the high-upside Stanford linebacker who arrived with elite recruiting buzz
Michael Craven entered Stanford in the 2001 class as a nationally elite linebacker prospect, ranked among the country’s top recruits with sideline-to-sideline speed, range, and instincts. Stanford’s own notes highlighted him as very athletic and a potential force in the middle after moving from outside to inside linebacker, while recruiting coverage described a player with big-play flashes and major upside. If your team wants a rangy, physical defender with pedigree and burst, Craven fit the bill; the question was less talent than whether that athletic promise could consistently translate on Saturdays.
