Arizona Cardinals: Tasmanian Devil Spotted
The Arizona Cardinals already had a Honey Badger and now they have a Tasmanian Devil
Scooby Wright, a former University of Arizona star, was taken in the seventh round of the 2016 NFL Draft by the Cleveland Browns. Following a collegiate career in which he was one of the best linebackers in the nation (when healthy), it was a shock to some that he fell to Round 7.
According to sports-reference.com, Wright totaled 164 combined tackles and 15 sacks for the Arizona Wildcats only in 14 total games as a sophomore and made the All-American cut. In his three games prior to injury in his junior year, he had 24 tackles and 2 sacks.
The injuries, Wright’s size at 6 foot tall, and his NFL Combine numbers put a damper on his draft stock, and Cardinals’ linebacker coach Larry Foote was one of the many that doubted Wright. Foote was not worried about Wright’s slow 40 time, but he did not think Wright could learn to drop into coverage or play loose.
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After Wright was picked up as a free agent late in the 2016 season, Coach Foote quickly saw that he was wrong about the young playmaker. Wright has displayed the athleticism, mental progress, and a ton of passion to succeed in Cardinal red. “My eyes failed me. He’s going to have a great chance to make the team,” Foote said.
As I wrote in an article I wrote earlier in the offseason, Scooby Wright has an opportunity to have a breakout season at a position that the team now needs help at thanks to Bucannon’s surgery. The Cardinals’ and fans alike both hope he can fill that void alongside Dansby and Reddick.
“But that’s the thing about the Tasmanian Devil. From afar, it looks like a small dog. The ferocity only becomes apparent with an up-close view,” Cardinals’ writer Darren Urban said. It’s true, just as Larry Foote.