Draft Preview: Sean Lee

NAME – Sean Lee

Position – Inside Linebacker

College – Penn State

Status – Redshirt senior, graduated in December with finance degree.

Size/Weight – 6-2, 236 pounds

Important numbers – 4.74 seconds in 40-yard dash, 24 reps on bench press, 37.5-inch vertical jump.

Age – 24 in late July.

Honors – second team All-Big 10 in ‘07 and ‘09 … Alamo Bowl defensive player of the game

College career – A productive career at Linebacker U. for Lee was hampered by knee injuries. He missed the entire ‘08 season when he tore the ACL in his right knee during spring practice. During pre-season work in ‘09, he sprained the ACL in his left knee and missed three games. When he was able to play, he was very good. As a sophomore against Wisconsin, he had 13 tackles, two sacks, recovered two fumbles and forced a fumble.

Stats of note – 44 games/33 starts, 325 total tackles, 29.5 tackles for loss, 11 sacks, 3 INTs, 5 forced fumbles.

STRENGTHS – Great instincts and football intelligence … he reads quickly and fills the gaps fast … he takes quality angles to the ball … always prepared … excellent tackler, who does well in the open-field and always wraps up his man … good in coverage, relying on preparation and intelligence rather than speed and quickness.

WEAKNESSES – speed is a question mark and it keeps him from being a sideline-to-sideline player … he’s not a kill-shot tackler … needs to develop pass rush skills, although he blitzes quite effectively … has trouble getting back into the play when he bites on play-action.

THE RIGHT 53? – Know this right off the bat: Lee graduated from Upper St. Clair High School in the south suburbs of Pittsburgh. That’s the alma mater of head coach Todd Haley. This guy has an elite football IQ; when he missed the ‘08 season, he was at every game on the sidelines wearing a head set and contributing to the defensive calls. Lee was the unquestioned leader of the Nittany Lions in ‘09 and has an infectious personality and unquestioned character. He’s smart, he’s a leader and he’s been a winner – those are all the ingredients of the right 53 template.

What he said – “I just want to be remembered as a guy who from the day he got here, has worked extremely hard to try to help this program improve, to win football games and not only improve on the field, but improve off the field. You know, try to be a leader off the field who has kind of passed his leadership down to younger guys to try and improve this program.”

End game – One of the greatest high school athletes in the Pittsburgh area over the last 50 years, he went to Penn State and was an outstanding football player, but not necessarily a great athlete thanks to his knee problems. He’s not a big man, not the fastest or quickest, but he’s strong and heady and would help any team.

ON THE CHIEFS LIST? – Lee has to be under consideration by the Chiefs for tangible and intangible reasons. The question will be how the doctors grade him out after his knee problems. If he’s passed by the docs, it’s hard to believe the Chiefs would not consider Lee in the third or fourth round. He is the epitome of what Pioli/Haley are looking for, if his knees are sound.