After A Mixed College Career Haason Reddick Could Be a Strong Prospect For Detroit
For most of the season Temple’s Haason Reddick wasn’t generating much buzz as a draft prospect. That is no longer the case. It started to change during the Senior Bowl where Reddick showed what he could do as an off-the-ball linebacker.
Reddick’s career up to this point has been interesting to say the least. In high school he played safety and running back. He battled with injuries as a junior and senior in high school that led to him missing time during those seasons. Because of that he wasn’t recruited much. He earned a spot as a walk-on at Temple, playing defensive back.
Last season Reddick was a 6’1” 237 pound defensive end. Despite being small for the position he still managed 65 tackles, 22.5 tackles for loss and nine and a half sacks. When he makes the move to the NFL many project him as an off-the-ball linebacker after he showed he was comfortable there at the Senior Bowl.
Athleticism is a major asset for Reddick. During the Combine he put up great numbers including a 4.52 second 40-yard dash and a broad jump of 11 feet and one inch. He also has great flexibility and is a fluid mover that can change direction with ease. All of those traits add up to him being a playmaker in space.
In college he wasn’t asked to drop back into coverage often. However he flashed potential when he was given that assignment. He really showed off his skills in pass coverage during Senior Bowl week. During that week he proved that he had the instincts and athleticism needed to become a really solid player in coverage.
The fact that he played mostly defensive end in college probably hurt him a little bit. Luckily he was able to show what he could do at linebacker so in the end he’ll be fine. However if he could have played linebacker teams would have probably noticed him a little earlier.
Because of his size he struggled to get off the blocks consistently. If a team expects him to be able to fight through traffic he may struggle. However if he’s is given a role where he can stay clean, roam around and make plays he will be a stud.
The Lions selecting Haason Reddick would make a lot of sense. They don’t really have a linebacker that they can count on in pass coverage and Reddick could fill that hole. Also during a press conference at the combine Reddick mentioned that he considers Lions linebacker Tahir Whitehead, who also played at Temple, a big brother.
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