Two Intriguing XFL Prospects: ILB Mike Rose and C Mike Panasiuk (with a Digression on Iowa ILB Jack Campbell and Tall Linebackers in General)
By Ted Kluck
This piece started with a curiosity: how is former Iowa State standout ILB Mike Rose qualitatively different than current Iowa ILB prospect Jack Campbell? Campbell is the apple of many an entertainment scout’s eye, as they eagerly mock him to apparently linebacker-depleted teams like Detroit (not sure I agree). However, Detroit already has 2017’s version of Jack Campbell – a 6’3” 245 lb. traditional inside ‘backer who runs in the 4.65 range…and that linebacker is Alex Anzalone, who was re-signed this offseason after a solid 2022 campaign.
But watching Rose this weekend for the XFL’s St. Louis Battlehawks, and revisiting his testing numbers, made me wonder why the league thought so little of him (he was an undrafted free agent after a sterling career at Iowa State) and thinks so much of Campbell? This isn’t meant to impugn the validity of Campbell as much as it is to wonder why the league fell so quickly out of love/like with Rose. Physically, they’re almost carbon-copies – right down to ht/wt and 40 yd. Rose is 6’4” 249 and Campbell is 6’5” 247. Both run in the 4.7 range.
Like Rose, Campbell is stout against the run. Like Rose, you don’t want him walking out in coverage on a “move” tight end, or a pass-catching RB. This is also true of Leighton Vander Esch who was a first round draft pick just a few years ago, and Donta Hightower who was a big, great, throwback thumper. Campbell isn’t Vander Esch or Hightower in terms of physical specialness. He’s more like Anzalone and Rose.
This exercise was also an excuse to watch lots of linebacker tape, which was fun. Campbell is a fun watch – I watched him against Michigan and Ohio State. Unlike Rose (we’ll get to this difference later), they mostly lined him up in the middle and his read step was (often) downhill. His instincts are good – he goes to the right spots, for the most part. He’s a good stack/shed guy, and a sure tackler.
Rose was an interesting college eval. He was the 2020 Big XII Defensive Player of the Year and led the conference in tackles. His tape revealed a true nose-for-the-ball tackling machine. But unlike Campbell, they often walked him out into an “overhang” type position on the weak side of the formation and let him roam and make plays – which he did with effective regularity.
After the draft, Rose signed with a team that didn’t need an ILB and who had in fact drafted one in the third round (Leo Chenal) after drafting one in the second round in 2021 (Nick Bolton, who is sort of the platonic-ideal modern NFL LB). Chenal was shorter (6’2”), faster (4.53) and offered more as a blitzer and change-of-direction guy. Bolton is shorter (6’0”), faster (4.6) and can cover. In the 1990s, Bolton is probably a strong safety.
Which begs the question: does the NFL still have a place for the Campbell/Rose paradigm, especially in terms of how assets and impact are currently evaluated? I mean, nobody loves a big, Parcellsian linebacker more than me, but does it make sense to spend a 1 or a 2 on one? Especially one who isn’t a physical freak, like Tremaine Edmunds, who is going to be able to turn and run with Mike Gesicki, tip balls using that insane length, and offer a little something as a blitzer/rush guy?
To me it makes sense to sign a Mike Rose for next to nothing, knowing that you’re essentially getting a Jack Campbell, as well as a guy who will play well on all your specials (he’s stood out there for St. Louis).
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Now, on to center Mike Panasiuk. I’m a little bit of a sucker for interesting center play, and Panasiuk qualifies. I’ve watched him in a few XFL games and been impressed. Most intriguing about Panasiuk is his background – he was an honorable-mention All-Big-10 defensive tackle at Michigan State. He looks like a lot of NFL centers at 6’3” and around 300 lbs. He has nice functional play strength and understands leverage and footwork (as a good DT would).
But in an NFL that really values physical freakiness on the defensive line, there wasn’t going to be a place for him. He’s the kind of 300lbs that is actually a beefed-up 270 or 280. And while his athleticism numbers weren’t going to garner much more than a quick look at DT, where he wasn’t twitchy enough to one-gap or massive enough to two-gap, he’d be on the more athletic end of the spectrum for an NFL center, where there’s a weird scarcity at the position, currently.
A rookie (Luke Fortner) was the best center in the AFC South last year. Even some of the league’s middling starters (like Brian Allen) are getting a little long in the tooth, and teams have struggled to find an answer at the position. Teams are slow to allocate draft capital there, and some (Arizona, anyone?) currently have a street free agents and converted guards on their depth charts (Hjalte Froholdt, Lecitus Smith).
To me, Panasiuk is athletic, young, and putting together a nice body of work in the XFL. He’s worth a look.