Arizona Cardinals: 3 to watch at the Pre-Scouting Combine

Antwione Williams – OLB
Georgia Southern – Senior
6-3, 247 Pounds
107 tackles, 10.5 tfl, 4 sacks, 3 pd’s, 4 ff

Who: A young man who might have gotten snubbed from the combine (I discuss that later), I chose this young man because of the certain attributes he displays. He is big, fast, and physical, has a nose for getting to the ball as good as anyone I’ve seen from the smaller schools. Antwione is a lean 247 pounds, tall and agile player who pretty much carried the bulk of the load for the Georgia Southern Eagles. The Cardinals haven’t had much success getting to the quarterback (as displayed in the NFC Championship), Williams brings that relentless motor with him that got him 4 sacks. We really need a linebacker, like Dwight Freeney, who is attacking the quarterback on every play, and Antwione could be that guy for a low pick.

Why: I had to have a guy who was big and muscular, someone who has the talent to play with his weight very well, and someone who hasn’t been invited to the scouting combine. He hasn’t been invited to the scouting combine, this is more about a kids fire, and about his determination to be the linebacker the Cardinals need. Why do I put someone who hasn’t been invited? Other then because I can, it’s because last year the Cardinals found a very talented defensive tackle from Delaware State named Rodney Gunter in the fourth round, and we shouldn’t just focus on the combine. Antwione played very well at the East-West Shrine Game, displaying decent speed at the linebacker position, and using a lot of his strength to cut through blockers.

When: This is one of those selections that the Cardinals could end up using further down the line, maybe a fourth-to-sixth round selection, and it seems like a cheap move too. It almost feels like Alex Okafor played himself into the doghouse, while opening the door for a possible rookie replacement. Antwione could eventually play himself into an early round consideration, through his pro day. I love this kids relentless motor, so if we got him at a discounted price of a sixth round selection, it would be very worth it.

Player Comparison: Paul Kruger – Cleveland Browns