers, the other scouting reports say he has good size and strength. And then you get the good showing of reps at the combine, which makes you believe he is strong enough.
At big blue view I saw something that might make sense. He said “sounds to me like Bryan Kehl” who has all the tools to be successful in the N.F.L. but he just might lack that Nastiness you want in a football player.
Is Donald Butler Bryan Kehl?
Butler was very productive this past season and is a great chance in the later rounds I think. (Rounds five or six) especially if you can’t get McClain in round 1,Weatherspoon in round 1 (or 2 better), or a Jamar Chaney in a round 3 or 4. But I’m not sure I’d grab Butler higher than Round four or five.
Previous profiles
DT/NT Dan Williams (Updated with K.C. Joyner’s Draft Lab 2/7)
DT Jared Odrick
OT Anthony Davis (UPDATED 2/5/10)
ILB Brandon Spikes
ILB Rolando McClain
