Arizona Cardinals rookie film room: 5 plays that define Hakeem Butler
By Avery Duncan
In the fifth Arizona Cardinals rookie film room, we look at five plays that define Hakeem Butler.
Somehow, someway, the Arizona Cardinals lucked into Hakeem Butler at the top of the fourth round. A receiver often thought to go in the late first or low second; Butler is one of the most exciting rookie receivers in the NFL.
Kliff Kingsbury targeted Butler for the same reason he targeted Kyler Murray and Andy Isabella; he wants the offense to run vertically. The former Iowa State Cyclone is a perfect option to do just that, and he’s built to stretch the field and make big-time catches.
Butler has both the size (6-foot-5, 227-pounds) and the speed (4.45 second 40-yard-dash) to be both an effective field-stretcher and red zone target in the big leagues. The former Iowa State Cyclone is a headache to defend in contested catch situations due to that height, jump-ball ability (36-inch vertical), and good body control.
In 2018, Butler put it all together and had a season to remember for the Cyclones. He tallied 60 receptions for 1,318 yards and nine touchdowns. Per Pro Football Focus, he led college football in both deep pass receptions (19) and deep pass yards (721), he was also seventh in yards per route run with 3.28. But, as I say, the analytics are an excellent way to see what the prospect is about, but the film is even better.