Koron Crump has taken a long and difficult journey with ASU football to earn an opportunity at the NFL. Now, he hopes to be taken in the 2019 draft.
After missing the majority of his redshirt senior season, the outside linebacker from Arizona State has put his name in the NFL Draft.
Koron Crump started his collegiate career at Fort Scott Community College, later committing to the Sun Devils in 2015. Crump ended up only playing in 18 games in his three seasons at ASU.
In his first season, Crump made a big impact for the Sun Devils and was a star on their defense. He had 28 solo tackles, nine assisted tackles, one interception and three forced fumbles.
Through two-and-a-half games in 2017, Crump had 13 tackles and four sacks, a potential start of another great season for him.
But in the third game of that season, Crump suffered a torn ACL, which forced him to miss the rest of the year.
In 2018, Crump hadn’t fully recovered from his knee injury and his playing time took a hit, being limited to only playing special teams.
After the fourth game of his redshirt in 2018, Crump decided to leave the ASU program and focus on training and improving his body for the NFL Draft.
Strengths
What separates Crump from other linebackers in this class is his rare speed and agility.
Bleacher Report calls Crump the possibly “best pass-rushing off-ball linebacker in the entire class”.
NFL scouts were worried about how Crump’s knee injury would affect his speed, but he answered those questions at ASU’s Pro Day, where he ran an unofficial 4.53 40-yard dash.
The best aspect of Crump’s game is being able to use his speed and agility to get to the quarterback and make plays.
Crump also has a great burst and short-area speed. He ran an unofficial 4.36 20-yard cone drill during the Sun Devils’ Pro Day.
Weaknesses
One big worry for all teams is if Crump’s knee has fully recovered and will hold up in a physical NFL environment.
Another defect in Crump’s game is that he is not the best technique player. He often relies on his athletic abilities and speed, which will not be able to solely rely on at the next level.
The average size of an NFL linebacker is 6-feet-2 inches tall and 245 pounds. At his Pro Day, Crump measured in at 6-foot-2 and 215 pounds. He will have to put on some weight to be able to hold his own against NFL-level offensive linemen.
Crump will best suit an NFL team that is in search for a pass rusher. The Tennessee Titans, Indianapolis Colts, Cincinnati Bengals, Los Angeles Rams and Philadelphia Eagles are all in need at that position, and Crump could fill their roles.
It is most likely that Crump will go undrafted and be be a camp player this upcoming season. There, he must work on improving his techniques and gaining experience against NFL competition before he has a shot at making a roster in upcoming seasons.