After introducing you to a couple of offensive undrafted free agents yesterday, today we will shift focus to the defensive side of the ball. We start that with Tevita Finau, a defensive end coming out of Utah. Finau is obviously a big man, standing in at 6'4" and 283 pounds.
So will he have a chance to make the team? Find out after the jump.
One of the things Finau has going for him right away is the lack of depth along the defensive line. The Cardinals are still pursuing a deal with veteran Vonnie Holliday, so the only true depth behind Darnell Dockett, Dan Williams and Calais Campbell lies with Nick Eason and David Carter. The rest of the positions are open for battle. Finau has an opportunity to make the practice squad and if given the opportunity, he could provide depth behind the star pass rushers on this team.
Finau brings that Brandon Weeden appeal with him to this team, as he is already a 26 year old rookie. Hopefully there is plenty of experience and football wisdom that comes with his age. He is also married and has a child. Here is what the team's press release has to say about Tevita Finau:
Utah defensive end TEVITA FINAU (ta-vee-ta Fee-now) (6-4, 283) collected 42 tackles while playing in 21 games and making five starts in two seasons with the Utes. In 2011, he appeared in all 13 games and had 37 tackles, three sacks, and five tackles for loss. Prior to his time at Utah, Finau played at Phoenix College, where he was a second-team NJCAA All-American in 2007 and region Co-Defensive Player of the Year in 2008.
At the Utah pro day, Finau ran a 5.04 second 40-yard dash and did 23 reps of 225 pounds on the bench. In the 3 cone drill, he ran a 7.24.
Due to the circumstances along the defensive line, I could actually see a guy like Finau making the practice squad with a good camp. He will need to show that he can pickup the scheme and play within his role, but if he can do all of that, he could find a role with the Cardinals.
What are your thoughts on Tevita Finau? Is this the type of guy that could make the practice squad? Tell us what you think in the comments section and vote in the poll.
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