2008 NFL Draft Preview: Penn State Linebacker Dan Connor

Penn State linebacker Dan Connor is 6'3 231 lbs. The Nittany Lions senior had 6.5 sacks last season. Connor won the Bednarik Award for outstanding defensive player for last season. Dan was named MVP of the North Team at the 2008 Senior Bowl. The awards helped established Dan Connor as a possible first round draft pick in the 2008 NFL draft.

NFLdraftscout.com ranks Dan Connor as the best inside linebacker in this years NFL draft and have him projected as a first round draft pick. Fox sports lists him as the third best outside linebacker in the draft but state he can play either position. Chris Stueber of Scout.com has Dan Connor going 32^nd on his mock draft on Fox Sports.

Upside for Dan Connor is he can play both the inside and outside linebacker position. He won the MVP Award for the North Team in the Senior Bowl, an All -Star game in front of a lot of NFL Scouts. He played at Penn State and faced tough competition for four years playing in the Big Ten.

The downside for Dan Connor is it looks like he skipped the NFL Combine, so he missed a chance to impress scouts. Doing well at the Pro Day workout could help compensate for the missed opportunity. As it stands it is a possibility Dan could slip to the second round.

Teams that could be interested in Dan Connor include the New York Giants, New York Jets, New England Patriots, New Orleans Saints, Buffalo Bills, and the Arizona Cardinals. More teams would be interested in Conner if he slips into the second round.

Dan Connor is one of the top linebackers in the 2008 NFL draft. His strength is he can play both inside and outside linebacker. He is one of the few linebackers who will be able to start in the NFL. Connor should go late in the first round or in the second round of the draft.

Sources:
NFLdraftscout.com
Foxsports.com