Official Carl Bradford Thread

[Brandon494]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xJhbIHiI_Nw


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FF7IdK0F2J8


http://www3.pictures.zimbio.com/gi/Carl+Bradford+Arizona+v+Arizona+State+SeZT7lKbh7hl .jpg

http://www.nfl.com/draft/2014/profiles/carl--bradford?id=2543552

Draft Analysis:

"I don't think he's long enough to be an edge pass-rush guy in the NFL. There is lots of hustle and he has a great motor. This kid went to the NFL Scouting Combine and showed athleticism. But what's his best position? I think inside linebacker in a 3-4 defense. Green Bay just took him and that's where I see him." -- Mike Mayock


Overview

Played for Jaguars RB Toby Gerhart's father at Norco (Calif.) High, where he was a wingback in a double-wing offense. Was present in March '12 when his father, Roy, died of a heart attack. Recruited as a linebacker and redshirted in 2010. Saw action as a defensive end, linebacker and special-teams player in '11 -- appeared in all 13 games, drawing the start at DE against Boise State in the Las Vegas Bowl in place of the suspended Junior Onyeali, and tallied 12 tackles, 3.5 for loss and zero sacks. Started all 13 games at the "Devil" position (hybrid DE/OLB) in '12, notching 81-20.5-11.5 with four batted passes, an interception and three forced fumbles. Started all 14 games in '13, recording 61-19-8.5 with four batted passes, an 18-yard interception touchdown and three forced fumbles. Was benched in the second half of the Oregon State contest after getting into an argument with Will Sutton that escalated into words with head coach Todd Graham on the sideline.

Analysis

Strengths
Plays with urgency and beelines to the ball. Explosive -- can power-clean 400 pounds and hits on the rise with power. Is effective stunting and looping. Flashes playmaking ability (see UCLA). Explosive tackler. Can play on his feet off the ball and times up the blitz well. Good hands. Athletic enough to fold back into coverage. Solid instincts and diagnose -- sniffs out screens and has a feel for locating the ball quickly. Excellent leaping ability -- posted a 37 1/2-inch vertical.

Weaknesses
Has a short, compact frame with very short arms and gets hung on blocks. Gets locked down by big-bodied blockers when they get their hands on him. Spins in place and lacks variety of pass-rush moves. Cannot convert speed to power. Needs to improve his hand use.

Bottom Line
An undersized college defensive end, Bradford projects to outside linebacker in a 3-4 front in the pros, where his physical dimensions and rush ability are best suited. Would profile best in an aggressive, one-gapping odd front such as the Colts, Jets, Ravens or Steelers.

[woodbuck27]

I want his jersey.

[pbmax]

So, if this guy supplants Jones, is he big enough to play Buck and take on the strong side/Guard and leave Hawk to play Mack (Bishops role)?

[Brandon494]

So, if this guy supplants Jones, is he big enough to play Buck and take on the strong side/Guard and leave Hawk to play Mack (Bishops role)?

No, this guys a effective blitzer. Hawk is the one who needs to take on the guard, this guy will take Bishops spot from what I've been reading.

http://www.cheeseheadtv.com/blog/packers-draft-day-2-predictions-bradford-norwood-fiedorowicz


2.53 LB CARL BRADFORD, ARIZONA STATE

While he was primarily an outside linebacker at Arizona State, Bradford would play on the inside on occasional passing downs. At just 6' 1" and 250 lbs., he doesn't have ideal height to play on the line of scrimmage but Bradford does have the size needed to be effective as an inside linebacker. Making a full-time conversion to the second level of the defense won't come immediately, but Bradford has the raw talent to become a starter on the Packers defense to go along with a high ceiling. He also has the experience to rush from the edge in much the same way the Packers would do with Desmond Bishop.

[pbmax]

Well, I hope their scouting report is better then their knowledge of Bishop's Packer career because he rarely, if ever, blitzed off the edge. He was either an inside blitz or a cross blitz with Hawk going first.

[Brandon494]

Well, I hope their scouting report is better then their knowledge of Bishop's Packer career because he rarely, if ever, blitzed off the edge. He was either an inside blitz or across blitz with Hawk going first.

True, if you noticed they had him mocked as going in the 2nd round. :-| Either way being a former OLB/DE I think you want him rushing the QB over Hawk.

[woodbuck27]

http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/draft/drafttracker

Carl Bradford | OLB, Arizona State

Bradford brings instincts, fundamentals and a tough demeanor to a Packers' defense that needed to bolster its group of linebackers. He lacks ideal length, but is a good athlete and offers the versatility to rush off the edge, or rotate inside and be a productive tackler with his toughness and instincts against the run.


GRADE : B+

That's very solid. :-)

[woodbuck27]

So, if this guy supplants Jones, is he big enough to play Buck and take on the strong side/Guard and leave Hawk to play Mack (Bishops role)?

I hope and think it'll be the reverse.

First of all he's got to make it onto the Roster.

[Cheesehead Craig]

Like this guy. Need some of his speed in the middle.

[BZnDallas]

I remember this guy in the Wisconsin game. I hated him, he seemed to be everywhere and was a total pain in the ass the whole game. Pretty interested in the guy now. I hope our D coaches can coach him up and make him a player. GO PACK GO!!

[Freak Out]

Love this pick. He played against some tough competition as well.

[pbmax]

Lori Nickel ‏@LoriNickel 3m
#Packers Coach McCarthy: Rookie minicamp is Friday & Saturday. Sees Bradford at OLB. Just hoping Finley & Jolly are healthy. No news there

[esoxx]

It will be up to Capers to figure out how best to use Bradford.

What could go wrong?

[red]

what the fuck is with the brad jones crush?

we don't draft a true ILB, and the one guy we do draft, that could be pretty good at ILB we don't even want to look at there

WTF?

bot TT and fat ass say the guy is gonna be an OLB, even though the sites i look at think he'll be a much better ILB then he will an OLB, and we have a massive need at ILB while having waaaay to many guys already at OLB, but we won't try him there

then why the fuck draft him and not draft a guy you can think is an ILB

this is like the safety position last year all over again

[HarveyWallbangers]

Lori Nickel ‏@LoriNickel 3m
#Packers Coach McCarthy: Rookie minicamp is Friday & Saturday. Sees Bradford at OLB. Just hoping Finley & Jolly are healthy. No news there

To be fair, a position coach said his position is yet to be determined. Of course, MM would have more sway.

[pbmax]

To be fair, a position coach said his position is yet to be determined. Of course, MM would have more sway.

Could be. McCarthy has said he saw Lang as a Tackle but he has been a Guard for a main position for most of this time with the Packers, even in practice and camps.

[wist43]

what the fuck is with the brad jones crush?

we don't draft a true ILB, and the one guy we do draft, that could be pretty good at ILB we don't even want to look at there

WTF?

bot TT and fat ass say the guy is gonna be an OLB, even though the sites i look at think he'll be a much better ILB then he will an OLB, and we have a massive need at ILB while having waaaay to many guys already at OLB, but we won't try him there

then why the fuck draft him and not draft a guy you can think is an ILB

this is like the safety position last year all over again

Welcome to a shit-ton more of dunderdummy's 2-4 next year... with rock stars Brad Jones and AJ Hawk on the field for every snap.

I know I'm excited about the possibilities ;)

[smuggler]

I don't think he is best used in a 3-4, but I did see him listed on many top-100 lists and saw him projected into the 2nd round on a few mocks. He's got energy, like the Spanish version of Matthews' longhair bit.

[Brandon494]

I think this says more about the depth at OLB then it does about Brad Jones. As much as I want to replace Jones I don't think a rookie 5th round draft pick is going to play better then him. We saw Mulumba struggle chancing Kap in the playoffs. It doesn't mean Bradford can't move inside later in his career the same way Brad Jones did. I still think ILB is his best position in the NFL.

[mraynrand]

We saw Mulumba struggle chasing Kap in the playoffs.

he had a bad wheel.

[woodbuck27]

It will be up to Capers to figure out how best to use Bradford.

What could go wrong?

ask wist43.... :-)

[woodbuck27]

I think this says more about the depth at OLB then it does about Brad Jones. As much as I want to replace Jones I don't think a rookie 5th round draft pick is going to play better then him. We saw Mulumba struggle chancing Kap in the playoffs. It doesn't mean Bradford can't move inside later in his career the same way Brad Jones did. I still think ILB is his best position in the NFL.


Bradford inside or outside..where will he fit best?

Mike Mayock looked at him and that and said he's a perfect fit inside for the Green Bay Packers.

[pbmax]

Executive Vice President of Coffee, College Scouting and Cleaning Supplies said this about Bradford:


“Carl’s a real good athlete, really smooth, fluid athlete. He’s got a lot of twitch,” Gutekunst said of the 6-foot-0 3/4, 250-pound Bradford, who declared for the draft after his redshirt junior season. “He’s obviously had a lot of success as a pass rusher. He’s got relentless play. Inside, outside, I think that will be determined. But we think he has the ability to do both. But the pass rusher is obviously [his appeal].”

Translation: They don't know where he is going to fit. But his first opportunities will come with pass rush packages.

http://www.espnwisconsin.com/common/more.php?m=49&post_id=37621

The prospect himself?


“I played in college with my hands in the dirt a majority of the time. I would say outside ‘backer, but right now I'm focusing on what's going on and focusing on learning the defense and understanding that first,” Bradford said. “And then play wherever they need to play at."

[Brandon494]

Can never have enough pass rushers...training camp can't come fast enough.

[smuggler]

The personnel decisions over the last few years hint at more of a 4 man front. Maybe he's a nickel package DE in a four man front, in the style of Keith McKenzie?

[Pugger]

I think this says more about the depth at OLB then it does about Brad Jones. As much as I want to replace Jones I don't think a rookie 5th round draft pick is going to play better then him. We saw Mulumba struggle chancing Kap in the playoffs. It doesn't mean Bradford can't move inside later in his career the same way Brad Jones did. I still think ILB is his best position in the NFL.

Of course Mulumba struggled to catch Kap. Its tough to run down a speedy QB limping.

[HarveyWallbangers]

Bradford was a 4th round selection who was projected to go as high as round 2. Round 4 was the lowest projection. Of course, that means diddly squat, but he was pretty well-liked. I'd like to see him get a shot inside immediately. We have enough OLB candidates with Clay, Perry, Peppers, Neal, Mulumba, Palmer. On the other hand, I wouldn't be shocked if Lattimore challenged for Jones's ILB spot. He was pretty solid last year and he could be a lot better with more playing experience. Next to Adams, this is my favorite pick. This guy is a baller. Wist's type of player. Not sure why he doesn't like that pick. Athletic, hard-nosed, all out effort. This guy has to be given a shot at ILB. I hope they don't wait too long to make the move. He's not quite athletic, but the dude reminds me a bit of Junior Seau.

[pittstang5]

Bradford was a 4th round selection who was projected to go as high as round 2. Round 4 was the lowest projection. Of course, that means diddly squat, but he was pretty well-liked. I'd like to see him get a shot inside immediately. We have enough OLB candidates with Clay, Perry, Peppers, Neal, Mulumba, Palmer. On the other hand, I wouldn't be shocked if Lattimore challenged for Jones's ILB spot. He was pretty solid last year and he could be a lot better with more playing experience. Next to Adams, this is my favorite pick. This guy is a baller. Wist's type of player. Not sure why he doesn't like that pick. Athletic, hard-nosed, all out effort. This guy has to be given a shot at ILB. I hope they don't wait too long to make the move. He's not quite athletic, but the dude reminds me a bit of Junior Seau.

After the pick of Bradford and some immediate research, I really liked this pick, and assumed he'd get a shot at ILB. Comments from McCarthy seem to indicate that he'll play OLB, which puzzles me. As Harvey said, I think we have enough OLB players that Bradford is just going to get lost in the shuffle.

[RashanGary]

James Harrison came in at 6', 250. It's not unheard of, but maybe less common.

[Fritz]

Perhaps he can supplant mighty Nate Palmer.

[smuggler]

http://www.footballoutsiders.com/stat-analysis/2014/sackseer-2014

For those not familiar with sackSEER, it isn't always accurate, but it did predict Mike Daniels would be a plus pass rusher.

Bradford is higher ranked in his passrushing projection than Scott Crichton, the player the Vikings took in the third round.

Interesting is that both Jackson Jeffcoat (Tenn) and Adrian Hubbard (Bama) are rated highish, but went undrafted.

[mraynrand]

For those not familiar with sackSEER, it isn't always accurate

It sure didn't properly diagnose my testicular cancer

[3irty1]

My take is that he fell because he's an odd enough shape to make him positionally ambiguous. Will his extreme lack of length hurt him more taking on lineman or trying to cover tight ends? His best athletic traits and experience are as an edge rusher, so I'd think that's plan A just in case he proves effective. In the likely event that he's not the next Terrell Suggs (a successful edge rusher with his body type), he should be able to at least compete with our ILB and be able to back up all 4 LB spots.

[mraynrand]

My take is that he fell because he's an odd enough shape to make him positionally ambiguous.

http://static.comicvine.com/uploads/original/4/49974/1851858-ace_and_gary.jpg

[pbmax]

Radio today said his coach praised him as the best pressure player he had seen. They designed a unique position for him (devilbacker) to take advantage of his skills.

Blogger for ASU said while he had played all over the defense with a huge degree of latitude, one place he didn't spend much time was ILB. Prior to Packer pick, most teams and scouts were telling people close to ASU (media, not coaches) that he would need a position switch.

[smuggler]

Would be nice to see him as an inside backer. He could pressure for sure, and he actually has plus size on the inside. I wonder if he'll have adequate range and coverage ability?

[woodbuck27]

Bradford was a 4th round selection who was projected to go as high as round 2. Round 4 was the lowest projection. Of course, that means diddly squat, but he was pretty well-liked. I'd like to see him get a shot inside immediately. We have enough OLB candidates with Clay, Perry, Peppers, Neal, Mulumba, Palmer. On the other hand, I wouldn't be shocked if Lattimore challenged for Jones's ILB spot. He was pretty solid last year and he could be a lot better with more playing experience. Next to Adams, this is my favorite pick. This guy is a baller. Wist's type of player. Not sure why he doesn't like that pick. Athletic, hard-nosed, all out effort. This guy has to be given a shot at ILB. I hope they don't wait too long to make the move. He's not quite athletic, but the dude reminds me a bit of Junior Seau.

Moving Rookie LB Carl Bradford for a solid inside and LBer would threaten the Hawk / Jones LOVE fest.

[3irty1]

I was watching some 2013 ASU games to get a feel for what to expect from Damarious Randall and #52 kept making plays. Eventually I realized that guy is Carl Bradford.

What an absolute maniac this guy was on the college football field. I think its worth bumping this thread to discuss where he might fit in for 2015 because as the roster stands he's the primary competition for what is sure to be the weakest and shallowest position group on the defense.

Anyone else curious to see what he does now that his position has been solidified for an off season?

[Fritz]

I was watching some 2013 ASU games to get a feel for what to expect from Damarious Randall and #52 kept making plays. Eventually I realized that guy is Carl Bradford.

What an absolute maniac this guy was on the college football field. I think its worth bumping this thread to discuss where he might fit in for 2015 because as the roster stands he's the primary competition for what is sure to be the weakest and shallowest position group on the defense.

Anyone else curious to see what he does now that his position has been solidified for an off season?

Some of this depends on how fast a learner he is. If he's picked up on the position, he can play fast(er) than he did last training camp, and we'll see if he has the skills to play ILB in the NFL.

I suppose we can't expect him to cover the speedy TE's or running backs coming out of the backfield, but maybe he can play in certain situations so Matthews can go back to his beloved outside.

Personally, I don't see why Matthews would care - he got more sacks from inside than outside last year. Maybe it's because he can't just roam free as much.

[mraynrand]

I was watching some 2013 ASU games to get a feel for what to expect from Damarious Randall and #52 kept making plays. Eventually I realized that guy is Carl Bradford.

What an absolute maniac this guy was on the college football field. I think its worth bumping this thread to discuss where he might fit in for 2015 because as the roster stands he's the primary competition for what is sure to be the weakest and shallowest position group on the defense.

Anyone else curious to see what he does now that his position has been solidified for an off season?

Good bump. I looked at the highlight reel, and anyone can look good on a highlight tape - well, except Joey Thomas. Still, kid has some talent. I would say he has to show progress in preseason ("The game has to slow down for him"). These are the guys that make those PS games worth watching.

[3irty1]

Some of this depends on how fast a learner he is. If he's picked up on the position, he can play fast(er) than he did last training camp, and we'll see if he has the skills to play ILB in the NFL.

I suppose we can't expect him to cover the speedy TE's or running backs coming out of the backfield, but maybe he can play in certain situations so Matthews can go back to his beloved outside.

Personally, I don't see why Matthews would care - he got more sacks from inside than outside last year. Maybe it's because he can't just roam free as much.

He's not particularly fast but he's in the right window for the position. He had a little weight to lose once the OLB dream was dead as well which should speed him up some. I think the bigger concern in coverage is his lack of length. He was forgettable in last years preseason at ILB but didn't embarrass himself or anything. What I'd like to see is the stuff you can't coach show up this year. The explosive hits and 2nd effort heroics and whatnot. That's what made him special at ASU IMO.

Sacks correlate with pressure and thus are used to measure it but they aren't the same thing. Clay can bring pressure every passing down as an OLB. He can draw double teams and free up teammates. He also has the incredibly rare ability to catch a NFL running play from the backside which he's not in position to do as an ILB. There is a reason he gets paid more than any ILB in the league and if he wants to continue to get paid more than any ILB in the league he'll have to not become one.

[Fritz]

He's not particularly fast but he's in the right window for the position. He had a little weight to lose once the OLB dream was dead as well which should speed him up some. I think the bigger concern in coverage is his lack of length. He was forgettable in last years preseason at ILB but didn't embarrass himself or anything. What I'd like to see is the stuff you can't coach show up this year. The explosive hits and 2nd effort heroics and whatnot. That's what made him special at ASU IMO.

Sacks correlate with pressure and thus are used to measure it but they aren't the same thing. Clay can bring pressure every passing down as an OLB. He can draw double teams and free up teammates. He also has the incredibly rare ability to catch a NFL running play from the backside which he's not in position to do as an ILB. There is a reason he gets paid more than any ILB in the league and if he wants to continue to get paid more than any ILB in the league he'll have to not become one.


Well, one thing you know Russ Ball better not do next time around with Clay is to try to use ILB salaries to justify a low-ballish offer.

[pbmax]

Good bump. I looked at the highlight reel, and anyone can look good on a highlight tape - well, except Joey Thomas. Still, kid has some talent. I would say he has to show progress in preseason ("The game has to slow down for him"). These are the guys that make those PS games worth watching.

That's true, but when you look good on someone else's highlight tape, then you may have something there.