Jeremy Beal Scouting Report

Jeremy Beal has been a dominating pass rusher for the better part of four years with the Sooners of Oklahoma. There is no reason to think that he cannot be just as dominate of a force in the NFL. Even as a redshirt freshman in 2007 Beal earned a couple of starts and finished the campaign with one sack and 5.0 tackles-for-loss.

In 2008 Beal stepped into a starting role and never looked back. He started all 14 games that season and ended up with an impressive 8.5 sacks and 15.5 tackles-for-loss. He even added 61 tackles and four pass break-ups. Everybody wanted to see if Beal could do it again in 2009 as an upperclassman and he did not disappoint. Beal ended the 2009 campaign with 11.0 sacks and 19.0 tackles-for-loss. And once again he proved that he is more than just a pass rusher and totaled 70 tackles. Through ten games in 2010, despite being consistently targeted by the opposition, Beal has 50 tackles, 16.0 tackles-for-loss and 7.5 sacks.

Beal has shown that he can consistently get to the quarterback and his production in 2009 and 2010 has proven to scouts that he was not a one year wonder. Beal spends most of his time at the defensive end spot, but he will occasionally stand up and drop back into coverage. That makes Beal a solid end in a 4-3 defense or an outside linebacker in a 3-4 scheme. There is not a team in the NFL where he would not fit and that should make him a late first round selection.

2/10 Update: Beal's stock is dropping fast after a disappointing Senior Bowl. Beal did not look the part or play with as much athleticism as most expected. He is a hard working player, but coming out of the week of practice Beal is labeled as a player with limited potential. He has time to do some damage control before the NFL Combine, but if he keeps falling, Beal could end up way down in the third or fourth round.

4/6 Update: Beal failed to show that he had the speed to be a pass rusher in the NFL. That will make him an inside linebacker. He certainly has the instincts and strength to play that position, but it also decreases his draft stock greatly. Once considered a consistent pass rusher, Beal is now an inside linebacker who cannot pass other players who have spent their collegiate careers honing their skills at that position. That leaves the third or fourth round as the most realistic landing spot for Beal.