Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports
Strengths:
Ideal size for an OLB in Fangio’s scheme (6’3 | 253) and has superb football instincts. Woestmann rarely gets fooled on play fakes or misdirection and has a knack for being around the ball. Once there, he has textbook tackling form and the strength to bring down anyone he gets his hands on. His sack totals were disappointing as an OLB, but as a DE he showed strong hands with the ability to shuck blockers, a powerful enough bull rush to drive back SEC tackles, and the innate timing to get his hands in passing lanes. Woestmann’s best trait though is probably his non-stop motor which is an asset on any level and should translate well to special teams coverage units. He was also a leader on the field and team captain for the Commodores defense which seems like a trend among the Bears undrafted targets this year.
Weaknesses:
Woestmann lacks NFL athleticism and speed. His 5.01 time in the 40-yard dash pretty much killed any chance that he would be drafted and ended up knocking him out of the priority undrafted free agent auction as well. He lacks much of a burst off the line of scrimmage as well and is stiff when forced to change direction.
Bears Fit:
His lack of speed and explosiveness will make it challenging for Woestmann to earn a spot among an already crowded OLB depth chart in Chicago, but his power, motor, and elite football instincts give him a different skill-set than most of the Bears OLBs. The versatility to play with his hand on the ground or as a stand-up OLB will help Woestmann’s chances as new DC Vic Fangio will change the front seven alignment often during drives. Woestmann will probably have to excel on special teams to have a shot on the roster, but his motor and innate instincts should translate well there and potentially help a special teams unit that badly needs it.
The Bears new regime is not only trying to improve the talent on the field, but the leadership in the locker room as well which should help Woestmann’s chances. The more I watched Woestmann’s tape, the more I liked him. I don’t think he’s ever going to make a Pro Bowl, but depth is important and Woestmann is the type of high energy / good character bench player the Bears need more of among the bottom third of their roster.
Highlights: