Jim Leonhard

Positives...Short, but has a good body structure with solid chest and arm muscle tone, some thickness in his thighs and calves and a frame that can carry some additional bulk... Durable athlete who never missed a game due to injuries, playing at the end of 2002 with a fractured right thumb and throughout the second half of 2004 with a stress fracture in his left foot...Plays with decent quickness and good agility...Smart and active tackler who anticipates, reads and reacts well to the play...Shows a quick turn coming out of his backpedal...Very effective zone defender who makes a sharp break on the ball and does a good job of reading the receiver's moves...Has the hand/eye coordination to track the ball in flight and above average leaping ability...Gets a good jump on the ball and makes proper body adjustments working in space...Natural hands catcher who shows patience waiting for blocks to develop as a returner...Stays low in his pads and drives hard with his legs when making the tackle...Shows a good feel to string plays out and gives solid effort in run support...Plays faster than his timed speed...One intangible you can not measure is his heart, but it is a big one...Everyone on the staff and squad loves this kid and he has been a good mentor for the younger players. Negatives...Can add some more weight to his frame, but it is approaching maximum growth potential...Lacks the top-end speed to be effective in man coverage, as he is mismatches vs. the speedy receivers on deep routes...Has limited range and catch-up speed...Aggressive hitter, but a lack of size will see bigger backs break his arm tackles.

iowa...had two interception returns for 13 yards, two punt returns for 41 yards and ten tackles (7 solos).

Georgia (Outback Bowl)...Closed out his career with seven tackles (4 solos), a fumble recovery and three punt returns for 34 yards.

northwestern...sacked qb brett basanez for an 8-yard loss, picked off a pass and had a career-high 19 tackles (8 solos)...also returned five punts for 39 yards.

Auburn (Music City Bowl)...Intercepted a Jason Campbell pass and delivered five tackles.

arizona...added 46 yards on three punt returns and three solo tackles.

Penn State...Returned an interception 25 yards, four punts for 49 yards and deflected four passes while producing three tackles.

illinois...picked up 42 yards on three punt returns and was in on four tackles.

Ohio State...Registered six tackles, deflected a pass and gained 18 yards on three punt returns.

nevada-las vegas...had eight hits (4 solos) and a deflected pass.

North Carolina...Returned an interception 54 yards, batted away a pass and collected four tackles.

central florida...made seven tackles (6 solos) and returned four punts for 68 yards.

Nevada-Las Vegas...Gained 58 yards on three punt returns, returned a blocked field goal 86 yards for a touchdown, deflected two passes and posted six tackles.

west virginia...posted ten tackles (9 solos) with a stop for a 3-yard loss and returned three punts for 32 yards.

Akron...Intercepted a Charlie Frye pass, deflected another and delivered nine tackles.

northwestern...totaled nine tackles with a pass break-up.

Michigan State...Returned three punts for 46 yards, deflected two passes and credited with nine tackles (5 solos).

ohio state...fumbled the ball on a punt return, but made up for the miscue with four solo tackles and an interception.

Purdue...Returned three punts for 99 yards, including a 63-yard touchdown and came up with five solo tackles and a pass deflection.

all-big ten conference selection...started every game at free safety, but the team captain played the second half of the year with a stress fracture in his left foot...recorded 72 tackles (44 solos) with a fumble recovery...intercepted three passes for 38 yards in returns and deflected ten passes...gained 443 yards on 35 punt returns (12.7 avg).

2004 GAME

illinois...his 19-yard interception return set up a 2-yard touchdown run by dwayne smith and had six tackles (4 solos).

Penn State...Returned a punt 65 yards for a touchdown and was in on four tackles.

2002: Suffered a fractured right thumb vs. Minnesota (11/23), but did not miss any games. 2004: Played the second half of the season with a stress fracture in his left foot. The injury was discovered in an MRI after the Outback Bowl and his foot was placed in a boot for three months, preventing him from working out at the Combines.

CAMPUS: 4.58 in the 40-yard dash

325-pound bench press

430-pound squat

265-pound power clean

36.5-inch vertical jump

Left-handed

Wears contacts

27/39 Wonderlic score. COMBINE: 29 ¾-inch arm length

9 ¼-inch hands

Bench pressed 225 pounds 19 times.

Attended Flambeau (Tony, Wisc.) High School, playing football for coach Darrell Gago

Two-time first-team All-State selection who captained the team as a junior and senior

Team MVP as a senior

Registered eight interceptions and made 120 tackles as a senior

Was also a WIAA scholar-athlete.