Arizona Cardinals select Temple LB Haason Reddick in first round of NFL draft

The Cardinals had only one pick in the first round of the draft on Thursday evening, but they came away with two players.

At least that’s the way they feel about Temple linebacker Haason Reddick, who the Cardinals believe can play inside, outside, and – unlike the team’s last two first-round picks – often during his rookie season.

Coach Bruce Arians called those types of players “two for ones.”

“When we get a guy who can play two positions, equally great, that’s huge for us,” Arians said. “He will have a huge impact in a lot of different positions.”

As expected, the Cardinals said they were thrilled Reddick was available to them with the 13th overall pick. They had Reddick rated as one of the top five players in the draft, General Manager Steve Keim said, and expected him to be selected earlier.

Reddick has a reputation as a self-made player who is passionate about the game. He walked on at Temple, earned a scholarship and developed into a force. Last year, he had 10.5 sacks and 22.5 tackles for loss.

“A roller coaster,” Reddick said of his college experience. “Good times, bad times. There was definitely a lot of hard work that had to be put in. It was definitely a journey.”

BICKLEY: Cardinals get their man in Haason Reddick

The Cardinals coaching staff has several connections with Temple, so the organization is confident it knows what it’s getting in Reddick. Arians was the head coach at Temple, and two of his current assistants, safeties coach Nick Rapone and cornerbacks coach Kevin Ross, were on Arians’ staff there.

At 6-feet-1-inch and 237 pounds, Reddick is undersized to be an every-down pass rusher, so at the Senior Bowl in January he was asked to also play inside linebacker.

“He went and covered backs one-on-one and no one caught a pass on him,” Arians said. “And he had never done it. That’s when you knew you had something special.”

That performance “opened up people’s eyes,” Reddick said on a conference call Thursday evening. “I was kind of under the radar going into the Senior Bowl.”

The Cardinals’ interest was piqued, and Reddick impressed them during an interview at the scouting combine and on a visit to Arizona.

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“I have no doubt he’s going to be ready to go when he gets through baggage claim,” Keim said.

Selecting Reddick is confirmation that the Cardinals didn’t factor the return of Daryl Washington into their draft plans. Washington, an inside linebacker, was conditionally reinstated by Commissioner Roger Goodell earlier this week after being suspended for three seasons.

On Thursday, Keim said he wasn’t prepared to address Washington’s situation.

“For the last 72 hours, I’ve done nothing but stare at college tape and that draft board,” Keim said. ”At the appropriate time, we’ll address that. I haven’t put a lot of thought into it.”

Reddick isn’t penciled in as a starter, and he is likely to begin his career playing behind Karlos Dansby and Deone Bucannon. Dansby, 35, has just one year left on his contract and could be a mentor for Reddick.

“We’ll find a place for him,” Keim said of Reddick, “whether it’s early as a rusher or if it’s as a stack ‘backer. He’s got enough skills to be a difference-maker for us.”

Arians said Reddick’s skills reminded him of Broncos pass rusher Von Miller, although Reddick, listed at 6-feet-1 and 230 pounds, is smaller.

“He’s got a good pass-rush toolbox already,” Arians said.

The first part of the draft went favorably for the Cardinals, as other teams selected players at positions where the Cardinals didn’t have an immediate need. Two running backs and two receivers were among the top eight picks, positions at which the Cardinals are set at least for 2017.

The Cardinals, however, are in the market for a quarterback, and three of them were among the first 12 selections. The Bears traded up one spot to second overall and took Mitchell Trubisky out of North Carolina. The Chiefs traded up to 10th and selected Patrick Mahomes of Texas Tech.

Several mock drafts had the Cardinals taking Mahomes at No. 13, for what that is worth. It’s unknown where the Cardinals had Mahomes rated, but the Chiefs likely felt they had to trade ahead of the Cardinals to get him.

The Texans might have been thinking that, too. They traded up to No. 12 in order to select quarterback Deshaun Watson from Clemson.

Keim, however, said the Cardinals weren’t targeting a quarterback and were surprised Reddick was available at No. 13.

“I felt like it was a pretty easy pick,” Keim said.

Get to know … Haason Reddick

Position: Linebacker

School: Temple

Height/weight: 6-feet-1-inches/237 pounds

Background: Reddick walked on at Temple and then earned a scholarship. He had 10.5 sacks last year and 22.5 tackles for loss. Reddick was thought to be a mid-round pick until he went to the Senior Bowl and showed scouts that he could play inside linebacker as well as outside. That versatility improved his stock.

How he fits: The Cardinals aren’t expecting Reddick to “redshirt” as a rookie, like their previous two first-round selections did. If Reddick comes as billed, he should be able to contribute immediately as a pass rusher in nickel situations. Last year, the Cardinals sometimes used a package that included three outside linebackers rushing, along with one defensive lineman. Reddick could take over that role, and he gives the Cardinals a backup pass rusher in the event something happens to starters Markus Golden and Chandler Jones. Reddick showed at the Senior Bowl that he can play what the Cardinals called a “stack linebacker.” That’s the more standard inside linebacker spot now occupied by Karlos Dansby and Deone Bucannon. Dansby is under contract for only a year, so Reddick could become the starter there in 2018