Three questions for Oregon's stacked group of inside linebackers

Jarrid Denneyby:Jarrid Denney•07/12/22•

jarrid_denney

Oregon’s summer offseason is in full swing. While we count down the days until kickoff in Atlanta on Sept. 3, ScoopDuck has you covered with position-by-position breakdowns ahead of fall camp. Next up are the inside linebackers.

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You would be hard-pressed to find a program anywhere in the nation that has as much top-end talent at linebacker as Oregon does.

Everybody knows about the Ducks’ two most notable players at the position. Noah Sewell might be the best inside linebacker in college football and has been projected by many to be the first ‘backer off the board in the 2023 NFL Draft. Justin Flowe is the second-highest ranked recruit in program history and might have even more sheer physical talent than Sewell does, which is saying a lot.

If both players are healthy in 2022, they will form the most imposing linebacker duo in school history. But they are far from the Ducks’ only options up the middle.

Here’s a rundown of the eighth inside linebackers currently listed on Oregon’s roster, along with their recruiting ranking according to the On3 Consensus.

In total, that’s two 5-stars, four 4-stars, and one top-500 3-star who will be competing for reps at the money and mac linebacker positions. That’s not a bad collection of talent for Oregon defensive coordinator and linebackers coach Tosh Lupoi to work with.

With the start of fall camp less than a month out, here are three questions for Oregon’s ultra-deep group of inside linebackers.

How will Noah Sewell continue to improve?

Sewell was the heart and soul of Oregon’s defense in 2022. Even with All-Americans Kayvon Thibodeaux and Verone McKinley III wreaking havoc at edge rusher and safety, Sewell was the team’s most consistently dominant player for much of the season.

In just his second college campaign, Sewell was a first-team all-Pac-12 selection and wracked up 114 tackles — 37 more than any other Duck. For an Oregon defense that was devastated by injuries in 2021, he was a steady, outstanding presence who led by example.

Now, he’ll have to show that world that he can be even better.

Sewell was an elite pass rusher last year. Pro Football Focus issued him a grade of 88.6 in that area, the fourth-best among Power-5 linebackers. But he was poor in coverage far too often, which is reflected in his PFF coverage grade of 59.0.

It’s hard to know if that was due entirely to his own limitations, or if he was simply trying to do too much too often for an Oregon defense that was filled with holes.

It’s hard to nitpick anything about Sewell’s performance last year. He delivered one of the greatest seasons ever by a Duck linebacker.

But he still has plenty of room to grow, too, and should greatly benefit from working with Lupoi and Dan Lanning on a day-to-day basis.

Is this Justin Flowe’s year?

Oregon’s fanbase is hoping the answer will be a resounding “yes.”

Few players in program history have created more excitement and anticipation with their commitment as Flowe. Unfortunately, injuries have completely wiped out his first two seasons.

He delivered a sensational 14-tackle performance in Oregon’s season-opener against Fresno State last season, but suffered a lisfranc injury during that same game and did not play another snap in 2021.

During spring ball, Flowe resumed full football activities and took part in scrimmage situations toward the end of April. He was not cleared to play in the team’s spring game, but was trending in the right direction according to Oregon’s coaches.

Anybody who has watched Flowe play knows that he’s goes 100 percent at all times. Asking him to slow down is something that simply is not in his DNA. But patience will be key as he works his way back from a tricky injury and aims to rediscover the athleticism that made him an elite recruit.

It may be the case that Oregon has to take a cautious approach with Flowe this fall to ensure he makes it through the entire season. But the idea of him being unleashed in Lupoi’s defense is an exciting prospect for both player and coach.

“I’d much rather be coaching a guy that you’ve got to ask him to slow down than have to constantly encourage him to speed up,” Lupoi said of Flowe in April.

Which sophomore(s) will establish themselves?

All eyes will be on Oregon’s two standout sophomores — Sewell and Flowe — in 2022. But there’s an intriguing group of second-year players further down the depth chart who will be looking to secure playing time.

Jeffrey Bassa and Keith Brown both showed some really nice moments as true freshman in 2021. Bassa, in particular, impressed after making the switch from safety to linebacker. Brown was thrown into the fire early and played meaningful snaps during Oregon’s historic Week 2 win at Ohio State, but was hindered by injuries for much of the season.

Now, that pair of former 4-star recruits will benefit from having a full college season under their belts while settling into Lanning and Lupoi’s defense. If Flowe is unavailable at any point this season, Bassa and Brown are both nice options at money linebacker and would fit nicely next to Sewell.

While Jackson LaDuke isn’t a sophomore by definition, he is a third-year redshirt freshman who finds himself in a similar scenario to Brown and Bassa. A major leg injury kept LaDuke sidelined until November, and he fared well during the limited snaps he played in the Pac-12 Championship and Alamo Bowl.

He’s a really talented player who would be in the mix for a starting job if it weren’t for the fact that Oregon has two generational linebacker talents in the fold.

If Bassa, Brown and LaDuke all show signs of progress this fall, it will mean the Oregon linebacker room is in fantastic shape for future seasons — even with Flowe and Sewell both likely headed for the NFL Draft next spring.

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