R6-7: 6th-round pick Rolle determined to stay at LB

Saturday, April 30, 2011
Posted: 7:20 p.m.

By Reuben Frank
CSNPhilly.com
Brian Rolle knows why he was bypassed 192 times in the draft this weekend.

Hes 5-foot-9, 230 pounds, and he plays linebacker.

And thats just not what most NFL teams are looking for.

So most NFL scouts and coaches figured Rollewho has 4.5 speedwould project in the NFL as a safety.

Only problem is he doesnt want to play safety.

Im an outside linebacker, Rolle said. Im a guy that loves to stick my nose in piles and get dirty. I consider myself somebody down in the box.

The Eagles drafted Rolle in the sixth round Saturday. And they drafted him as a linebacker.

Coming out of high school, it wasnt a big deal, Rolle said. I got recruited by I think almost every one of the 118 or 119 Division 1 schools, and ... I ended up going to Ohio State and playing middle linebacker the last two years.

But Ive heard it a lot actually going from this level to the NFL, and I talked to my linebacker coach about what do I want to do, and I told him, Linebackers my position and thats what I want to do, and Im glad I found a team that feels the same way.

Rolle, like Casey Matthews, comes from a big football family. His cousin Antrell Rolle plays for the Giants. Another cousin, Samari Rolle, spent 11 years with the Titans and Ravens as a cornerback. And cousin Myron, the former Rhodes Scholar from South Jersey, spent last year on the Titans practice squad.

Brian Rolle said hell be happy to play safety if the Eagles want him to, but he said linebacker is where all the hitting happens, and thats what he wants. Rolle was a backup outside linebacker his first two years in Columbus before becoming the starting middle linebacker as a junior.

Ohio State went 44-9 in his four years with the Buckeyes and 23-3 in his two years as a starter.

Im a physical guy, Rolle said. I dont think I get enough credit for being a guy that goes out there and puts my face in the ball, but obviously Philadelphia and those guys looked at the film hard and know that Im a guy that regardless of what you think of my size, Im going to be a great player. And in the NFL, theyre going to put you where youre going to make plays, and me going there and probably playing weak-side linebacker, I know its going to be a place Im going to make plays.

Rolle, whos good friends with former college teammate Kurt Coleman, an Eagles seventh-round pick last year, started his last two years at middle linebacker. He had over 200 tackles as a starter and 21 tackles for loss.

There were 22 linebackers picked ahead of him. Rolle said he wont forget all the teams that bypassed him in the draft.

Its going to be a heartache for them in the coming years, he said. Im not going to hold a grudge against them, but when I play any other team that could have drafted me, Im going to play lights out.

The Eagles also picked Cincinnati guard Jason Kelce in the sixth round. Kelce is the third interior offensive lineman the Eagles took and the second in the late rounds. They picked Danny Watkins from Baylor in the first round and Julian Vandervelde out of Iowa in the fifth.

I feel like Im in the best situation that I could have gone into, Kelce said. Coach Mudd is one ofif not thebest offensive line coaches in the country right now. Im just really excited to learn from him and get ready to compete for a starting spot.

Kelce actually arrived at Cincinnati as a linebacker before moving over to offensive line as a true freshman.

I came out of high school as a linebacker and a running back, he said. Came into college at about 215 or 220, and the strength coaches that were here switched me over to offensive line.

Kelce started his last three years with the Bearcats, at guard in 2008 and 2009 and center in 2010. Brent Celek was a senior Kelces freshman year with the Bearcats.

I think theyre looking at me for a little bit of both, Kelce said. When I was in Philadelphia, coach Howard Mudd and I watched film strictly on guard. He said, We already know what you can do at center.

The Eagles opened the seventh round by selecting 6-1, 250-pound inside linebacker Greg Lloyd out of U. Conn. Lloyd is the son of five-time Steelers Pro Bowl linebacker Greg Lloyd, but the two have not spoken since 2002.

Greg Lloyd Sr. was charged in 2001 with pointing a Glock semiautomatic pistol in his then 12-year-old sons mouth. Two trials ended in hung juries. Lloyd Sr. did later plead no contest to charges that he pointed a gun at his estranged wifes head.

Greg Jr. said Saturday night that even though his father isnt part of his life, hes still motivated by his dads legacy on the football field.

Me and him, we dont have a relationship, Lloyd said. The only thing there is to say about it is that he was a phenomenal football player, and me having the same name and playing the same profession, I can only expect people have the same aspirations for me and that Im going to be constantly judged by how great he was.

Honestly, itll be a lot of work, because I want to be able to prove myself and put a name out there for myself, and my whole thought process coming into it is that I plan on being better than him, so when people talk about me, theyre not going to be comparing me to my father, theyre going to be comparing me to what I have done.

The Eagles final pick was fullback Stanley Havili out of USC. Havili had 509 yards on 81 rushing attempts (6.3 average) at USC and caught 116 passes for 1,290 yards and 12 touchdowns.

Related: R4: Eagles add a Matthews, then Akers' successorR5: Eagles draft fellow Pitt product to back up Shady

E-mail Reuben Frank at rfrank@comcastsportsnet.com.