Indiana football linebacker Aaron Casey receives NFL Scouting Combine Invitation.

Indiana football has had no shortage of linebackers make it to the NFL in recent years. Former Indiana linebackers Tegray Scales, Chris Covington, Micah McFadden, Marcelino McCrary-Ball and Cam Jones have all seen snaps in the NFL. Standout linebacker Aaron Casey looks to join that group of former Hoosier football linebackers in the league.

Casey will take the next step toward that goal on February 29th at the NFL Scouting Combine. After a solid showing at the East/West Shrine Bowl with a game-high six total tackles, the Georgia native switches his focus to the scouting combine.

Casey is projected as a 5th- 7th-round draft pick. Two drills could improve his draft stock. Teams will be interested to see how he runs. Casey is tremendous in pass coverage so that teams will be interested in his top-end speed. Also, his short shuttle allows teams to assess his explosiveness in a tight space.

Casey needs the Combine to validate the tape.

Aaron Casey has two years of tape as a starter, and they were productive. Most importantly, there was improvement each year as a starter. Casey's age -- he'll be 24 before the start of the season -- should not be a deterrent. The tape does not lie. The All-Big Ten First Team selection was productive when allowed to start.

Casey is scheme-specific. His fit is as a 3-4 inside linebacker because of his ability to cover either in man or zone situations. Casey has great instincts as an inside linebacker with the ability to diagnose run or pass and get to the football. Most important, he does not miss many tackles.

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Today's defender must tackle in space, and Casey tackles in space well. He's improved as a blitzer with 6.5 sacks this past season. However, his strength is in coverage. Casey could move up the draft board if his numbers help validate his game tape.