Jerod Mayo

The Tennessee defense returned five starters in 2007, and the coaching staff opted to maximize the athletic skills and tackling ability of the Volunteers' best player -- Jerod Mayo. Moving from weak-side linebacker to the middle, the junior brought intensity to the Tennessee front seven and developed as a leader. Mayo, who overcame knee and ankle injuries earlier in his career, went on to register 140 tackles in '07, the most by a Tennessee defender since Earnest Fields registered those same totals for the Volunteers in 1990. Physical playing inside the box, his excellent range and quick burst as a blitzer helped him collect 21 tackles behind the line of scrimmage during his last two seasons at UT. Mayo is a student of the game, spending hours working on his skills after practice and watching game film. He also has a natural feel for the game to put him right in position to make the play. "It does come naturally to me," said Mayo prior to his junior campaign. "I've been doing this since I can remember, all the way back to rec league teams. For a while, I stood in the background here at UT because we've always had great older players. Now I feel like it's my time to step up and lead." At Kecoughtan High School, Mayo lettered three times in football as a linebacker and a running back. He was a Prep Star All-American and 2003 Defensive Player of the Year in the Virginia Peninsula area. He added All-State and first-team All-District honors as a senior. He was rated by Super Prep as the sixth-best overall prospect in Virginia and received a three-star prospect ranking by TheInsiders.com, as that service rated him the 25th-best linebacker prospect in the nation. He also ranked 11th in the country at outside linebacker and received a four-star prospect ranking from Rivals.com. As a senior, Mayo recorded 110 tackles, including 18 for loss, and two interceptions. He also played running back for seven games, picking up 1,245 rushing yards and scoring 13 touchdowns and five two-point conversions during his final campaign. He was a first-team All-District, All-Area and All-Region choice as junior in 2002 while recording 68 tackles including 22 for loss, four interceptions and three sacks. Mayo redshirted at Tennessee in 2004. The following season, he appeared in six games at weak-side linebacker, but was hampered most of the season by a right knee injury that required surgery after the season. He finished with 13 tackles (10 solo). In 2006, Mayo was a Rivals.com All-American second-team choice, despite being bothered late in the season by a hand injury, in addition to a lingering injury from an August camp, when he had a left knee sprain and ankle sprain. He managed to finish third on the team with 83 tackles (48 solo) from the weak-side linebacker position. He added five sacks, 12.5 stops for losses, a pass deflection and a fumble recovery. After the Outback Bowl, he underwent left knee arthroscopic surgery. Moved to middle linebacker, the All-American and All-Southeastern Conference selection had a banner '07 campaign. He produced 140 tackles (79 solo) with 1.5 sacks and 8.5 stops behind the line of scrimmage. He added five pressures with a forced fumble and also had his first interception, returning that pass theft for a touchdown. In 36 games at Tennessee, Mayo started 24 contests. He recorded 236 tackles (137 solo) with six quarterback pressures, 6.5 sacks for minus-51 yards and 21 stops for losses of 82 yards. He recovered and caused a fumble, as he deflected three passes and intercepted another for a 34-yard touchdown return.

positives

Has a well-built frame with thick bone structure, long arms, large hands, tight waist and hips and good-sized legs and calves...Productive open-field tackler and playmaker who is a strong presence in the huddle, playing with good aggression taking on lead blockers...Plays with injuries that would sideline most (might need further medical review of his knee injuries)...Fluid moving down the line, showing the loose hips and lateral range to give long chase to the opposite end of the field...Naturally fast when playing downhill and has the foot quickness and flexibility to close on the play in a hurry...Shows functional strength at the point of attack, taking on the lineman or fullback with aggression, but does struggle some vs. double teams...Smart athlete who calls defensive signals, doing a nice job of staying on his feet. Knows how to avoid blocks while maintaining balance on the move...Sees counter plays quickly and plays with a good motor, showing urgency when closing...Does the extra film work needed to prepare for games and has no problem taking plays from the chalkboard to the playing field...Comes off the edge with explosion as a pass rusher and can blast his way around wide bodies, take a big loop and still track down the ball...Can play any linebacker position, but his hand usage, pursuit skills and depth in his zone drops are better suited for the weak side...Plays with a good attitude and is mentally tough, working to get back on the field as soon as he can if injured...Can adjust on the move and is quick to read and react to keys (sees the big picture and works hard to get to the ball)...Has stack-and-control ability taking on the fullback and is good with his hand placement trying to reroute tight ends and backs when pressing...Lacks the ideal bulk to avoid being absorbed vs. combo blocks, but does a good job of keeping position and separating from the isolated blocker...Stays low in his pads shooting the gaps and is good at fending off and pursuing second-level receivers (tight ends, slot backs)...With his hand jolt, he can stack the tight end at the point of attack...Allows very little cushion on running backs coming out of the backfield in passing situations...Difficult for blockers to locate, as he's always moving...His change-of-direction agility lets him turn and run smoothly coming out of his breaks and shows good desire to close on the ball...Can avoid trash on his way to cut off the ballcarrier...Better tackling outside than inside against bigger blockers, but he hits with good force upon initial contact and does a nice job staying in control...Shows good awareness in man coverage, mirroring the receiver in the short area before switching off on his assignment...Anticipates the pass well and has the loose hips and quickness to gain position and run with the receivers anywhere on the field...Gets good zone drops due to his hip flexibility, showing the quick feet to fluidly turn and stay tight on his man in pass coverage...His ability tracking the ball in flight stands out on film...Plays alert in the deep third of the field and can drop into zone coverage with his head on a swivel, with the burst and acceleration to get to the receivers in the secondary...Shows the speed needed to reach the outside and has the sudden forward burst that allows him to consistently push the pocket...Has very good timing vision when closing on the quarterback, as he plays with proper speed and a good understanding for taking angles (better to blitz from the outside, as he can get stacked and stopped inside).

compares to

RANDALL GODFREY-Washington...During his prime, Godfrey's ability to play on the outside or inside proved invaluable. While Mayo proved that he has the field smarts to handle middle linebacker, he might lack the bulk to do so at the next level, unless the team has big defensive tackles to absorb the blocks and protect him. With his range and closing speed, he could be a better fit on the weak side, whether aligned outside in a 4-3 or inside in a 3-4. He could be a perfect fit to team up with David Harris in New York's 3-4 defense. Still, with his history of injury problems, one has to wonder if he can survive a full season at the next level.

negatives

Has good speed and weight-room strength, but he needs to be more active with his hands in attempts to shed, as he can be absorbed by bigger blockers...Better fit on the outside, as he appears more comfortable making plays on the move rather than having to impact the inside rush lanes...Not stout enough to stack and control in tight areas, as he does not keep his hands active enough to handle double teams...Showed improved hand usage as a junior, but must do a better job of extending his arms to defeat cut blocks...Needs to finish better as a tackler, as he is more finesse than he is a physical hitter and will get a bit sloppy and take a side or throw a shoulder, resulting in ballcarriers breaking free...Needs to step up and plug the holes at the line of scrimmage and seems a little slow to scrape downhill...Lacks natural hands needed to field the ball cleanly (double catches or lets the ball get into his body, greatly reducing his interception opportunities and turning them into deflections instead)...Better suited for a defensive system that will allow him to cover up, read and move, rather than one that requires Mayo step up and plug holes at the line...Better coming off the edge, where he has good swim and spin moves in attempts to pressure the pocket (can get ping-ponged when trying to bull rush)...Must be more aggressive using his hands to get into the blocker's chest, as the opponent can lock on and push him around at times.

2005: Did not play vs. Mississippi (10/01) with a right knee sprain...Sat out the final four contests vs. Notre Dame (11/05), Memphis (11/12), Vanderbilt (11/19) and Kentucky (11/26) to undergo right knee lateral collateral ligament surgery. 2006: Missed the final two weeks of August camp with a high ankle sprain...Sat out a good portion of the Georgia clash (10/07) with a left knee sprain...Suffered a hand contusion vs. Arkansas (11/11)...Re-injured his knee vs. Vanderbilt (11/18), sitting out the following week vs. Kentucky (11/25). 2007: Was limited in spring camp after undergoing left knee arthroscopic surgery after the Outback Bowl (1/01/07)...Left the Kentucky contest twice (11/24) with leg cramps...Did not participate in the bench press at the Combine due to a pectoral strain.

Campus: 4.54 in the 40-yard dash

370-pound bench press

Bench pressed 225 pounds 24 times

32-inch vertical leap

4.25 20-yard shuttle

32 3/4-inch arm length

9 3/8-inch hands. Combine: 4.53 40-yard dash

32-inch vertical jump

9'6" broad jump

4.29 20-yard shuttle

11.89 60-yard shuttle

7.31 3-cone drill.

Attended Kecoughtan (Hampton, Va.) High School, playing football for head coach Tommy Austin

Lettered three times in football as a linebacker and a running back

Prep Star All-American and 2003 Defensive Player of the Year in the Virginia Peninsula area

Added All-State and first-team All-District honors as a senior

Rated by Super Prep as the sixth-best overall prospect in Virginia

Received a three-star prospect ranking by TheInsiders.com, as that service rated him the 25th-best linebacker prospect in the nation

Also ranked 11th in the country at outside linebacker and received a four-star prospect ranking from Rivals.com

As a senior, Mayo recorded 110 tackles, including 18 for loss, and two interceptions

Also played running back for seven games, picking up 1,245 rushing yards and scoring 13 touchdowns and five two-point conversions during his final campaign

First-team All-District, All-Area and All-Region choice as junior in 2002 while recording 68 tackles including 22 for loss, four interceptions and three sacks.

Criminology major, earning Southeastern Conference Freshman Academic Honor Roll recognition in 2004

Born 2/23/86

Resides in Hampton, Virginia.