Arrington is the ultimate band-aid. The Redskins have already announced they'll use him at strong-side, weak-side, and middle linebacker, something the player he's most compared to, Lawrence Taylor, never did.

At 6-foot-2, 235 pounds, Arrington will give a tremendous boost as a playmaker to a team whose defense made almost none in finishing 30th in the league last season. Washington's incumbent linebackers, Greg Jones, Derek Smith and Shawn Barber, combined for 17 quarterback hurries, three forced fumbles, one fumble recovery and defensed just 17 passes. Arrington, equally comfortable covering a back out of the backfield or chasing down the quarterback, might match those numbers himself. The Redskins allowed 322 first downs last season, fourth-most in the league, and they allowed a league-worst 123.3 rushing yards per game.

Arrington's latest time in the 40-yard dash was 4.43 seconds, meaning he has lost little of the speed that made him a 4,000-yard career rusher in high school and a Division I recruit of basketball powers North Carolina and Georgetown. Despite starting just two seasons for the Nittany Lions, Arrington finished sixth in school history with 39 tackles for losses and seventh with 18 quarterback sacks.

The Question

Can the Redskins devise enough schemes to utilize Arrington's unique gifts to the maximum? That's the main challenge facing new defensive coordinator Ray Rhodes and linebackers coach Foge Fazio.

One of the few negatives heard about Arrington was his occasional decision to "freelance," ignore the defenses called in search of a game-altering play.

"Sometimes, people use a word and it takes on a bad connotation," Redskins coach Norv Turner argued. "In our minds, 'freelance' is a positive. The guy made great plays.' "

And Arrington has a tendency to get carried away emotionally. Can the Redskins rein him in? Do they want to? Until last season, one of the frequent knocks on Turner's defenses was they didn't play with a lot of heart. That shouldn't be the case with Arrington. If he can keep it all in perspective, the Redskins may have gained a player who will set the standard for linebackers for he next decade. Truthfully, Washington assistants had difficulty finding something negative about the guy.

Noteworthy

The 12th player in Penn State history named All-American two consecutive years ... Closed his career in style, making 14 tackles with a sack in the Alamo Bowl against Texas A&M ... Deflected six passes and made nine sacks as a senior, a tribute to his versatility ... Named Big Ten player of the week twice last season ... "I was on the field for the Minnesota game, and it seemed like he made every tackle in the first half," player personnel director Vinny Cerrato said. "I think he had 11 (of a game-high 15). He was easy to spot on the field. He was sideline-to-sideline." ... National offensive high school player in 1996, also ran 100 meters in track ... Did a lot of work on his own, with 111 of his 163 career tackles solo. ... Against Pitt, Arrington returned an interception 27 yards to set up a score and blocked a 52-yard field goal with four seconds to play to preserve a 20-17 victory. ... The phrase "LaVar Leap" was coined after Arrington soared between the left guard and center to stop Illinois running back Elmer Hickman for no gain on a fourth-and-inches at the PSU 31.

Pre-draft scouting report

Combine Numbers

Height	Weight	40 yards	Vertical	Long jump	Bench	Shuttle	Cone
6-3-3/8	250	dnp	dnp	dnp	dnp	dnp	dnp

Dominant junior linebacker put on a superb performance during the '99 season, that earned him the Dick Butkus and Chuck Bednarik awards as Defensive Player of the Year.

Arrington is a gifted athlete who runs exceptionally well and delivers the kind of hits to be a major impact player in the NFL. He is exceptionally quick, with the ability to fly by blockers before they can come out of their stance.

He has basketball type leaping ability, with the speed of a defensive back, without losing his linebacker type hitting skills. He plays with a burning passion to excel, similar to Lawrence Taylor during his days as a Giant. Though he is smaller than Taylor physically, he can dominate in all aspects of a game.

During the '99 season, he registered 72 tackles, 20 TFLs, 10 sacks, 2 FR, 1 FC, 2 blocked kicks, and 1 interception. He is a defender that alters game plans, and has to be accounted for on every play. He is a two time All-Big Ten first team performer who has shown the ability to quickly change games in a number of ways.

He often makes the extraordinary play and has developed into a complete defender, with the ability to make game changing plays in all aspects. He won the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year in '98, as a sophomore for his outstanding effort. For the year, he totaled 65 stops, 17 TFLs, 7 sacks, 1 FR, 2 FF, 11 PBUs and 2 interceptions.

He is a unique defender who shows the rare athletic talent to play any scheme in the NFL at the outside linebacker. He has a sturdy frame, long arms and rare mobility for a player of his dimensions. He has excellent range for a linebacker, with the change of direction skills necessary to cover any receiver. He has often lined up opposite the slot receiver in three wideout sets, and matches them stride for stride in coverage.

He gets a quick break on the ball, shows good hands to intercept as well as the speed to cover deep. He will be an impact defender as a pro at the outside position but must be used creatively, by a coordinator to get full use of his excellent talent. He has the quickness, agility and instincts to go sideline to sideline for the full sixty minutes, always looking to make the big play.

He ranks with only L.T., in that he looks to make the big play on every play. He has come up repeatedly at the most critical time, to make the big play whether in run or pass defense, or on special teams. He can have trouble getting off blockers at the point of attack, and needs to develop better hand use and lower body strength to battle the bigger offensive linemen he will face on a weekly basis.

He takes precise angles of pursuit and has the explosiveness to the ball to finish plays with powerful tackling. With his talent as a blitzer off the edge and an array of moves, he has definite upside in the NFL in that key role. Super blue chip prospect and the best athlete in this draft class, with Pro-Bowl ability at either outside linebacker position.

Possible top overall selection. Earmarked for the Skins at the 2nd overall pick. Gifted defender with the eye of the tiger.

Draft Projection: 1st Round -- Top Two Pick

Tackles

Year	G	Total	Solo	Asst.	For Loss	Sacks	Int
1997	11	26	20	6	2-9	2-9	0
1998	11	65	49	16	17-52	7-27	2
1999	12	72	42	30	20-98	10-74	1
Totals	34	163	111	52	29-159	19-110	3