Breaking It Down: East Linebackers

Most would consider the west to have the advantage at the linebacker position in the U.S. Army All-American game and with good reason. The West roster has three of the nation's top four linebacker prospects on its roster. However, the East roster is certainly not without some tremendous talent of its own.

The beast of the East squad is Michigan commit Brandon Graham, who is ranked as the No. 2 linebacker in America by Scout.com.

Brandon Graham

The 6-foot-2, 251-pound Graham has been a dominant force for Detroit (MI) Crockett the past few years and is a true run stuffer. He has the ability to play side to side and will drop back into pass coverage on occasion, but it's his ability to stuff the run between the tackles and blitz the quarterback that make him so special. He committed to Michigan early in the recruiting process and dominated camps throughout the summer. He'll almost definitely be a starter on the East squad and has the personality to step up and become the leader of the entire defense even in an all-star game setting.

If Graham is the superstar of the defense coming into the game then Shelby (NC) Crest linebacker Brandon Spikes can't be far behind. He's by far the top linebacker prospect in the Tar Heel state for the class of 2006 and is ranked as the No. 13 linebacker in the entire country by Scout.com. Like Graham, Spikes also fits the bill of a run stuffing middle linebacker. He's great up the middle, but he also has the ability to run side to side and drop in coverage as well. Graham out weighs Spikes by around 20 pounds, but Spikes may be the more flexible of the two dominant players. He's narrowed his choices down to Florida, Alabama and Virginia Tech and will announce at the game.

Brandon Spikes

In some ways Highland Springs, Va. linebacker Jarrell Miller seems to be the forgotten about man in this group. He may have the most upside of any of the linebackers on the east squad. Miller's 6-foot-3, 235-pound frame is one that allows him to have excellent closing speed, surprising flexibility and dominating strength. He is also considered to be a middle linebacker prospect at the next level, but his speed and versatility will allow him to get a look to play outside backer at the game. He's the best in pass coverage of the three middle linebackers in the game and may have the best lateral movement of the bunch as well. Miller has narrowed his list down to Florida, North Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia and Virginia Tech and will also announce at the game.

Wheaton (MD) Good Counsel star Akeem Hebron is definitely a different breed of player than the other linebackers on the East roster. Hebron is a wirey 6-foot-2, 200-pounder who relies on speed and instincts to dominate opponents. He will be by far the fastest of the linebackers on the East squad and will likely be dropped back often in pass coverage type situations. Also, outside of Graham he may have the best instincts of the bunch. Hebron could be described as a "head-hunter" who has awesome closing speed and has that killer instinct that makes a top tier linebacker. He seems to have a knack for reading the play and is the kind of player who can take over a game defensively. He committed to the Georgia Bulldogs over the summer and appears to be solid in his commitment.

Akeem Hebron