Rufus Alexander attended Westminster Christian Academy in Opelousas and the Christian Life Academy in Baton Rouge, Louisiana where he was an all-district basketball player, in addition to playing football. He was a three-year starter on the football team, playing linebacker and tight end. He helped the squad to a 10-2 record and a district championship as a junior. As a senior he totaled 86 tackles and 12 sacks in 7 games, leading the team to another district championship and a 8-4 record on the season. He was an all-state performer for his effort as a senior. Rufus was considered to be one of the top 20 linebacker prospects in the nation and accepted a scholarship to the University of Oklahoma where he won the team’s “Iron Man” award for strength and conditioning before sitting out the 2002 season as a redshirt. Offseason knee surgery caused Rufus to miss the first half of the 2003 season. He returned to record 2 tackles and 1 forced fumble. He earned a starting spot as a sophomore, finishing third on the team with 74 tackles on the year. He also had 2 sacks, 3 forced fumbles, and his first career interception. Rufus was named second team all-big twelve his first season as a starter. His junior season was a breakout year for Alexander as he led the Sooners in tackles with 102 stops on the year. He added 5 sacks, 2 forced fumbles and an interception on his way to first team all-big twelve honors.

Rufus Alexander has a good deal of experience against top competition, having started the past three seasons at weakside linebacker for the Oklahoma Sooners in the big twelve. He has an excellent combination of speed and athleticism for a linebacker. Rufus has all the intangibles you look for in a player—he’s a team captain and a leader with a non-stop motor and an outstanding work ethic. He has good instincts and always seems to be around the football. His speed allows him to make plays sideline to sideline as well as drop back into coverage and be effective when needed. He displays good tackling technique and he has a knack for making plays in the backfield. His speed allows him to get to the quarterback on the pass rush or chase the ball carrier down from behind. Rufus lacks great size and strength for a linebacker. He isn’t very strong at the point of attack and he has a tendency to run around blocks. Rufus was arrested this past October and charged with disturbing the peace and interfering with an official process while allegedly attempting to breakup a fight. Both his college and high school coaches have since said that Alexander is a player of outstanding character and I do not expect this incident to have an adverse effect on his draft position. Rufus is a talented player who will most likely be limited to playing the weakside in the NFL. He has a chance to be a first day pick in the 2007 NFL draft.