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With the 2017 NFL Draft ending, we now know who is on each team, where the prospects will be playing professional ball.
That leads to excellent looks at players and their fit.
Matt Bowen of ESPN has taken a look at the nine rookies who landed in the best spot, and one of those picks was Haason Reddick of the Arizona Cardinals.
Haason Reddick, LB, Arizona Cardinals
The Cardinals' defense highlights defenders who can play in space, attack the run game and also get home to the quarterback. At the Senior Bowl, Reddick displayed those same traits during one-on-ones and team drills. This guy was a star in Mobile. He did it all. Fast and athletic.
As a rookie, Reddick (6-1, 237 pounds) should carve out a productive role as a key sub-package defender for the Cardinals. He has the speed (4.52 40) to get sideline to sideline and the physicality to hit the run game in the mouth. And with his experience as a college defensive end, Reddick shows the acceleration and technique to produce as an edge rusher.
That has been the talk and something I tried to explain on Twitter to Cardinals fans who preferred Reuben Foster.
Reddick is not going to play a ton at the inside linebacker position in 2017, that is where Deone Bucannon and Karlos Dansby will play.
However, Reddick will be able to get on the field in the Arizona Cardinals third down defense and in a lot of nickel and dime situations as a pass rusher, but also in some situations where maybe we see Bucannon taking over the role of D.J. Swearinger playing the zone middle of the field and Reddick taking over Bucannon’s spot.
Foster is a much more traditional inside linebacker. He would get some spot rotation at inside linebacker, but he wouldn’t get the sub package snaps.
Getting a player who projects to a starter for the future, but an immediate rotational player now is a great value and fit.