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 NCAA Scouting – Player Profile:
Jerod Mayo, LB
by Paul Hopkins
8/4/2008
Jerod Mayo has seen his draft stock rise following the Tennessee Volunteers reent pro day. Much like his counterpart Curtis Lofton, his career in college football really took off with a move from the outside linebacker position to the inside. However, unlike Lofton Mayo has a substantial amount of experience starting in college football.
 Again, Mayo has experience of both inside and outside linebacker positions, so has the opportunity to slot right in at both 3-4 and 4-3 defensive formations. Again, his greatest attribute is speed, but this comes at the expense of what many teams would consider the size needed to flourish.
Mayo is also productive as his career stats for the Volunteers testify. In 32 games played, he made 236 tackles, with 21 of those being for a loss. He also recorded six sacks. There was only one interception during his college career so therefore he is not someone who can be seen as a threat to the ball.
What we like about Mayo
 Mayo is a top class athlete, with outstanding speed and quickness. He gets to the ball carrier quickly, and despite his size is a physical linebacker. His tackles pack a punch and he delivers big hits. A smart sideline to sideline linebacker who is adept in pursuit and coverage. With Mayo you get non-stop action, he doesn’t seem to tire easily. Furthermore, with the ability to play in either a 3-4 or a 4-3, he is extremely versatile and likely to be productive in both schemes.
Scouts believe that to counter the argument about his size, Mayo could add 10-15 pounds of muscle without detrimentally affecting his speed and range.
Question marks over Mayo
As already discussed, Mayo is perceived to be a little on the small size, both in terms of his height and his overall bulk and size. This may count against him in terms of getting some playing time in the position his attributes are possibly best suited for; middle linebacker.
Whilst his speed often means he is able to get to the ball carrier early, when Mayo is blocked he often struggles to evade them and get to the ball carrier. Therefore, he is able to be taken out of the game. Rather than taking them on, he tends to try and circumnavigate them, by running around the blocker.
Highlight of his college career
 In his final game in college football, Mayo played a role in Tennessee’s 21-17 Outback Bowl victory over the Wisconsin Badgers, leading the team with 13 tackles.
Other snippets of info
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