Overall
If your looking for the "Boom-or-Bust" prospect of the 2012 draft, it is without question Vontaze Burfict. As he has the athletic ability and potential to be the next Ray Lewis, but if certain things don't happen, he could end up being more of a headache than he's worth. From an athletic perspective, Burfict has everything you could possibly want out of a linebacker. Built like a tank, but runs like a cornerback. He can get from one side of the field to another in an instant. Ball carrier beware as Burfict is always looking to destroy whoever has the ball. And you gotta love the passion, intensity, and non-stop motor that he plays with. On the flip side though, there are a lot of things that concern you about Burfict. An unfortunate side effect to that Passion and Intensity he has, is his inability to contain his emotion, and keep from taking dumb personal foul penalties, and making unsportsmanlike plays after the whistle. As A.S.U and Burfict tried to crack down on his over-the-line plays, he wasn't nearly as effective, and it seemed that Burfict could not play hard, without playing stupid. My opinion, along with many others, had their opinions changed during the NFL Combine where he completely bombed. Burfict did not take responsibility for his actions, made excuses, by all accounts performed poorly in interviews with teams, and to top it all off ran a 5.09 40. After his performance at the Combine, Burfict will be fortunate to get drafted in the first 5 Rounds.
