Cardinals select Temple LB Haason Reddick in first round of NFL Draft

With the 13th pick in the 2017 NFL Draft, the Arizona Cardinals selected Temple linebacker Haason Reddick.

The Arizona Cardinals will select Hassan Reddick

— John Gambadoro (@Gambo987) April 28, 2017

The Cardinals added to their defense that finished second in total defense in 2016, but lost the most defensive snaps in the NFL this offseason.

It appears Reddick is the type of player who could fit in any NFL defense.

Reddick measures at 6-foot-1 and 237 pounds, and is an “explosive, quick-twitch athlete” based off his scouting report from NFL.com. Of linebackers and defensive linemen, Reddick recorded the second-fastest 40-yard dash time at the 2017 NFL Combine — behind Michigan’s Jabrill Peppers — at 4.52 seconds.

Last season, he notched 65 total tackles, 22.5 tackles for loss and 10.5 sacks. He also had a five-yard interception and three forced fumbles.

A bit on the small side, he is described as having a great ability to move his hips, has quick speed and is excellent in the open field. He also has good eyes into the backfield and is a creative pass rusher.

Arizona went defensive in their first-round pick after three quarterbacks — UNC’s Mitchell Trubisky, Texas Tech’s Patrick Mahomes and Clemson’s Deshaun Watson — were all selected before No. 13 after three teams traded up to draft them.

Here is Pro Football Focus’ scouting report bottom-line on the Temple linebacker:

Reddick is an explosive athlete that can consistently win the edge when rushing the passer, and has the physicality to get off blockers at all three levels. While teams will certainly want to take advantage of his pass-rush ability first, he also shows the instincts, speed and change of direction to help on coverage drops as well. Because of this, he is a scheme-independent player, and despite his frequent overrunning of plays, he warrants selection in the first round.

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