2017 Rookie IDP Focus: Haason Reddick
Directly after the 2017 NFL draft, Haason Reddick was my number one IDP. I loved his talent, flexibility and landing spot. Needless to say, it did not turn out as expected and Reddick was pretty disappointing. Here I try and break down exactly what went wrong and whether he can turn it around for 2018.
Background
Haason Reddick grew up in the football hotbed of New Jersey. He went to Temple and made the team as a walk-on. In his time there, he played safety and running back before settling in as a defensive end. He was always undersized there (6’1” 237 lbs) but showed off his urgent athleticism and motor. He played four seasons and managed to rack up 99 solos, 50 assists, and 17.5 sacks. His final season was his best – he had 43 solos, 22 assists, and 9.5 sacks.
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That final season saw him secure an invite to the senior bowl where NFL coaches first got their hands on him. It was clear that he’d need to switch position to play in the NFL but Senior Bowl week was when the movement for an LB switch gathered momentum. He practiced and played there all week – and impressed almost everyone.
After that, he really started to turn heads with his workouts. In particular, his 4.52 40-yard time, his 133” broad jump and his 7.01 three-cone were all impressive and it culminated in the Arizona Cardinals selecting him with the 13th overall selection. He was the first linebacker taken.
The Cardinals made it very clear he was drafted to play inside (they already had Chandler Jones and Markus Golden on the edge) and he spent the off-season learning the position at an NFL level although an ankle injury held him back physically.
Playing time
Riddick started off the season as the starting middle linebacker he was drafted to be. In the first four weeks of the season, he played 184 snaps as a pretty conventional off-ball linebacker.
Unfortunately, Golden was injured in week four and it was immediately apparent he’d miss the rest of the season. Faced with a personnel crisis, the Cards decided to move Reddick back to his college position of edge rusher and he played there for most of the rest of the season. Here are his snaps by alignment across the season to illustrate the switch:
Reddick did not impress on the edge. As everyone suspected, he simply does not have the frame or the bulk to thrive against NFL tackles and his playing time suffered. In his games as an inside backer, he averaged 46 snaps. In his games on the edge, he averaged 22 snaps.
It doesn’t seem like his fault really but the fact that he couldn’t get snaps on the inside after he started being left on the bench is a worry.
Production – a tale of two halves
During the first four games, he managed 18 total tackles and showed flashes at least of promise. His tackle efficiency of around 10% wasn’t amazing but it was certainly acceptable and on a level with the likes of Lawrence Timmons, Mark Barron, Kyle Van Noy, and Zach Cunningham.
In his 12 edge games, he managed just 16 total tackles and 2.5 sacks. His tackle efficiency during that time was similar to Leonard Floyd, Vic Beasley, Terrell Suggs, and Jabaal Sheard. His sack rate, however, was far less impressive and put him around the likes of Kyler Fackrell, Erik Walden, and Za’Darius Smith. It seems abundantly clear he is not an NFL pass rusher. According to Pro Football Focus, he was the 160th-most effective edge player out of 182 players.
Reddick had a fairly unique background and the Cards used him appropriately. He only dropped back in coverage 113 times in his 445 total defensive snaps. In those 113 coverage snaps, he was targeted 13 times and allowed 13 receptions for 118 yards. You don’t need a doctorate in football to understand that allowing a 100% completion rate is not a good thing, but it could have been a lot worse. Completion rates are high for edge players. Vic Beasley, Terrell Suggs, Jerry Hughes and Mario Addison also allowed 100% in 2017.
Moving Forward
The Cardinals look to be undergoing a total rebuild as a team with Bruce Arians and Carson Palmer both retired. The new head coach Steve Wilks comes from Carolina along with the new defensive coordinator Al Holcomb. Presumably, they’ll be installing the 4-3 defense they used there with them. Given we know Reddick cannot be a classic DE in the NFL, he’ll be fighting for one of the inside LB spots along with Deone Bucannon and anyone else the team brings in to compete. Reddick will be the favorite but the Panthers have long favored extremely mobile coverage linebackers and he does not fit that mold. At least yet.
It’s also worth noting that Bucannon has more concussions than any other active player in the NFL – including Jordan Reed. His career could end at any moment. Obviously, no one wants that to happen, but as IDP players we need to understand potential risks for Bucannon and the effect it could have on Reddick.
I fully expect Reddick to be installed as one of the starters for 2018 but I also see how far away he is from being a polished NFL linebacker. Hopefully, he has a great off-season and comes in looking great.
The Cardinals currently have Reddick, Bucannon, Edmond Robinson and Scooby Wright under contract as inside LBs. Josh Bynes and Karlos Dansby are both free agents. It seems clear the team will add at least one player at the position and what type of player it is will tell us a lot about the team’s analysis of Reddick and Bucannon. It’s a key situation to watch in free agency and the draft for IDP owners.
Thanks for reading.
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