PITTSBURGH TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Saturday, April 28, 2007
Why Florida State outside linebacker Lawrence Timmons?
Why not?
Timmons, 20, is younger than Nebraska defensive end Adam Carriker and faster than Purdue defensive end Anthony Spencer, and he has more upside than Miami linebacker Jon Beason -- three other defensive players the Steelers have targeted in the first round of today's NFL draft.
Veteran Florida State defensive coordinator Mickey Andrews believes he knows why.
Andrews has coached several talented linebackers who were drafted into the NFL. From Marvin Jones and Derrick Brooks, to emerging stars Ernie Sims and Kamerion Wimbley, to former Steelers second-round bust Alonzo Jackson.
Timmons is the latest of an impressive group of FSU linebackers with great potential, but Andrews said Timmons, who left school a year early, is suffering from underexposure.
"His name's not been out there like some of those other guys that win the Butkus Award or are All-Americans, but he can do so many things," said Andrews, FSU's defensive coordinator since 1983. "He's a guy that can fit into a 4-3 or a 3-4 system because he can rush the passer, he can blitz, he can cover, he can run.
"Derrick Brooks, some of those guys, are probably a little bit farther along because they played four years rather than three. But as far as being a dependable, attacking-style football player, he compares with all of them."
This is the first draft for the partnership of Steelers director of football operations Kevin Colbert and new coach Mike Tomlin. It's too early to determine how well Colbert and Tomlin will co-exist in the war room, but they already have a common interest in Florida State players.
The Steelers under Colbert selected safety Chris Hope in the third round of the 2002 draft, Jackson in the 2003, cornerback Bryant McFadden in the second round in 2005, and wide receiver Willie Reid in the third round in 2006.
Tomlin and Colbert observed Timmons at FSU's pro day in March.
"I've been to about six in a row. It's become normal for me to go to the FSU workout," Tomlin said this week. "That was my mentality, but they have some quality players, it's a good program, and they're going to have guys come out every year."
Andrews said NFL teams draft Florida State players because "they know how to work. They're going to have a good work ethic, or they're not going to play."
Jackson didn't pan out because he failed to make the transition from college defensive end to NFL linebacker. He and Timmons are connected because they both attended FSU. But Timmons, like first-round picks Jones, Brooks and Sims before him, is a natural outside linebacker who won't have to learn a new position in the pros.
Timmons played over the tight end, defended receivers one-on-one in the slot and led the Seminoles with 18 tackles for loss in 2006. He also starred on special teams in his first two seasons while backing up Sims and had four blocked kicks.
Colbert told reporters the Steelers want to get younger on defense through the draft. Three of their starting linebackers will be 32, 30 and 29 when the season opens.
Veteran James Harrison, a former special-teams standout, has replaced Joey Porter in the lineup. If the Steelers draft an outside linebacker in the first round, they won't expect him to start in 2007. However, they will expect him to contribute immediately on special teams.
"Lawrence is a great special-teams player," Andrews said. "You're talking about a guy that's going to lay it on the line and play hard."
Time will tell if Timmons, if drafted by the Steelers, is a good fit.
John Harris is a sports writer for the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. He can be reached at jharris@tribweb.com
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