The Oklahoma weakside linebacker has drawn comparisons to Tampa Bay's Derrick Brooks for his quickness, range and ability to stay on his feet and flow to the ball, closing with a sudden burst. He was the team's most consistent defender the last three seasons, becoming the first Sooner to lead the team in tackles in consecutive seasons (2005-06) since Rocky Calmus from 1999-2001.

Alexander earned all-state first-team honors and was ranked among the top 20 linebackers in the country by Prep Star and Super Prep during his senior year at Christian Life Academy. The three-year defensive starter also played tight end. In seven games as a senior, he had team highs with 86 tackles, 14 stops behind the line of scrimmage and 12 sacks. He led the team to the district titles as a junior (10-2) and senior (8-4). He also earned all-district honors in basketball.

Alexander enrolled at Oklahoma in 2002. While redshirting that season, he shared the Iron Man Award for top strength and conditioning by a freshman with Paul Thompson. A right knee anterior cruciate ligament injury in 2003 spring drills would force Alexander to sit out the first five games of the season. He saw action in one contest, posting two tackles.

In 2004, Alexander started 10 of 12 games at weakside outside linebacker. He was named All-Big 12 Conference second team by the Associated Press and honorable mention by the league's coaches, coming up with two sacks and seven stops for losses. He ranked third on the team with 79 tackles (49 solos), as he caused and recovered three fumbles, intercepted a pass and deflected four others. He also had five quarterback pressures.

A consensus All-Big 12 Conference first-team choice and member of the Butkus Award Watch List, Alexander led the team with 102 tackles (56 solos) in 2005. He tied for third on the team with five sacks and finished second with 17 stops behind the line of scrimmage. His nine pressures paced the Sooners, as he also batted away nine passes and picked off another. He recovered one fumble and caused two others.

Alexander was selected first-team All-America by the American Football Coaches Association and second team by the Walter Camp Foundation as a senior. He again led the team with 118 tackles (75 solos), adding 3.5 sacks while also leading the team with 14 stops for losses, the fourth-best figure in the conference. He caused four fumbles, recovered two others, batted down three passes and had one interception.

In 39 games at Oklahoma, Alexander started 36 times at weakside linebacker. He posted 296 tackles (182 solos) with 10.5 sacks for minus-78 yards, 38 stops for losses of 121 yards and 17 quarterback pressures. He caused 10 fumbles and recovered six others. He also had three interceptions and 16 pass deflections.

Positives: Has lean upper-body muscle development with long arms, tight waist and hip and room to carry at least another 10 pounds of bulk without it impacting his overall quickness … Move-oriented type of tackler who is better making plays in space than when stationed at the line of scrimmage … Very active moving down the line, showing the loose hips and lateral range to pursue long distances in attempts to make the play … Has a good feel for plays in front of him and works hard to avoid and slip through single blocks to create havoc in the backfield … Quick-twitch type who has the sudden burst needed to close in a hurry … Shows good open-field acceleration and ease of movement in transition, making him a possible safety prospect (best fit is at weakside linebacker in a Cover-2 scheme) … Hard worker in the weight room who plays at a high intensity level … Lacks great read-and-react skills, but will show urgency in getting to the ball once he locates it … Relies more on his speed than strength (power fails to translate to the field at times) to beat offensive linemen off the edge … Good at keeping his pads down and colliding with the lead blocker to clog the rush lanes … Can squeeze the tight end to make inside run plays (will get engulfed by offensive tackles, though) … Uses his hands effectively to mirror and reroute tight ends and backs in the short-area passing game … Scrapes to the ball well when he uses his hands to play off blocks and keep separation … Pursues well in the open, showing good acceleration, but is more of a flow-type rather than a take-on type of defender … Can run, slide and move in space to make outside plays and shows good recovery when he out-runs the action … Needs more strength and bulk to work through trash, but has the speed to cover ground from sideline to sideline … Not a blow-up type of tackler, but efficiently strikes to fit (more dependable in the open than tight areas) … Has the body control to break down in space … Has good recovery speed when the receivers gets behind him, but is best handling slot receivers rather than playing in the deep secondary … Opens his hips smoothly dropping back in coverage, getting good depth in the zone … Adequate at anticipating the receiver's moves and does a good job of reaching around to deflect some throws … Has very good timing and leaping ability (just lacks the natural hand extension to make the interception) … Effective outside blitzer who has the change-of-direction agility and rush moves that make it difficult for slower lineman to block him on the outside … Showed improvement in 2006 when using his hands to create a rush lane and has the sustained speed to pressure the pocket, even when taking a wide loop to the ball … Comes out of his stance and attacks the ball carriers with decent pop on contact.

Negatives: Lacks the bulk or raw power to split double teams or bull rush when working in-line … Plays with good urgency, but his motor will shut down at times, especially on plays directed away from him … Lacks great ball anticipation skills and is slow to locate the ball at times when working through trash … Does not have the anchor to hold ground at the point of attack … Lacks the upper-body strength or good hand placement to shed and gets frustrated when his rush moves fail … Will get a bit reckless in his play and is prone to costly penalties … More of a drag-down type of tackler, as he fails to generate that good weight room strength when striking in closed quarters … Doesn't have natural hands for the interception and several easy pass thefts resulted in pass break-ups instead, as he doesn't extend well to catch outside his frame … Lacks the girth and bulk to face up to the bigger blockers and is easily washed out when trying to shoot tight gaps.

Compares To: Ian Gold, Denver -- Put Alexander in a Cover-2 defense, where he will play in space and utilize his speed, and you will have a very effective player on the weak side … Some compare him to Derrick Brooks, but while he has that closing speed, he lacks the instincts and feel for the ball that Brooks displays … He could make like Seattle's Michael Boulware and shift to safety at the next level to compensate for a lack of bulk … He is best served playing on the move, as his recovery speed lets him make up for a lack of superb field awareness.

2003: Suffered a third degree anterior cruciate ligament sprain and slight tear in his right knee during April drills … Underwent surgery and missed most of the season.

Campus: 4.62 in the 40-yard dash … 420-pound bench press … 500-pound squat … 340-pound power clean … 35-inch vertical jump … 10-foot broad jump. Combine: 4.79 in the 40-yard dash … 35-inch vertical jump … 9-foot-9 broad jump … 4.30 20-yard shuttle run … 7.06 three cone drill … Benched 225 pounds 25 times.

Attended Christian Life Academy (Baton Rouge, La.), playing football for his father, head coach David Barham … Earned all-state first-team honors and was ranked among the top 20 linebackers in the country by Prep Star and Super Prep during his senior year … The three-year defensive starter also played tight end … In seven games as a senior, he had team highs with 86 tackles, 14 stops behind the line of scrimmage and 12 sacks … Led the team to the district titles as a junior (10-2) and senior (8-4) … Also earned all-district honors in basketball.

Sociology major … Son of Melissa and David Barham … Born April 12, 1983 … Resides in Baton Rouge, La.