Steelers 2013 Draft Prospect Profiles: OLB Corey Lemonier – Auburn

One player that certainly helped his stock at the NFL combine this past week was Auburn defensive end Corey Lemonier, who projects to be a 3-4 outside linebacker in the NFL.

The Pittsburgh Steelers certainly have a need for another young outside linebacker prospect and Lemonier figures to be drafted in either the second or third round.

Prior to the combine getting underway in Indianapolis, NFL.com analyst Gil Brandt posted some target numbers by position for each of the drills that the players would be performing and the 6 foot 3 inch, 255 pound Lemonier succeeded in besting 4 of the 5 targets that we currently results for. The one target that he missed hitting was the vertical jump, where he was 3 inches short of the 36 inch target number.

Lemonier posted an explosive index number of 69.9, which is just .1 less than the head turning 70 number that Pat Kirwan talks about in his book, “Take Your Eye Off The Ball.”

Lemonier is not without his warts, however. Like most undersized defensive ends that convert to a 3-4 outside linebacker, he will need to get used to seeing and playing the game without having his hand in the dirt. He will also have to get used to playing out in space and dropping more. While he didn\’t drop much while at Auburn, he did show adequate hip turning in the cut-ups that I have watched.

In addition to the above, Lemonier will have to learn to use his long arms better and his hand placement also needs work. Speaking of his arms, they measured 34 1/2 at the combine which was longer than those of Barkevious Mingo, Dion Jordan and Bjoern Werner, all of whom are considered first round prospects.

While his explosion index number is fine, he still seems thin in his lower body. This might explain his poor vertical. He is much better built up top than he his in his lower half and he will need his legs to effectively bull rush on the outside. He needs more pass rush moves in his arsenal, but this should be easy to add over time.

Lemonier is deceiving quick and possesses a quick twitch. He is a smart kid that understands the game and his motor always seems to be engaged. His faults appear to be correctable with solid technique instruction. Little things such as protecting his legs better against cut blocks will also need to be addressed.