Cowboys draft 2024: LB Junior Colson scouting report

Here is our scouting report on linebacker Junior Colson from Michigan

We continue our 2024 NFL Draft review of draft prospects that could interest the Dallas Cowboys. Today we are looking at linebacker Junior Colson from Michigan.

Junior Colson
LB
Michigan Wolverines
Junior
4-star recruit
6’2”
238 lbs
Hands- 10” (75%)
Arm Length- 32 1/2” (57%)
Wingspan- 77 1/2” (75%)

History:
Junior Colson was a four-star recruit out of Ravenwood High School where he played soccer and then later moved to football. He would opt to play for Michigan and he joined the team in 2021.

In his freshman year he was a rotational player at the linebacker position but got more starting time as the season developed. He played 521 snaps on defense and made 60 tackles and one tackle for loss

In 2022, Colson played as the team’s starting Mike linebacker from Week 1. He played 727 snaps for Michigan and made a career single-season high of 101 tackles. He also made six tackles for loss and two sacks.

In 2023, he continued his role as starting Mike linebacker and played 662 snaps for Michigan. He made 95 tackles with two tackles for loss.

2023 Statistics:
662 Defensive snaps
95 Total Tackles
2 TFL
36 Defensive Stops
13 Pressures
0 Sacks
2 PBU
0 Penalties

NFL Combine/Pro Day:
N/A

Awards:
Second-team All-Big10 (2023)
Second-team All-Big10 (2022)

Scorecard:
Overall- 87.2
Speed- 85
Acceleration- 88
Agility- 83
Strength- 89
Tackling- 90
Run Stopping- 80
Pass Rush- 62
Discipline- 98

THE GOOD:

• A very athletic guy for his size
• Speed and agility is best seen when in coverage and can stay in-phase with receivers even on go routes
• A very efficient tackler that rarely misses and can lay big hits
• Strength is also seen when coming down to take on blocks
• Shows good awareness when dropping into coverage and versus play action
• Very good at finding the ball carrier in the trash

THE BAD:

• Lacks naturals instincts in run defense
• Can be a tick slow when changing direction in open field
• Has the strength to take on blocks but lacks the hand technique to disengage
• Has moments where he guesses where to be instead of reading landmarks
• Will take confusing pursuit angles

THE FIT:
Junior Colson has a very rare combination of size, speed and strength at the off-ball linebacker position. He’s an excellent tackler that shows insane hand strength to keep hold of the ball carrier, as well as plenty of moments on tape where he lays big hits on the opposition. His speed is also helpful when in coverage and is ideal for this role on Cover 2 defenses.

Block shedding and run defense is where Colson needs to refine his skills. He relies so heavily on his speed and power that he’s never really learned technique in either regard. You can see he leans on the fact he can always recover using his athletic traits. In the NFL he would be on equal terms of athleticism making this a huge issue. You also see at times the reverse of this problem where he hesitates or fails to come downhill when the opportunity rises. This shows an instinctual issue where he either doesn’t recognize the situation or has committed to another lane by guessing.

Overall, Colson is still a great linebacker who should thrive as an inside linebacker with enough coaching. His rookie year should be taken slow and see plenty of rotational and special teams work with the eventual rise to becoming a starter.

COMPARISON:-
Dorian Williams, Buffalo Bills

GRADE:
Mid to late second-round grade

CONSENSUS RANKING:
49th
(Consensus ranking based on the average ranking from 90 major scoring services)