1 week Ago
The Arizona Cardinals 2025 NFL Draft class is official with seven players. We will continue to get to know these players starting with box scores, and YouTube highlights obviously! But of course, there are some things that we won’t be able to see without digging in. For some guys, it is purely statistics that stick out, while others can go back to their days in high school where we can see more about them than we saw in college.
This article’s purpose will be to start looking beyond pure numbers (for the most part) for the Cardinals' draft picks so we can get to know them more than what a box score shows. Walter Nolen: 6.5 sacks in 2024 It may seem boring to include someone's sack total from a season as an “interesting statistic.
” Of course, 6.5 sacks is nothing insane or small, but it does make a clear statement on what some felt was his biggest negative as a prospect. Nolen was criticized for his ability to grow as a pass rusher, but the sack total with his lone year in Oxford was more than the two years prior spent at Texas A&M.
That’s clear progression as a player, especially once he got to work with a coaching staff who knew how to develop him. He’s only just starting to scratch his potential and he’s clearly becoming a better and better player. I have no questions.
Will Johnson: 1,302 all purpose yards senior year if high school Johnson may play cornerback, but that doesn’t mean he’s not an exceptional athlete entirely. The former top recruit in the state of Michigan played both ways in high school and dominated the scene on offense. His combined total of offensive yards from the season was over 1,300 including nearly 700 receiving yards and six touchdowns.
We would end up seeing these kind of ball skills translating into college, where he took three of his nine career interceptions to the house. Shut down corners are insanely valuable, and adding one with plus ball skills becomes even more dangerous. Jordan Burch: 61-yard pick six Nothing is better in football than big man touchdowns and nobody runs harder than a big man with an opportunity.
Burch had that opportunity back in Columbia with South Carolina when he housed an interception 61 yards. It no doubt was a special moment for him, but it also displays someone with determination and passion to play the game. Burch was nearly 300 lbs during his college career, so a 61-yard run isn’t something he’s used to doing on a weekly basis.
It was no doubt a fun sight to see, and it’s always wonderful to see the big guys get excited with a rare opportunity like that — even more exciting when they take it the distance. Cody Simon: Blaock “O” Jersey Simon had a fun and memorable career in Columbus. The New Jersey high school product worked his way onto the field after starting as a special teams player.
Rather than transfer out and look for opportunities where he could play right away, he opted to stay and work hard. And in his final season, he was rewarded with a high prestige from the university: the Block “O” jersey. The jersey is for a player who exemplifies leadership, toughness, and character.
Simon would go on to post insane numbers across the board and prove his worthiness of the number. He capped off the final game of his career with the defensive MVP of the National Championship Game. His collegiate career is what we hope.
Many young men will take notice of and learn from. Denzel Burke: 4.48 forty-yard dash There were several concerns about Burke’s transition to the pros, most of which revolved around whether or not he was exceptional enough of a player to make the jump.
He had an OK career with the Buckeyes, but never truly took the next step that many were hoping he would. Burke was listed as an athlete coming out of high school as a two-way player before committing to corner. It’s noticeable when you see his ball skills and ability to intercept passes.
The thing that stands out to me, the most was his significant improvement in his 40-yard dash time. He ran a 4.72 in high school and clogged a 4.
48 at the Combine. That takes more than just training to put together that kind of improvement. For any questioning, if he is athletic enough to make that next level jump, that’s a number I would point to to show he is made improvement.
Hayden Conner: Former four-star recruit Conner doesn’t have any stats considering using an offensive lineup, but what we can bring up is his former recruitment. He was a four star offensive lineman from Texas who spent the majority of his time playing left guard for the Longhorns. Conner was a member of a line that was a finalist for the Joe Moore Award, which is awarded to college football‘s best offensive line.
There’s lots of development needed here for Conner, but he does have plenty of snaps under his belt with what was one of the best offensive lines in football last season. Kitan Crawford: 10.60 100-meter time Crawford was a four star recruit out of high school and committed to Texas.
Although he didn’t get too much time on the field until he transferred to Nevada, there was no questions about his pure athleticism and certainly his speed. Crawford clocked a 4.41 time in the 40 yard dash at this year‘s combine.
Going back to his high school days he had several impressive track numbers including a 10.60 meter dash. With that kind of pure speed and work with special teams, Crawford has a perfect chance to stick with the team as a special team ace.
From there, he can continue working on himself where he may excel and become a household name..
