2013 NFL Draft Prospect Profile: Kiko Alonso, LB, Oregon

The New York Giants need linebackers and the team has ackowledged as much, but when and where they improve their linebacker corps is up in the air. Will they attack the position early with a player like Alec Ogletree or Arthur Brown, or will they take a shot in Round 3 or later? One of the players who could appeal to the Giants is the athletic Kiko Alonso, so today we use our 2013 NFL Draft prospect profile on Alonso.

[Complete SB Nation Draft Coverage]

Pros

A lot of length (6-foot-3, 238 pounds). Alonso is a talented play-maker who makes plays behind the line of scrimmage and in the passing game (14 tackles for loss and 4 interceptions). Alonso is a good athlete who is solid in coverage. Alonso was terrific as a special teams contributor when asked to do so at Oregon. He has sideline to sideline range, and is explosive on the field. He has good potential and offers a lot of upside as a blitzer. He takes good angles to the ball carrier.

[Big Blue View 2013 NFL Draft Big Board]

Cons

Lengthy, but has a thinner build. Alonso will carry the "character concerns" label as he was suspended twice while at Oregon and has also had his fair share of injuries (ACL, wrist). Alonso doesn't have great instincts, he takes too many false steps and doesn't use his hands to shed blocks well.

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Player comparison: Daryl Washington (CBS Sports), Ben Leber (NFL.com)

Does He Fit With The Giants?

Sure does. He could potentially play any of the three linebacker spots and is an intriguing option as a SAM linebacker for the Giants.

Prospect Video

From the wonderful @jmpasq of draftbreakdown.com

Big Board Rankings

CBS Sports-84th

National Football Post-54th

Mocking the Draft-107th

Sports Illustrated-Outside the top 40

Big Blue View Board-93rd

BBV Draft Hub Page

Check out our complete 2013 NFL Draft coverage, including a Big Board, a growing list of prospect profiles, interviews with draft hopefuls and much more.

Final Thought

I've been banging the drum for Ogletree as one of the top options for the Giants as anyone who as been reading my coverage knows, but Alonso would be a nice consolation prize in the third round. And if you could guarantee me that the Giants get Alonso in the third round I'd be less annoyed when the Giants bypass Ogletree in the first round (which I think they will do). In some ways Alonso and Ogletree are similar prospects. Both are lengthy linebackers who are aggressive, but also very good athletes who are best in space. Both have had two suspensions at their schools. Where I think the difference is and why one is a first-round prospect and the other is a Day 2 prospect is that Ogletree has better instincts and I'm confident that Ogletree will be an elite coverage linebacker, whereas I think in time Alonso could be a terrific coverage linebacker.

Also, I'm going to be doing one or two more running back prospect profiles before the draft. My thought is that the Giants will take one on Day 3. The last three running backs the Giants have taken have a speed score (speed based on weight) over a 100, and there are several Day 3 prospects who have at least a 100. Here they are:

Let me know which profile you guys want to see.

• Matthew Tucker, TCU
• Michael Ford, LSU
• D.J. Harper, Boise State
• Mike James, Miami
• Zac Stacey, Vanderbilt
• C.J. Anderson, California
• Cierre Wood, Norte Dame (just shy of a 100)

The other guys who have a speed score over a 100 in this draft class are: Knile Davis, Arkansas. Le'veon Bell, Michigan State and Christine Michael, RB, Texas A&M. But I think all of those guys are drafted before the Giants would consider a running back.

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