Round 5: Duke Riley, LB, LSU
The SEC does defense normally better than anyone else. The deep-south is known for producing some of the most productive front seven players in the entire NFL. LSU just happens to be one of the best in doing so.
Warren Capone, Marcus Spears and Glenn Dorsey are LSU greats have set the bar for what a Tiger defender should look and play like. Duke Riley fits into this mold. Riley was a standout during the week of the Senior Bowl, his play turned heads as he wore number zero.
The boy who lost his home to Hurricane Katrina and wasn’t sure LSU would offer him a scholarship until a week before signing day, certainly made the most of his collegiate career. In 2016, Riley let the Tigers in tackles, amassing 93 tackles.
Another Senior Bowl standout comes from a different swamp. The Florida Gators’ Alex Anzalone has struggled to provide the consistent in-game production as Riley has. But Anzalone is very athletically gifted and can produce the speed to gobble up running backs while filling the gaps. If Maccagnan can look past the substantial injury history, he may get himself a steal at the end of the third round.
