Picture of Brandon Spikes at UF's Pro Day

[football karma]

Washington seems to be similar to Ali Highsmith. Can't say for certain but he sure looks that way in the clips I've seen.

taller and faster than Ali

Washington is 15 lbs away from being a sure fire first rounder -- at 229lbs, he is undersized to play inside. His game is similar to Karlos in that he is a sideline to sideline run and chase guy -- good at everything, dominant in nothing but closest in pass coverage.

26 feels a little high for him and you probably aren't getting a day 1 WILB in the Cardinals defense -- but probably a day 1 passing down LB who after a year with Lott, turns into a true 3 down LB for the next 7 or 8 years.


He probably is a "safe" pick at #26 in that he likely will play in the league for many years.

 

[juza76]

taller and faster than Ali

Washington is 15 lbs away from being a sure fire first rounder -- at 229lbs, he is undersized to play inside. His game is similar to Karlos in that he is a sideline to sideline run and chase guy -- good at everything, dominant in nothing but closest in pass coverage.

26 feels a little high for him and you probably aren't getting a day 1 WILB in the Cardinals defense -- but probably a day 1 passing down LB who after a year with Lott, turns into a true 3 down LB for the next 7 or 8 years.


He probably is a "safe" pick at #26 in that he likely will play in the league for many years.

is just 10 lb less then weatherspoon but i think with john he can put on 10-15 lb without loosing speed...at 26 will be the best pick for us

 

[Duckjake]

is just 10 lb less then weatherspoon but i think with john he can put on 10-15 lb without loosing speed...at 26 will be the best pick for us

Sounds OK but after Ray Thompson, Levar Fisher, and Buster Davis I'm a little leary of undersized linebackers.

Of course until Dansby and Hayes the Cards had trouble with any size linebackers.

 

[BigDavis75]

is just 10 lb less then weatherspoon but i think with john he can put on 10-15 lb without loosing speed...at 26 will be the best pick for us

I'm not certain that he could keep that weight on. I'm not a fan of Washington's at 26, it troubles me how small he is.

 

[Hypothesis]

I prefer to stay as far away from Spikes as possible, regardless of round. I've never been a fan of his and watching game film on him just reassures this for me.

He runs flat footed and straight-legged, his knees are never brought up remotely close to his waist. He stands upright when he is sprinting. Lateral movement is severely lacking in games. Tackling technique is suspect in the open field. He is either going to make the down hill tackle at the line or behind it, or he is out of the play, as he doesn't show alot of desire to play in pursuit and when he tries to do so, his angles are bad. He spends alot of time on the ground due to blocks or because of his upright posture while trying to make lateral movement and his lack of balance. He does hit hard and he is very good downhill when he isn't forced to change direction, but I do not see his current skill set as translating well to the NFL.

 

[Snakester]

I think this is great news. It now looks like we can nab Spikes in the third round. SWEET! You want your inside guys to be thumpers. Spikes has size, strength and the toughness you want in an inside linebacker. To me what he runs in the forty isn't that important. Its how he takes out runningbacks at the LOS that is important. The man can hit and tackle. If you take a guy like this in the draft and try and use him as a coverage linebacker then of course he will fail. This is a guy you use at the LOS and let him stop the run period.

 

[Ouchie-Z-Clown]

I think this is great news. It now looks like we can nab Spikes in the third round. SWEET! You want your inside guys to be thumpers. Spikes has size, strength and the toughness you want in an inside linebacker. To me what he runs in the forty isn't that important. Its how he takes out runningbacks at the LOS that is important. The man can hit and tackle. If you take a guy like this in the draft and try and use him as a coverage linebacker then of course he will fail. This is a guy you use at the LOS and let him stop the run period.

in a 3-4 you need a thumper and a cover/sideline-to-sideline guy. ideally you want both of 'em to be versatile enough to meet both categories but those individuals (ala ray lewis, levon kirkland, etc.) are extremely difficult to find. when that's the case you have one of each, like we had with dansby and hayes. if we were to draft the "thumper" you want and paired him with hayes it would be awful. simply awful for the scheme as both would be routinely taken the woodshed in non-interior running and passing situations. i'll say it again, if you're drafting spikes to replace hayes, great. if not, you're looking at disaster.

 

[BigDavis75]

in a 3-4 you need a thumper and a cover/sideline-to-sideline guy. ideally you want both of 'em to be versatile enough to meet both categories but those individuals (ala ray lewis, levon kirkland, etc.) are extremely difficult to find. when that's the case you have one of each, like we had with dansby and hayes. if we were to draft the "thumper" you want and paired him with hayes it would be awful. simply awful for the scheme as both would be routinely taken the woodshed in non-interior running and passing situations. i'll say it again, if you're drafting spikes to replace hayes, great. if not, you're looking at disaster.

I think it would be possible to pair Spikes with Hayes though it wouldn't be ideal. Spikes can make plays in coverage and he has shown that for a few years now. Our ILBs play primarily zone IIRC and that is where Spikes could do well. If we draft Spikes and intend to put him in man consistently then that is our fault and he will fail, but he is a lot more capable in zone coverage than people are making him out to be.

 

[joeshmo]

Just heard something on the radio today. For all of Spikes lack of straight line track speed he has more INTs returned for touchdowns in his career then any other player in the draft, including the DB's.

The guy just might be lucky or the guy has a knack of being in the right spot at the right time and reading the QB correctly to be in the right zone at the right time. I will take read and reaction time over track time any day. I would still take him in the 2nd round as an eventual Hayes replacement, 5.0 40 yard dash time be damned.

 

[Early]

Just heard something on the radio today. For all of Spikes lack of straight line track speed he has more INTs returned for touchdowns in his career then any other player in the draft, including the DB's.

The guy just might be lucky or the guy has a knack of being in the right spot at the right time and reading the QB correctly to be in the right zone at the right time. I will take read and reaction time over track time any day. I would still take him in the 2nd round as an eventual Hayes replacement, 5.0 40 yard dash time be damned.

I'm with you, 40's and any contest off the field is just not football to me. I like Brandon Spikes, he can play the game. I'm not sure he is the next big thing in NFL, but i think he will be a very decent LB at least, worth a pick.

The real problem about all that, and the reason that 40's will always be relevant to football is that among the best football players, there will always be some that just happen, by chance, to be really fast off the field, on straight track. These players are good because they can play football. They just happen to be fast off the field as well.

Boldin was running a 4.7 or something. Spikes a 5.0. Since LB's are supposed to be arround 0.3 slower than WRs (what a great logic huh) , then i guess in theory, Spikes can still be good LB in the NFL

The logic of 40 is made up, simply because you will always be able to wrongly interpret the real reason why a player does succeed in the NFL.

It is defenitely also the huge desire to be able break something difficult as football down in numbers, so it becomes simpler to understand. The evaluation is so hard, and sometimes so impossible, that it is a human trait to look for the reason elsewhere and get some numbers for comparison, even if there are some major issues with them. From time to time, offcourse some players will excel at both football and the 40, and you will always be able to go back and say: The 40 yard dash is indeed important. I guess you could also chose what type of icecream is the favourite one of all the prospects. Sooner or later you will get a future HOF player that happens to like banana taste the best, and you can say that this is why he is great.

Seriously, look in the HOF. The distribution of fast players on track vs. slow players on track is probably just arround the same as the distribution you will find by just looking at, let's say, all the players that are declaring for any given draft year. Those that succeed and those that not.

I jus't don't agree that Spikes will be able to replace Hayes. Hayes is the FB of our defense. He lines over the FB and it is his responsibility to shed his block and still make a play. His job is also to deal with Lineman that get acces to the second level with a jump through. Since we got a DD on our line that lets go many lineman to the next level, this job is really important. Spikes is more suited to replace Dansby while a guy like Micah Johnson plays exactly like Hayes does.

 

[Buckybird]

Sounds OK but after Ray Thompson, Levar Fisher, and Buster Davis I'm a little leary of undersized linebackers.

Ray Thompson has been the name that pops into my head everytime I see Washingtons name mentioned. I have seen most of TCU's game the last 3 years & Washington really struggles getting of blocks. He's a gamble, but most draft choices are. I would lean to stay away.

 

[binkar]

Sounds OK but after Ray Thompson, Levar Fisher, and Buster Davis I'm a little leary of undersized linebackers.

Of course until Dansby and Hayes the Cards had trouble with any size linebackers.

Don't forget the great Johhny Rutledge.

 

[Buckybird]

I'm with you, 40's and any contest off the field is just not football to me. I like Brandon Spikes, he can play the game. I'm not sure he is the next big thing in NFL, but i think he will be a very decent LB at least, worth a pick.

The real problem about all that, and the reason that 40's will always be relevant to football is that among the best football players, there will always be some that just happen, by chance, to be really fast off the field, on straight track. These players are good because they can play football. They just happen to be fast off the field as well.

Boldin was running a 4.7 or something. Spikes a 5.0. Since LB's are supposed to be arround 0.3 slower than WRs (what a great logic huh) , then i guess in theory, Spikes can still be good LB in the NFL

The logic of 40 is made up, simply because you will always be able to wrongly interpret the real reason why a player does succeed in the NFL.

It is defenitely also the huge desire to be able break something difficult as football down in numbers, so it becomes simpler to understand. The evaluation is so hard, and sometimes so impossible, that it is a human trait to look for the reason elsewhere and get some numbers for comparison, even if there are some major issues with them. From time to time, offcourse some players will excel at both football and the 40, and you will always be able to go back and say: The 40 yard dash is indeed important. I guess you could also chose what type of icecream is the favourite one of all the prospects. Sooner or later you will get a future HOF player that happens to like banana taste the best, and you can say that this is why he is great.

Seriously, look in the HOF. The distribution of fast players on track vs. slow players on track is probably just arround the same as the distribution you will find by just looking at, let's say, all the players that are declaring for any given draft year. Those that succeed and those that not.

I jus't don't agree that Spikes will be able to replace Hayes. Hayes is the FB of our defense. He lines over the FB and it is his responsibility to shed his block and still make a play. His job is also to deal with Lineman that get acces to the second level with a jump through. Since we got a DD on our line that lets go many lineman to the next level, this job is really important. Spikes is more suited to replace Dansby while a guy like Micah Johnson plays exactly like Hayes does.

Yep

Jerry Rice & Emmiitt Smith weren't considered fast either. Spikes produced for a major college at a high level. Bottom line, he's a football player!!! I'd take him in round 2 no doubt. I might be unemployed in 2 years but I would roll the dice with him.

 

[Buckybird]

Don't forget the great Johhny Rutledge.

Rutledge actually was good size, just didnt produce.

 

[Cbus cardsfan]

The reason you can't dismiss Spikes's time is that he wasn't jutst slow but pathetically slow. Seeing how he put off running as long as possible shows that he knew it would kill his draft status. I could see dismissing it if he ran like a 4.85 but above 5.0 twice means he's closer to Terence Cody speed than CJ Spiller speed and he's not going to be trying to run down Cody.

 

[binkar]

Rutledge actually was good size, just didnt produce.

I was referring to the second part of the post that referred to all of our failed linebackers.

 

[Arizona's Finest]

I was listening to Kiper on the radio this Saturday (great Cardinals segment himself and the other announcer did) and he then went on to Florida pro day. He said spikes has "unquivically" killed his 1st or even 2nd day status and is now projected as a 5th or 6th rounder from what Mel has heard.

He may not be right but even if he is a little off, he's still there in the 4th. I will go crazy if we draft him in the second, and probably a little peeved if we use one of the thirds. There is enough questions about him now that he will absolutely drop much lower then anyone would have expected. 5 seconds flat is UDFA range guys. That was a big mistake for him to run and would have been better off not submitting a 40.

The good news is that if we do draft him, apparently he isn't fully healthy and thats what is effecting his times.

 

[TJ]

Was he overweight?

 

[cardsfanmd]

Don't forget the great Johhny Rutledge.

Rutledge actually was good size, just didnt produce.

I was referring to the second part of the post that referred to all of our failed linebackers.

Yeah, Rutledge's problems were between the ears IMO.

 

[Monty]

Spikes in the fourth would be worth a gamble if the Cards believe that his 40 time might have been SLIGHTLY affected by him not being well. They have to get a better record of his 40 times previously and if the trend shows that 5.0 is about par for what he normally does i would re-eveluate his worth again. You might then have to leave it till he is available in the fifth which might be doubtful.

 

[Duckjake]

I was referring to the second part of the post that referred to all of our failed linebackers.

The Cards problems with later round LBs along with the high percentage of top WILBs currently being first or second round selections is why I'm not among the crowd that thinks the Cards can get a replacement for Dansby after round 2.

Only Hayes, of all the 3rd and below LBs selected since 1988, has become a decent player.

1st and 2nd round winners: Ken Harvey, Eric Hill, Jamir Miller, Karlos Dansby. 4 of our best LBs since moving to AZ.

Meanwhile anyone remember: Chris Gaines or Tim Moore? David Bavaro or Ken McMichael? Probably not. Guys taken late in the old 12 round draft.

Then there was Brett Wallerstedt, Terry Irving, Wes Leasey, Tony McCombs, Zach Walz, Melvin Bradley, Sekou Sanyika, Tony Gilbert*, Daryl Blackstock, Lance Mitchell and the infamous Buster Davis.

*Tony Gilbert was still in the NFL in '09 with the Falcons. That left 6 of the 7 guys drafted by AZ in 2003 still in the NFL 7 seasons later and depending on what happens with Gilbert they all may be playing again in '10.

 

[Ouchie-Z-Clown]

Don't forget the great Johhny Rutledge.

he wasn't naming crappy LB's, just our history of undersized LBs being crappy. rutledge was not undersized.

 

[Ouchie-Z-Clown]

The reason you can't dismiss Spikes's time is that he wasn't jutst slow but pathetically slow. Seeing how he put off running as long as possible shows that he knew it would kill his draft status. I could see dismissing it if he ran like a 4.85 but above 5.0 twice means he's closer to Terence Cody speed than CJ Spiller speed and he's not going to be trying to run down Cody.

exactly. you cannot discount TERRIBLE speed. poor speed? yeah if the guy has terrific instincts, but terrible speed can kill.

 

[binkar]

Levar Fisher was listed at 6'2" 240 lbs. That's almost exactly Weatherspoon's size.

 

[Duckjake]

Levar Fisher was listed at 6'2" 240 lbs. That's almost exactly Weatherspoon's size.

He may have been "listed" at that weight but he didn't pass the eyeball test. I remember the first time I saw a picture of him after the draft thinking that he looked like a Safety.