Mitch
Crawled Through 5 FB Fields
Haason Reddick wore a Cardinal red tie last night. Here he was standing on the stage at Franklin Park 20 miles from where he grew up in Camden, NJ and a mere minutes from Temple University where, without any Division 1 scholarships (thanks to a broken leg in high school), he walked on as a defensive back and somehow managed to pry open a small window of opportunity and mold it into a stunning skylight of dream come trues.
When asked about the Cardinal red tie, Reddick said “I felt that this (being selected by the Cardinals) was going to happen…I was determined to get here.”
Credit Haason Reddick’s extraordinary determination---after his first walk-on year at Temple and facing the fact that a Temple scholarship still had not been awarded to him, he now had to hang on by a thread of hope, to the point of his mother having to take out a loan just to get her son a meal ticket so that he could eat with the other players---Reddick never lost sight of his dreams.
Credit fate…as well. Uncanny fate, really.
Everything had to happen the way it did:
* Note: heading into Reddick’s senior season, no one had his name listed on any top 300 NFL prospect lists for the 2017 NFL Draft. “C’mon, man!” How many 6-1, 235 pound college defensive ends ever even get a whiff of the NFL draft?
1. Reddick had to have a magnificent senior season. He had to show that regardless of where the coaches put him, he could be super productive. Check.
2. He had to be invited to the Senior Bowl and play at a near elite level there. Check.
3. He had to ace the Combine. Check.
4. Three QBs had to be taken in the top 12 picks.
5. Reuben Foster had to screw up in a major way.
6. Malik Hooker had to be flagged for potential medical concerns (labrum, hernia).
7. Same for Jonathan Allen (shoulders).
8. Leonard Fournette, Corey Davis, Christian McCaffrey, Mike Williams and John Ross had to be taken in the top 12…making it a whopping 8 offensive players taken in the first 12 picks in a draft that is loaded with defensive standouts.
And in a oddly influential way---the Cardinals’ widely-publicized pre-draft interest in QB Patrick Mahomes helped to create the QB frenzy in the top 12 picks.
Furthermore---if the Patriots trade CB Malcolm Butler to the Saints, then perhaps the Saints, who apparently were very high on Reuben Foster and Haason Reddick, wouldn’t have felt the need to take the top rated CB Marshon Lattimore at #11.
One could argue that of any of these developments didn’t happen, then Haason Reddick would not have become the #1 pick of the Arizona Cardinals.
We know how deep and talented this draft is – and to learn that Reddick was #5 on Steve Keim’s board is highly significant.
To learn too that Keim considered Reddick “more flexible” than Foster is important in understanding the Cardinals’ 2017 draft plan – to seek, find and select “2 for 1” players who can help the team in a variety of ways.
With Reddick, it is a mistake to try to pigeon-hole him to a position. The whole point with Reddick is his flexibility. He can rush the passer from a variety of angles. He can chase the ball from the edge or as a stack LB. He can cover RBs and TEs. And he can spy on running QBs.
When you look at his game --- and I know BA mentioned Von Miller-type qualities that he sees in Reddick because Reddick’s and Miller’s combine numbers are almost identical, save that Miller is a little over an inch taller and was 10 pounds heavier---but a better comparison perhaps may be to Adrian Wilson.
Check these Combine numbers out:
40 Wilson (4.53); Reddick (4.52)
225 Bench press: Wilson (21 reps); Reddick (24 reps)
Vertical Leap: Wilson (39.5”); Reddick (36.5”)
Broad Jump Wilson (120”); Reddick (133”)
Adrian Wilson was, by far, the greatest non-DE/DT, pass rusher in the history of the Arizona Cardinals. Why the Cardinals didn’t rush him more than they did has always mystified me. At times, he was unstoppable.
The thing is --- here is how versatile Haason Reddick is: even at 6-1 237, he could be a superb SS for the Cardinals. The SS position in the Cardinals’ defense is tailor made for a TFL, sack artist, who can be speedy enough to cover RBs and TEs. Consider this: the Cardinals nearly turned Tony Jefferson into an All-Pro.
Jefferson wasn’t drafted because he ran a 4.75 at the Combine. Plus, it didn’t help that every pundit during Jefferson’s draft year watched Tavon Austin blaze and weave through the Sooner defense for more miles than the tumbleweeded stretch from Enid to Oklahoma City.
Reddick runs a legit 4.5. He has even run some sub 4.5s.
The coaches will move Reddick around and make offenses pay attention to him the way they did when Adrian Wilson was in his prime. I don’t even think Reddick at times will have a definable position --- he will be a hybrid SS/OLB/ILB/NLB/QBspy. His role will be as simple as BA puts it: “see ball, get ball.” “You got dat dude; cover dat dude.”
The Cardinals’ selection of Haason Reddick fits in beautifully with this being a season of odysseys for the Arizona Cardinals.
· The Philly connection.
· The BA Temple connection.
· The “7” connection --- Peterson and Mathieu.
· The Red connection.
Yes, Haason Reddick…”this was going to happen.” Thanks to your 8 month meteoric rise up the draft boards (by acing every step along the way while numerous others faltered) and thanks to all the vicissitudes of one of the most bizarre nights in the history of the NFL draft.
When asked about the Cardinal red tie, Reddick said “I felt that this (being selected by the Cardinals) was going to happen…I was determined to get here.”
Credit Haason Reddick’s extraordinary determination---after his first walk-on year at Temple and facing the fact that a Temple scholarship still had not been awarded to him, he now had to hang on by a thread of hope, to the point of his mother having to take out a loan just to get her son a meal ticket so that he could eat with the other players---Reddick never lost sight of his dreams.
Credit fate…as well. Uncanny fate, really.
Everything had to happen the way it did:
* Note: heading into Reddick’s senior season, no one had his name listed on any top 300 NFL prospect lists for the 2017 NFL Draft. “C’mon, man!” How many 6-1, 235 pound college defensive ends ever even get a whiff of the NFL draft?
1. Reddick had to have a magnificent senior season. He had to show that regardless of where the coaches put him, he could be super productive. Check.
2. He had to be invited to the Senior Bowl and play at a near elite level there. Check.
3. He had to ace the Combine. Check.
4. Three QBs had to be taken in the top 12 picks.
5. Reuben Foster had to screw up in a major way.
6. Malik Hooker had to be flagged for potential medical concerns (labrum, hernia).
7. Same for Jonathan Allen (shoulders).
8. Leonard Fournette, Corey Davis, Christian McCaffrey, Mike Williams and John Ross had to be taken in the top 12…making it a whopping 8 offensive players taken in the first 12 picks in a draft that is loaded with defensive standouts.
And in a oddly influential way---the Cardinals’ widely-publicized pre-draft interest in QB Patrick Mahomes helped to create the QB frenzy in the top 12 picks.
Furthermore---if the Patriots trade CB Malcolm Butler to the Saints, then perhaps the Saints, who apparently were very high on Reuben Foster and Haason Reddick, wouldn’t have felt the need to take the top rated CB Marshon Lattimore at #11.
One could argue that of any of these developments didn’t happen, then Haason Reddick would not have become the #1 pick of the Arizona Cardinals.
We know how deep and talented this draft is – and to learn that Reddick was #5 on Steve Keim’s board is highly significant.
To learn too that Keim considered Reddick “more flexible” than Foster is important in understanding the Cardinals’ 2017 draft plan – to seek, find and select “2 for 1” players who can help the team in a variety of ways.
With Reddick, it is a mistake to try to pigeon-hole him to a position. The whole point with Reddick is his flexibility. He can rush the passer from a variety of angles. He can chase the ball from the edge or as a stack LB. He can cover RBs and TEs. And he can spy on running QBs.
When you look at his game --- and I know BA mentioned Von Miller-type qualities that he sees in Reddick because Reddick’s and Miller’s combine numbers are almost identical, save that Miller is a little over an inch taller and was 10 pounds heavier---but a better comparison perhaps may be to Adrian Wilson.
Check these Combine numbers out:
40 Wilson (4.53); Reddick (4.52)
225 Bench press: Wilson (21 reps); Reddick (24 reps)
Vertical Leap: Wilson (39.5”); Reddick (36.5”)
Broad Jump Wilson (120”); Reddick (133”)
Adrian Wilson was, by far, the greatest non-DE/DT, pass rusher in the history of the Arizona Cardinals. Why the Cardinals didn’t rush him more than they did has always mystified me. At times, he was unstoppable.
The thing is --- here is how versatile Haason Reddick is: even at 6-1 237, he could be a superb SS for the Cardinals. The SS position in the Cardinals’ defense is tailor made for a TFL, sack artist, who can be speedy enough to cover RBs and TEs. Consider this: the Cardinals nearly turned Tony Jefferson into an All-Pro.
Jefferson wasn’t drafted because he ran a 4.75 at the Combine. Plus, it didn’t help that every pundit during Jefferson’s draft year watched Tavon Austin blaze and weave through the Sooner defense for more miles than the tumbleweeded stretch from Enid to Oklahoma City.
Reddick runs a legit 4.5. He has even run some sub 4.5s.
The coaches will move Reddick around and make offenses pay attention to him the way they did when Adrian Wilson was in his prime. I don’t even think Reddick at times will have a definable position --- he will be a hybrid SS/OLB/ILB/NLB/QBspy. His role will be as simple as BA puts it: “see ball, get ball.” “You got dat dude; cover dat dude.”
The Cardinals’ selection of Haason Reddick fits in beautifully with this being a season of odysseys for the Arizona Cardinals.
· The Philly connection.
· The BA Temple connection.
· The “7” connection --- Peterson and Mathieu.
· The Red connection.
Yes, Haason Reddick…”this was going to happen.” Thanks to your 8 month meteoric rise up the draft boards (by acing every step along the way while numerous others faltered) and thanks to all the vicissitudes of one of the most bizarre nights in the history of the NFL draft.
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