Junior Colson – Linebacker – 21 years old – Junior – Michigan
Height: 1.88m
Weight: 108 kg
2023 stats: 15 games, 95 tackles (2 for loss), 2 passes defended
Estimated position in the draft: End 2nd – Start 3rd round
NFL Comparison: Willie Gay
Recent university champion, Junior Colson has a story worthy of a movie.
Born in Haiti, he spent his first 9 years of his life there. His father having died, the one who was born under the first name of Pierre-Charles was placed in an orphanage run by his uncle, until the arrival of the Colson family in Haiti.
Helping in the reconstruction of buildings after the earthquake hit the country in 2010, the family decided to adopt him. A big Michigan fan, he says the Wolverines cap was the first thing he saw when he set foot in America in 2012.
Now, he's poised to enter the NFL as a top linebacker prospect. High school champion, university champion, Junior Colson presents a flawless journey, worthy of a fairy tale.
Junior Colson's strengths
- Athletic Qualities
- Blanket
- Football IQ
The first thing the quarterback will have to do: watch Junior Colson. The linebacker is often well positioned before the snap. His combination of size and speed will allow him to often be close to the attacker in order to tackle him. Possessing the right physique to play this position, he has good instincts, and his work ethic allows him to have impressive athleticism.
But that is not its primary quality. If we should give it one main one, it's the cover. Man-to-man, he is a man who uses his hands very well to disrupt the receiving tight end. Same diagnosis for the runners where he will arrive very quickly on the running back in order to make the defensive play. His quality at reading zone plays, covering small route runners, is impressive.
He owes all this to an impressive Football IQ. He conceded 0 penalties in 2023. In command of a defense (leadership), coaches often trust him to transmit instructions. But his game intelligence is characterized by above-average anticipation, often disrupting the quarterback's decision.
Junior Colson's weak points
- Defender against the run
- Disengagement technique
- Pursuit of attackers
257 tackles during his college career is an impressive number. However, on running plays, Junior Colson struggles on gap plays. Either he is late or he has the wrong assignment. The consequence is that the runner can easily eliminate it to the point of no longer being of much use.
Additionally, this flaw doesn't help if he doesn't refine his technique to get rid of blocks. He often lacks patience, and his power deficit against more seasoned offensive linemen will show. In order to be an excellent middle linebacker, he will have to be more aggressive.
If its north-south speed is on point, its ability to change direction is not. His movement at the hips is often laborious. Faced with more lively runners, this risks being detrimental to him. Especially since the pursuit angles he takes are often not the right ones, thus causing the opponent to gain more ground than a tackle for loss.
Possible destinations
Cleveland Browns, Green Bay Packers, New Orleans Saints, Dallas Cowboys
Junior Colson has an incredible story, but his university career remains classic and without false notes. Many teams have a need or must renew the middle linebacker position. This is mainly where he should play, and ideally in a 4-3 pattern in cover 2.
Despite the signings of Jordan Hicks and Devin Bush, the Browns are still missing a better coverage player to support Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah. This profile could be filled by the selection of Junior Colson.
With De'Vondre Campbell and Leighton Vander-Esch gone, the Packers and Cowboys would be well advised to find their long-term replacement. Taking a player like Colson shouldn't be a regression, quite the contrary.
The problem is slightly different on the Saints side, because DeMario Davis is the leader of this defense, and still there. At an advanced age, he could serve as a mentor for the Haitian-born player. Under the direction of Dennis Allen, he should start his career on the weak side of the defense (WILL – weakside linebacker), to better take over to command the defense.
