James Lang-US PRESSWIRE

Luke Kuechly didn’t have to be at Radio City Music Hall to hear his name called.

Last night, from the comfort of his home in Ohio, he received a call from the Carolina Panthers, informing him that he was their choice at #9 in the 2012 NFL Draft.

With Kuechly’s top-ten, first-round selection, it is the second-consecutive year that BC has had a first-round pick. In 2008 and 2009, the Eagles had 1st-round selections as well, with Kuechly’s being the fourth time in five years. In 2008, Matt Ryan’s year, Gosder Cherlius was also taken in the first round. Kuechly is also one of three former Boston College players in the last several years to be selected in the top ten. BJ Raji, now of the Green Bay Packers, was also selected 9th (in 2009).

Since Matt Ryan was taken third in 2008, including Kuechly, Boston College has gotten eight players taken in the draft.

Carolina had recently shown interest in the BC linebacker, looking to upgrade the unit after another poor overall season. Kuechly’s heat-seeking missile tackling ability means he will be able to instantly contribute.

If interested in consulting Carolina’s 2012 schedule, which is certainly not easy, see here. Kuechly and his new team will face the Eagle-heavy champion New York Giants in Week 3 and Matt Ryan’s Atlanta Falcons in Weeks 4 and 14.

With Kuechly coming off the board, the most notable Eagle remaining is Donnie Fletcher, who is projected to be a Saturday pick.

Jerry Lai-US PRESSWIRE

Not every question will be answered tonight, but one of importance to Eagles fans will: who drafts Luke Kuechly?

That’s right: the 2012 NFL Draft starts tonight, and if you’re not watching hockey, you can see Kuechly on his cell phone at home while his family congratulates him on national television. The question is who provides the call.

You saw my guesses as to Kuechly and the others, but what do the mock drafters say?

Luke Kuechly
Linebacker

5th-best player available on Scouts Inc. big board [+5]

DraftCountdown.com: Round 1, Pick 12 — Seattle Seahawks [unch]

Luke Kuechly of Boston College is a tackling machine and one of the most productive linebackers the college game has ever seen.

DraftTek: Round 1, Pick 21: Cincinnati Bengals [-11]

The Bengals have been rumored to be in trade discussions with the Seahawks to acquire their 12th pick for the 21st and Rey Maualuga so that they can grab Kuechly.

NFL.com (Mike Mayock): Round 1, Pick 10 — Buffalo Bills
NFL.com (Charles Davis): Round 1, Pick 11 — Kansas City Chiefs [+1]
NFL.com (Michael Lombardi): Round 1, Pick 11 — Kansas City Chiefs
NFL.com (Charley Casserly): Round 1, Pick 11 — Kansas City Chiefs [unch]
CBS Sports (Rob Rang): Round 1, Pick 10 — Buffalo Bills [+5]
CBS Sports (Dane Brugler): Round 1, Pick 9 — Carolina Panthers [+10]

With current Panthers’ linebackers Jon Beason and Thomas Davis coming off serious injuries, Luke Kuechly will give Carolina a player who can step in from day one and contribute.

CBS Sports (Pat Kirwan): Round 1, Pick 12 — Seattle Seahawks
CBS Sports (Pete Prisco): Round 1, Pick 10 — Buffalo Bills
CBS Sports (Clark Judge): Round 1, Pick 12 — Seattle Seahawks
CBS Sports (Will Brinson): Round 1, Pick 9 — Carolina Panthers
Jeff Saukaitis: Round 1, Pick 12 — Seattle Seahawks
Fox Sports (Peter Schrager): Round 1, Pick 21 — Cincinnati Bengals
WalterFootball.com: Round 1, Pick 9 — Carolina Panthers [+3]
DraftSite: Round 1, Pick 12 — Seattle Seahawks [unch]
Your NFL Draft: Round 1, Pick 15 — Philadelphia Eagles [unch]
The New NFL Draft: Round 1, Pick 15 — Philadelphia Eagles [unch]

With this selection I have them taking Luke Kuechly because he is a play maker at the linebacker position and they need to improve their defense in nearly every way possible.

By team: Seattle 5, Buffalo 3, Kansas City 3, Carolina 3, Cincinnati 2, Philadelphia 2

Donnie Fletcher
Cornerback

DraftTek: Round 5, Pick 136 Overall — Indianapolis Colts [+3]
DraftSite: Round 5, Pick 144 Overall — Buffalo Bills [+5]
Fox Sports (Peter Schrager): Round 6, Pick 171 — St. Louis Rams

DraftTek.com Big Board Rankings

Luke Kuechly: 7 [+1]
Donnie Fletcher: 147 [-7]
Montel Harris: 301 [note: not in draft]

Current Ranges

Luke Kuechly: Mid-1st round
Donnie Fletcher: Early 5th round to undrafted
All others: Undrafted

Analysis

We have a late entry in the Luke Kuechly sweepstakes in #9 Carolina. Many have suggested he might become a top-ten pick, and the Panthers certainly fit that bill. The leader with a plurality, however, remains the Seattle Seahawks. As a Boston College alum and fan, just like yesterday, I would still be kind of insulted if Kuechly, now 5th on ESPN’s big board, plummeted to #21. I understand some of the mock drafters were talking trades, but I’m not sure how anyone would explain a fall like that when there several teams before Cincinnati on the list who would kill to take Kuechly. I still find it highly unlikely that he will get past #12.

Donnie Fletcher actually fell off one of the big mock drafts, WalterFootball, which could either be chalked up to an oversight or their actually thinking he won’t get drafted. Still, others have him in the fifth or sixth round, which is where you should look for him.

No other Eagles appear on any mock drafts and have not for some time now, which means it is more than likely that Kuechly and Fletcher will be the only two Boston College selections.

Howard Smith-US PRESSWIRE

The 2012 NFL Draft gets underway tomorrow night at Radio City, but Luke Kuechly won’t be there. Indeed, the Boy Wonder will be at home watching the draft on his sports network of choice while waiting for his cell phone to ring. It will, that much we know, but what we don’t is who will be on the other end of the line.

We can guess, though. Who calls Kuechly, and will Donnie Fletcher or the others get one of their own?

Luke Kuechly | Linebacker

Prediction: Round 1, Pick 12: Seattle Seahawks

I went back and forth on this one. It seems fairly clear to me now that Kuechly is going to either Kansas City or Seattle, but the reason I went with the Seahawks is because defensive tackle is an area of desperate need for the Chiefs, and if Dontari Poe of Memphis is there, I suspect they will take him.

If Kansas City passes on Kuechly, Seattle will not. That is a team that does certainly need linebackers and with Luke being the best on the board, he goes no lower than #12. Some new mocks (as we will see tomorrow) have him sinking into the 20s, which would be practically insulting to me as a BC fan when he’s 7th or 8th on most big boards.

Buffalo is a wild card here, but I think they will go offense in the first round.

Donnie Fletcher | Cornerback

Prediction: Round 6, Pick 183-193

The late rounds are much more unpredictable and hard to nail down, so a ten-pick range is as narrow as you’ll get from me. Despite some full mocks taking Fletcher in the fifth round, I think he’ll sink deeper into the draft. Every now and then, it happens with late-round projected BC draft picks that they are expected to get taken but either don’t or go later than we figured. It happened last year with Mark Herzlich, who despite having special circumstances, was still considered to be a sure thing for the late rounds but he went unselected.

Fletcher had an unmemorable senior year and was spotty in the postseason exhibitions. His Senior Bowl performance was regarded as forgettable, he wasn’t invited to the Combine, and he has a recent injury history. To his credit, he reportedly performed admirably on BC’s pro day. I believe he’ll be taken, but there are teams that will pass on him and he’ll fall back.

All others

Prediction: Undrafted

Other Boston College Eagles in the draft are Max Holloway, Ifeanyi Momah, Nate Richman and Mark Spinney. The only one of those four that has gotten any attention whatsoever is Holloway, but as it stands right now, his odds are slim. As for the others, unfortunately, they will not be selected.

Robert Mayer-US PRESSWIRE

All are invited to vote in this poll, whether you’re a BC fan, a college football fan, or an NFL fan who closely follows the draft. Where does Kuechly land on draft day?

Jerry Lai-US PRESSWIRE

The penultimate installment of STG’s scan of the mock drafts comes just one week before Luke Kuechly, who has declined his invitation to Radio City Music Hall but is nevertheless a virtually-guaranteed first-round pick, is off to the NFL. The final mock draft roundup will be posted a week from today, on the morning of the draft.

In previous editions, it has become clear that senior Donnie Fletcher will be the second Eagle to get chosen, though we will almost certainly have to wait until the third day. Unfortunately, those same roundups showed that those late picks in the draft would not be favorable to other eligible Boston College players, such as Max Holloway. With just seven days until the NFL war rooms assemble, have their odds improved, and is Kuechly still trending towards the Pacific Northwest?

Luke Kuechly
Linebacker

10th-best player available on Scouts Inc. big board

DraftCountdown.com: Round 1, Pick 12 — Seattle Seahawks [unch]

Scouting report: Underrated athleticism with adequate height and bulk | Amazing natural instincts and outstanding football IQ | Extraordinarily productive with lots of quality experience

DraftTek: Round 1, Pick 10: Buffalo Bills [unch]

Best player available

NFL.com (Steve Wyche): Round 1, Pick 11 — Kansas City Chiefs
NFL.com (Charles Davis): Round 1, Pick 12 — Seattle Seahawks [unch]
NFL.com (Albert Breer): Round 1, Pick 11 — Kansas City Chiefs [unch]
NFL.com (Charley Casserly): Round 1, Pick 11 — Kansas City Chiefs
CBS Sports (Rob Rang): Round 1, Pick 15 — Philadelphia Eagles [unch]
CBS Sports (Dane Brugler): Round 1, Pick 19 — Chicago Bears [unch]
WalterFootball.com: Round 1, Pick 12 — Seattle Seahawks [unch]
DraftSite: Round 1, Pick 12 — Seattle Seahawks [unch]
NFL Draft Info: Round 1, Pick 13 — Arizona Cardinals [unch]
Your NFL Draft: Round 1, Pick 15 — Philadelphia Eagles [unch]
The New NFL Draft: Round 1, Pick 15 — Philadelphia Eagles [-7]

With this selection I have them taking Luke Kuechly because he is a play maker at the linebacker position and they need to improve their defense in nearly every way possible.

By team: Seattle 4, Kansas City 3, Philadelphia 3, Buffalo 1, Arizona 1, Chicago 1

Donnie Fletcher
Cornerback

DraftTek: Round 5, Pick 139 Overall — Cleveland Browns [-3]
DraftSite: Round 5, Pick 149 Overall — San Diego Chargers [unch]
WalterFootball.com: Round 6, Pick 193 — Pittsburgh Steelers

DraftTek.com Big Board Rankings

Luke Kuechly: 8
Donnie Fletcher: 140
Montel Harris: 301 [note: not in draft]

Current Ranges

Luke Kuechly: Mid-1st round
Donnie Fletcher: Early 5th round to late 6th round
All others: Undrafted

Analysis

Clearly, the folks at CBS Sports don’t think as highly of Luke Kuechly as everyone else, but if you’re thinking picks 10-13, then you agree with about two-thirds of the mock drafters. There has been a late push for taking Kuechly in the top ten, and if it happens, Buffalo is a definite landing spot. If you asked me, therefore, I would narrow Kuechly’s likely teams down to Buffalo, Kansas City, Seattle, or Arizona.

Very few of the writers changed their votes from last time, though a few still have him hanging around until #15 for Philadelphia. I personally do not believe he will last that long, and I would be absolutely shocked if he’s there for Lovie Smith and the Bears at #19 as one said he would be.

Donnie Fletcher has one sixth-round appearance, but has a couple fifth-round votes as well. The bottom line here is that he is getting noticed and he is going to be drafted; just keep listening for that little jingle they play on TV every time a new pick is announced in the late rounds. I know, Herzlich was getting picked in all the mock drafts as well, but he was in a more unique situation. I do believe Fletcher is relatively safe for a third-day selection.

It’s not looking good for Max Holloway, who has now gone weeks without appearing anywhere in a seven-round mock. He didn’t even make DraftTek’s Top 350 big board, and considering that there are only 253 picks, Holloway’s odds of being drafted look slim. Undrafted free agent would seem to be his destiny.

Brian Spurlock-US PRESSWIRE

Thirteen days from today, Roger Goodell will take to the podium at Radio City Music Hall and announce the first pick in the 2012 NFL Draft. It will be Andrew Luck, no doubt, but Luke Kuechly’s name will be called that same night; the only question remaining is when. There are plenty of mock drafters out there, and they’ve all got their own opinions.

As for the other Eagle entries, one (Donnie Fletcher) has looked all along like he will be drafted, another (Max Holloway) appears to be on the borderline, and the rest have yet to appear on any mocks. Will that change now in the fifth update?

Luke Kuechly
Linebacker

10th-best player available on Scouts Inc. big board [down from 8th]

DraftCountdown.com: Round 1, Pick 12 — Seattle Seahawks [unch]
DraftTek: Round 1, Pick 10: Buffalo Bills [+7]
NFL.com (Chad Reuter): Round 1, Pick 12 — Seattle Seahawks [unch]
NFL.com (Charles Davis): Round 1, Pick 12 — Seattle Seahawks [-2]
NFL.com (Albert Breer): Round 1, Pick 11 — Kansas City Chiefs
NFL.com (Brian Baldinger): Round 1, Pick 12 — Seattle Seahawks
CBS Sports (Rob Rang): Round 1, Pick 15 — Philadelphia Eagles [-3]
CBS Sports (Dane Brugler): Round 1, Pick 19 — Chicago Bears [-4]
WalterFootball.com: Round 1, Pick 12 — Seattle Seahawks [+1]
DraftSite: Round 1, Pick 12 — Seattle Seahawks [unch]
NFL Draft Info: Round 1, Pick 13 — Arizona Cardinals [unch]
Your NFL Draft: Round 1, Pick 15 — Philadelphia Eagles [unch]
The New NFL Draft: Round 1, Pick 8 — Tampa Bay Buccaneers [+5]

By team: Seattle 6, Philadelphia 2, Buffalo 1, Tampa Bay 1, Kansas City 1, Arizona 1, Chicago 1

Donnie Fletcher
Cornerback

DraftTek: Round 5, Pick 136 Overall — Indianapolis Colts [-14]
DraftSite: Round 5, Pick 149 Overall — San Diego Chargers [-1]

DraftTek.com Big Board Rankings

Luke Kuechly: 8
Donnie Fletcher: 140
Montel Harris: 301 [note: not in draft]

Current Ranges

Luke Kuechly: Mid-1st round
Donnie Fletcher: Early to mid-5th round
All others: Undrafted

Analysis

A plurality of the mock drafters still believe that Kuechly is on his way to Seattle, which became the case after Philadelphia made some moves to shore up their linebacking corps. There are still a few holdouts who have him going to the Eagles, but the majority now propose that he will not even make it to the 15th pick. Once more, Kuechly also has a top-ten vote with Tampa Bay at 8th, but his likely range appears to be the early 10s.

Donnie Fletcher has settled into the fifth round. One full mock draft still does not pick him, but they do take Montel Harris, so we’ll throw that one out. After some concerns regarding his status, it does now appear that we will see Fletcher selected on the third day.

For the second-consecutive update, Max Holloway does not appear on any full mocks. The best case scenario for him would seem to be going late in the 7th round, perhaps in the compensatory picks.

With no other Eagles being taken, we may have just two BC selections.

Jerry Lai-US PRESSWIRE

Boston College’s spring football game has come and gone, but the most sought-after Eagle right now is one who was not there. That would be Luke Kuechly, the all-but certain first-round pick in the 2012 NFL Draft. We are now less than a month away from the big day when BC gets a player selected in the first round for the second-consecutive year and fourth of the last five, but what’s still at issue is where he lands. As suspected previously, the Philadelphia Eagles’ trade for inside linebacker DeMeco Ryans is now influencing the mock drafters and steering Kuechly to other destinations. Couple this with strong performances at the NFL Combine and Boston College’s recent pro day and we have someone who will probably not be waiting very long on the first night.

Will any other Eagles’ phones ring? Let’s find out:

Luke Kuechly
Linebacker

8th-best player available on Scouts Inc. big board

DraftCountdown.com: Round 1, Pick 12 — Seattle Seahawks [+3]
DraftTek: Round 1, Pick 17: Cincinnati Bengals [-2]
NFL.com (Chad Reuter): Round 1, Pick 12 — Seattle Seahawks
NFL.com (Charles Davis): Round 1, Pick 10 — Buffalo Bills
NFL.com (Charley Casserly): Round 1, Pick 32 — New York Giants
CBS Sports (Rob Rang): Round 1, Pick 12 — Seattle Seahawks [+3]
CBS Sports (Dane Brugler): Round 1, Pick 15 — Philadelphia Eagles [unch]
WalterFootball.com: Round 1, Pick 13 — Arizona Cardinals [+3]
DraftSite: Round 1, Pick 12 — Seattle Seahawks [-1]
NFL Draft Info: Round 1, Pick 13 — Arizona Cardinals [+2]
Your NFL Draft: Round 1, Pick 15 — Philadelphia Eagles [unch]
The New NFL Draft: Round 1, Pick 12 — Seattle Seahawks [+3]

Donnie Fletcher
Cornerback

DraftTek: Round 4, Pick 122 Overall — New Orleans Saints [+18]
DraftSite: Round 5, Pick 148 Overall — Oakland Raiders [-12]

The New NFL Draft is still drafting Montel Harris in the seventh round. He may never play football again, and he’s not even in this draft — I guess they don’t update very often.

Current High/Low Ranges

Luke Kuechly: 1st round, picks 10-32
Donnie Fletcher: 4th round to undrafted
All others: Undrafted

Analysis & Final Thoughts

One trade appears to have changed Luke Kuechly’s fortunes in the eyes of the mock drafters. Most of them assume that Philadelphia’s need for an inside linebacker is filled, and as such, he has been diverted away from the Eagles on all but a few. A few updates ago, Kuechly was a unanimous pick to go to Philadelphia, but the new leader in the clubhouse appears to be Seattle at #12. The Seahawks would be a nice fit for Kuechly, though Arizona at #13 offers him a chance at a team that has been decent here and there.

A few still have him going as high as tenth to Buffalo, while The NFL Today’s in-house general manager, Charley Casserly, has him falling all the way to the Giants at #32. As orgasmic as that would be for some people currently writing this article, the odds of that happening are practically nil. Finally, and interestingly enough, one did have him going home to play for the Cincinnati Bengals at #17.

Donnie Fletcher still remains a bit of an enigma as he keeps shifting from round to round, and “undrafted” is still in his range because one full mock did not select him, but he appears to be moving into the 4th or 5th-round zone. Either one would be a pretty good showing for Fletcher.

Max Holloway has previously been taken in one mock, and in the last update he was in the supplementary picks zone. This time, he has fallen off the board altogether. If he gets picked, it appears Holloway will be late-7th round or bust.

Bob DeChiara-US PRESSWIRE

Eight Boston College football players, including likely first-round pick Luke Kuechly, attended BC’s pro day yesterday at Alumni Stadium. Twenty-four players from other area schools also worked out for NFL scouts, but the key draw was Kuechly.

Did he deliver? Somewhat, as he was content not to disturb his tremendous NFL combine numbers by retesting them, but he ran other drills. Many of the scouts who left Boston College were very impressed.

A number of teams observed the BC middle linebacker, including the Philadelphia Eagles, who appeared to be hot on Kuechly’s trail until they hauled in Houston’s DeMeco Ryans via trade. It is clear that the Eagles still have needs at linebacker, but Ryans is young (27) and fills a major hole for Philadelphia; it remains to be seen if their recent move suggests that they will not be drafting Kuechly.

Few of the other BC players merited lines in published accounts of the pro day; Ifeanyi Momah, who made news for not participating, was one of them. Momah’s knee was reportedly not in good enough shape to take part in drills, so he did not, and unfortunately, any chance he had of impressing NFL scouts in a major forum went by the wayside.

Donnie Fletcher also reportedly ran a very fast 4.38 40-yard dash. The Eagles defensive back is currently projecting as a third-day pick in the draft, which takes place from April 26 to 28; that 4.38 definitely will not hurt.

Boston College baseball finally ended their weeks-long futility on Wednesday afternoon when they beat the Bryant Bulldogs, 8-5. This ended a 10-game losing streak for the Eagles and moves them to 7-12 on the season.

BC went 17-33 last year and did not qualify for the ACC Tournament. In having an 0-6 conference record, they aren’t off to a good start on the latter, but with any luck, they can scrounge together at least ten more wins. Thing is, we don’t want to see them repeat a 17-win season — we want to see them improve upon it. With the way things change in baseball, it’s too soon to say where those wins might come from, but there’s no reason not to hope that BC can find them.

Yesterday, Boston College’s the women’s lacrosse team defeated Harvard, 7-5. With the win, the ranked Eagles are now back above .500 at 5-4 on the season.

Prior to the hockey game at 4pm, the lacrosse team plays at home at 1pm on Saturday.

Brian Spurlock-US PRESSWIRE

It has been several weeks since the 2012 NFL Combine wrapped up in Indianapolis, where Boston College linebacker Luke Kuechly received rave reviews for his speed and athleticism. While his performance may have opened the eyes of those who were unfamiliar with his skill set, he did not surprise Eagles fans. The next question to consider is this: Did he open the eyes of any mock drafters enough to move up?

Prior mocks had him squarely on track for the Philadelphia Eagles at #15, but has this changed? Have any other Eagles dented the board?

Luke Kuechly
Linebacker

8th-best player available on Scouts Inc. big board

DraftCountdown.com: Round 1, Pick 15 — Philadelphia Eagles [unch]
DraftTek: Round 1, Pick 10: Buffalo Bills [+5]
CBS Sports (Rob Rang): Round 1, Pick 15 — Philadelphia Eagles [unch]
CBS Sports (Dane Brugler): Round 1, Pick 15 — Philadelphia Eagles [unch]
WalterFootball.com: Round 1, Pick 16 — New York Jets [-1]
DraftSite: Round 1, Pick 11 — Kansas City Chiefs [+4]
NFL Draft Info: Round 1, Pick 15 — Philadelphia Eagles [unch]
Your NFL Draft: Round 1, Pick 15 — Philadelphia Eagles [unch]
The New NFL Draft: Round 1, Pick 15 — Philadelphia Eagles [unch]

Donnie Fletcher
Cornerback

DraftTek: Round 5, Pick 140 Overall — Oakland Raiders [-35]
DraftSite: Round 5, Pick 136 Overall — Buffalo Bills [+46]

Max Holloway
Defensive end

DraftSite: Round 7, Pick 225 Overall (Compensatory pick) — no team currently assigned [-29]

The New NFL Draft is still drafting Montel Harris in the seventh round — maybe someone should e-mail them and fill them in?

Current High/Low Ranges

Luke Kuechly: 1st round, picks 10-16
Donnie Fletcher: 5th round to undrafted
Max Holloway: Late 7th round to undrafted
Ifeanyi Momah, Mark Spinney, Nate Richman: Undrafted

Analysis & Final Thoughts

Despite having impressed at the NFL Combine and being in the top 10 of the big board, his actual draft position has barely changed at all. Most still believe that Kuechly is on a collision course with Philadelphia, though for the first time in a while, one was willing to stick him in the top ten with Buffalo. The Bills’ defense just added some pop with pass-rushing defenseman Mario Williams, and a ballhawk linebacker like Kuechly could really help things improve in Orchard Park.

Linebacker is a position Buffalo might consider, but it’s still too soon to say how much the Bills’ approach has changed after signing Williams. One would think that Kuechly will be on their radar and if he’s the best player available at the time, he could go. Some suggest they may add depth in other areas, but if a linebacker is what they covet on Draft Day, then it’s hard to see how Buffalo wouldn’t strongly consider him at #10.

There is no doubting, however, that linebacker is an area of need for the Philadelphia Eagles. Some have said it’s the top priority and others the second-highest priority, but whatever the case may be, Philly is looking for a linebacker. Kuechly, if available, will almost certainly be their guy. There are only a few places Kuechly could realistically fall off the board before #15 aside from Buffalo, and one is Dallas the spot before. Kansas City has come up on occasion but linebacker does not appear to be an area of critical need for the Chiefs; he would be a best-player-available choice for them.

Donnie Fletcher’s non-invite to the Combine and mixed Senior Bowl reviews from earlier in the year do not appear to have hurt his stock all that much. In the past installment, he came in as 4th round, 6th round, or undrafted. Now, it’s just 5th or undrafted. That would suggest that if he is chosen, it’ll probably be on the third day and the 5th round now appears to be his ceiling with a month to go. Either that, or none of these mock drafts have any idea when he’ll be picked.

Max Holloway has not made many waves, and he appears to be a 7th-round-or-not-at-all choice. The only 7-round draft that has taken him, DraftSite, now has him in the compensatory picks zone, which puts him perilously close to “undrafted” territory.

Brian Spurlock-US PRESSWIRE

He’s not athletic enough. His tackle numbers were inflated. He played for a bad team. His skills won’t translate to the NFL. He’s not “elite.”

Luke Kuechly has heard all of your dismissals of his playing ability and, on Monday, decided to swiftly stuff them up your miserable backside. The now-former Boston College linebacker has been dominating the NFL Combine in Indianapolis, and the results bear out what analysts have been gushing about on television.

Kuechly NFL Combine results (official)

• 40-yard dash: 4.58 sec (3rd amongst linebackers)
• Bench press: 27 reps (T-6th)
• Vertical jump: 38″ (3rd)
• Broad jump: 123″ (5th)
• 3-cone drill: 6.92 sec (4th)
• 20-yard shuttle: 4.12 sec (3rd)
• 60-yard shuttle: 11.43 sec (T-1st)

Speed, agility, athleticism and strength were on display from Kuechly for the entire nation to see on NFL Network, and he managed to show up some “elite” prospects in the process. Analysts didn’t just rave about his fast times and impressive drills, however; here’s what BC alum Mike Mayock had to say:

“Most instinctive pass defender I’ve ever seen at inside linebacker” – Mayock on Kuechly

— Soaring to Glory (@SoaringtoGlory) February 27, 2012

One would have to imagine that his draft stock is shooting higher this week. The mock drafts at last check were all in agreement that Kuechly would fall to the Philadelphia Eagles at #15, but the question to consider now is this: if he continues gaining good press and forward momentum, will he last until #15?

NFL teams that desperately need a linebacker, this is your guy.