MOBILE, Ala. -- Having just won Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year honors, and generally wreaking havoc in one of college football's top conferences for the past three seasons, Chris Borland's ability to stop the run is questioned by few.
At just 5-foot-11 and 245 pounds, Borland is built like a tank and doesn't have the look of a linebacker who would be especially graceful in coverage. But he's looking to show otherwise at the Reese's Senior Bowl this week, and did so during the Wednesday morning practice with an interception of Virginia Tech quarterback Logan Thomas.
Borland stepped in front of a short throw over the middle and Thomas' throw hit Borland between the numbers.
"We were playing Cover 2, and they just ran a little (stop) out in front of me and I was able to break on the ball," Borland said. "I definitely want to show I can play the pass here. I blitzed a lot in college and maybe didn't play as much in space, so you want to show you can do whatever is needed."
Borland made 104 tackles, 10 for losses, with 4.5 sacks for the Badgers last year. With family from Wisconsin, he predictably grew up a Green Bay Packers fan. The fit for a dream-come-true draft call just may be there. According to NFL Media analyst Daniel Jeremiah, linebacker is among the Packers' top three draft needs.
*Follow Chase Goodbread on Twitter **@ChaseGoodbread.*
