In a football age where pass rushers' premiums rise every year, the traditional linebacker role is being forced to take a back seat. With more teams moving to the 3-4 bases, trying to be as versatile as they can with where they can attack the line of scrimmage, base 4-3 linebackers, used more for coverage and range at the second level, are becoming less predictable in the draft.
In comes Neiron Ball, who played both outside and inside in Will Muschamp' 3-4. But beyond the skills, Ball's story is of incredible perseverance. He lost both his parents before he was just 10 years old, and he had brain surgery in 2011 after being diagnoses with a rare, hereditary condition.