This was easily the most difficult set of position ranking to do so far. The Linebacker position in the ACC this year is as deep as I can remember. Getting the list down to the players I thought were the 5 best was tougher than I expected, but here goes my rankings. Completed and Upcoming rankings. Running Backs | Quarterbacks | Wide Receivers | Offensive Line | Tight Ends | Defensive Line | Cornerbacks | Safeties | Special Teams | Team Predictions 1) Luke Kuechly, Boston College As we go through these position rankings, I'm finding a lot BC players being sprinkled around. You can't sleep on the Eagles. Luke Kuechly should be on any short list of the ACC's best linebackers. With Herzlich out last year insert the freshman Kuechly who was outstanding. He had 158 tackles, was ACC defensive rookie of the year, and was named first team All-ACC. Kuechly might not be the fastest or strongest LB in the ACC, but no Linebacker sheds and avoids blockers better. 2) Quan Sturdivant, North Carolina When you are the leading tackler on a team loaded with defensive stars like UNC's that's saying something. Sturdivant has been that guy on the Heels's defense for 2 consecutive years. Sturdivant's strength is his versatility. He is athletic enough to help on pass coverage, and physical enough to be a solid run stopper. He can also play the middle or outside linebacker position. NFL mock drafts have him going in the late 1st round or early in the 2nd round. 3) Bruce Carter, North Carolina North Carolina's Bruce Carter is an athletic freak. He's been timed at running at 4.39 40, and has a bench press of 440 lbs. Some NFL scouts consider him to be a better prospect than his teammate Quan Sturdivant. He's a near certain 1st or 2nd rounder. He led the nation with 5 blocked kicks last season. Carter's biggest issue may be to not get lost on a defensive unit full of NFL prospects. 4) Alex Wujciak, Maryland Alex Wujciak was the best player on a defense that struggled last year. The Terrapins ranked 11th in defense in the ACC last year, but don't blame Wujciak. In 2009 he was a first team All-ACC player with 131 tackles. He is the unquestioned leader of the Terrapin defense. Wujciak is projected to be a 3rd or 4th round NFL pick. At 6-3 245 lbs, he's a rangy player with a good nose for the ball even if he lacks blinding speed. 5) Mark Herzlich, Boston College I'm going to go out on limb here, and put Mark Herzlich 5th on this list. I'm putting Herzlich ahead of some other LBs, I think have the potential to be very good like Florida State's Nigel Bradham and Miami's Sean Spence. Here is why. In 2008 Mark Herzlich wasn't just the best LB in the ACC, he was the best defensive player in the conference. He was also a 2008 All-American and Butkus Award finalist. Even if he's 80% of the player he was before his cancer diagnosis, he's still an All-ACC level player. I wouldn't be against him.
