Strengths: A tall, well-built strong safety prospect with exceptional straight-line speed for his size. He has the size potential to match up as an in-the-box strong safety type in the NFL. Fills hard versus the run and flashes some power upon contact as a tackler. He occasionally will make his presence known over the middle in coverage. Shows good closing burst when the ball is in the air. Also displays good ball skills. He has been a durable player throughout his career.
Weaknesses: Former outside linebacker with some athletic limitations. Does he fit as an outside linebacker or strong safety in the NFL? He is high-cut and shows some stiffness in his hips. He has excellent straight-line speed but will struggle to change directions in space. He does not show the quick-twitch athleticism to match up one-on-one versus NFL slot receivers. He must also continue to improve his angles in run support. He can play out of control at times.
Overall: Rouse appeared in all 13 games in 2003 as a true freshman and made 46 total tackles and three tackles for loss. He saw action in all 13 games in 2004, registering 37 total tackles, including 2.5 tackles for loss at outside linebacker. Rouse started all 13 contests at strong safety in 2005, finishing the season with 77 total tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss, four interceptions, five pass breakups, one fumble recovery, and one forced fumble. In 2006 he appeared in all 13 games, with 10 starts, and recorded 57 total tackles, two tackles for loss, one forced fumble, and one interception.
Rouse possesses an exceptional combination of size and speed, and he showed flashes of playmaking ability at the collegiate level. However, while he has first-round tools, Rouse is an underachiever and a positional misfit from an NFL perspective. He doesn't play the game with enough aggressiveness or toughness to project as a linebacker and he makes too many mistakes in coverage to be trusted as a safety at this point. In our opinion, Rouse is too much of a boom-or-bust prospect to draft any earlier than the third round.