With the 130th pick... The Arizona Cardinals select LB O'Brien Schofield, Wisconsin

[Crazy Canuck]

From ESPN:

What he brings: Schofield suffered a knee injury on the first day of Senior Bowl week, but he a talented and instinctive football player with a high motor. His best overall quality is his ability to get after the passer with a variety of moves and elite closing burst. Had it not been for the injury, he would have been off the board near the beginning of Day 2 and is definitely worth the risk here.

 

[MadCardDisease]

Here is what Schofield had to say:

Schofield says he plans to play at 245 pounds. He is listed at 221, which was his combine weight, but that was because he had just suffered the injury and lost weight. He says his timetable is to start running in mid-May and hope to start contact work sometime in camp. “I am really planning on playing this year,”

More here:

http://blog.azcardinals.com/2010/04/24/in-the-fourth-cards-get-lb-schofield/#comment-12753

 

[sportznutt]

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  Mike Mayock, NFL Network
  
  
  130 -- Cardinals -- DE O'Brien Schofield
  
  This is a really interesting pick by the Cardinals. He tore his ACL at the Senior Bowl after winning the MVP at the East-West game. This shows how much the Cardinals love his upside, because he probably won't be able to play this season. He's an explosive kid off the edge that will be a designated pass rusher for the Cardinals. It's a very similar pick to what the Patriots did a year ago with WR Brandon Tate, who was a first-round talent that the Pats got in the third round.
  
  

 

[az jam]

Joey Porter's replacement. Give Joey two seasons with the Cards. O"Brien will then be the starter.

 

[Divide Et Impera]

Didn't we draft a busted up, but otherwise highly rated LB just a few years ago out of Alabama, or something? Same thing - knee problems. What has he amounted to?

 

[Zeno]

Didn't we draft a busted up, but otherwise highly rated LB just a few years ago out of Alabama, or something? Same thing - knee problems. What has he amounted to?

Who?

 

[Divide Et Impera]

That's what I mean. We drafted some otherwise highly rated LB out of some major university whose team colors are crimson (which is why I said Alabama). We got this LB in the 4th or 5th a couple years back. This LB also had a busted knee. I don't remember his name, but this pick reminded me of that....

 

[Zeno]

That's what I mean. We drafted some otherwise highly rated LB out of some major university whose team colors are crimson (which is why I said Alabama). We got this LB in the 4th or 5th a couple years back. This LB also had a busted knee. I don't remember his name, but this pick reminded me of that....

Are you talking about Lance Mitchell? I think he was from Oklahoma (so right colors).

 

[Divide Et Impera]

Maybe. Wasn't he rated high, but he slid due to a knee injury? We grabbed him in the mid-rounds and everyone here was saying the same thing about him that they are now saying about Schofield - great talent, great value, will be a big return NEXT year and all that jazz.

 

[Zeno]

Maybe. Wasn't he rated high, but he slid due to a knee injury? We grabbed him in the mid-rounds and everyone here was saying the same thing about him that they are now saying about Schofield - great talent, great value, will be a big return NEXT year and all that jazz.

Mitchell injured his knee his junior year played as a senior but wasn't nearly as productive as he was prior to the injury. Similar I guess...Mitchell was a fifth rounder both LBs both had knee injuries. I am not sure if the degree of injury is the same or not and Mitchell was a MLB.

I guess the coaches/medical staff/front office thought it was a risk worth taking in round 4, time will tell. Didn't McGahee have a similar injury in his bowl game but was still drafted in round 1? So it can work out sometimes.

 

[WarnerHOF]

I would've prefered staying put and drafting AOA! We already have a boatload of OLBs with "potential". Potential is something that is lacking pretty bad in the CB department outside of DRC and Toler.

 

[Divide Et Impera]

Mitchell injured his knee his junior year played as a senior but wasn't nearly as productive as he was prior to the injury. Similar I guess...Mitchell was a fifth rounder both LBs both had knee injuries. I am not sure if the degree of injury is the same or not and Mitchell was a MLB.

I guess the coaches/medical staff/front office thought it was a risk worth taking in round 4, time will tell. Didn't McGahee have a similar injury in his bowl game but was still drafted in round 1? So it can work out sometimes.

Fair enough. I just bring this up because I hppe we don't see a repeat of an utterly wasted mid-round pick, but I suppose everything and everyone's truly a crap shoot at the end of the day anyways....

 

[lauraw]

I don't know about schofield,either, but its not for lack of effort!

 

[Arizona's Finest]

Always love Don Banks and his Snap Judgements

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2010/writers/don_banks/04/24/draft.day.3.snaps/1.html

• Living in Madison, Wis., these days, I got to three University of Wisconsin home games last fall, and the one player who consistently jumped out at me for the Badgers was senior defensive end O'Brien Schofield, who seemed to be playing in the opposing backfield for most of the afternoon.

Schofield went to the Arizona Cardinals on Saturday in the fourth round, 130th overall. That's a steal, but everyone knows why. Schofield, who will be an outside linebacker in the NFL, blew out his knee on the first day of workouts at the Senior Bowl in Mobile, when he got tied up with Massachusetts offensive tackle Vladmir Ducasse (who went to the Jets in the second round).

Schofield was thought to be a potential first-round pick before the late knee injury, and he might even need a redshirt season of sorts this year as a rookie before he's ready to fully contribute in Arizona. But once he's healthy, the Cardinals have themselves an impact player. Count on it. Or my name's not Mel Kiper.


​

 

[joeshmo]

I like the pick. It is a Steelers lets pick a OLB this year so he can play in the future. It is why they always have OLB's ready to go that are not green rookies.

Here is what I think the plan with Sho will be.

He will be on the PUP list, then when the deadline comes if there is a injury and we need another LB he comes in and sits at the end of the bench for emergencies, if we dont have any injuries he gets moved to the IR. In any scenario this was a pick for the 2011 depth chart when we have to decide if we want to keep Porter who signed a contract that is really 3 one year deals.

 

[Gee!]

Just some info:

His uncle Andre Carter played safety at Clemson. Schofield is a cousin of both Vonnie Holliday and Bobby Engram who both have had long National Football League careers.

 

[bg7brd]

I like the pick. It is a Steelers lets pick a OLB this year so he can play in the future. It is why they always have OLB's ready to go that are not green rookies.

Here is what I think the plan with Sho will be.

He will be on the PUP list, then when the deadline comes if there is a injury and we need another LB he comes in and sits at the end of the bench for emergencies, if we dont have any injuries he gets moved to the IR. In any scenario this was a pick for the 2011 depth chart when we have to decide if we want to keep Porter who signed a contract that is really 3 one year deals.

Good stuff Joe. I think this guy could end up being the steal of the draft.

 

[Dayman]

I would've prefered staying put and drafting AOA! We already have a boatload of OLBs with "potential". Potential is something that is lacking pretty bad in the CB department outside of DRC and Toler.

I like AOA, too, but he's apparently recovering from a major surgery (shoulder) and might start the year on the PUP list, just like Schofield. He's also projected to be a safety as a pro. We're pretty set there.

 

[juza76]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ODX2ZCEZvg&feature=related
from min 4.45 to 5.15..ducasse was unable to stop him...in the second snap he was grabbing his mask and then he felt on brian o'schofield

 

[Dr. Jones]

Looks like a turf monster injury. Tried to cut back with too much torque on the knee.

 

[Cardiac]

Kiper and McShay LOVE O'Brien. CBS gives the pick an A+.

McShay shared a story that at the East West Shrine first practice he was horrible. OS went to Coach Crennel and said I'm playing horrible and don't understand what I'm suppose to be doing (at OLB). Coach stayed late with OS to help him and starting with the next practice he dominated.

 

[Longcolts]

Sounds to me like a kid who really want's to excel.

 

[Hypothesis]

O'Brien is an exceptional talent. Very well spoken and a high character kid. This pick is excellent value provided he can recover from his torn ACL. With his work ethic, I have no doubts his knee will recover well through rehab.

It is just my opinion, but I think we grabbed one of the top 3 3-4 OLB pass rush projects in this draft. Jason Worilds, Arthur Moats and O'Brien Schofield were my top 3, even over Jerry Hughes, Brandon Graham and Sergio Kindle. I'm excited to see what O'Brien can do!!

 

[Monty]

think of it as we traded that pick for a next years second rounder

I like this comparison which i think is fairly accurate in terms of projection. I remember reading just before the draft that the Chiefs were pretty high on this kid and would consider him with one of the their early second day picks so for us to take him in the fourth is probably good value, especially considering that he was coached by Romeo Crenell who is now with the Chiefs so he must have seen something in this kid to think about taking him in the second or third even though he would be out for a year. Im very happy with this pick.

 

[Redrage]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ODX2ZCEZvg&feature=related
from min 4.45 to 5.15..ducasse was unable to stop him...in the second snap he was grabbing his mask and then he felt on brian o'schofield

Just as I remember, tale of the tape here is that Iupati has a hard time not grabbing jersey.