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2017 NFL Draft Grades: Arizona Cardinals Select Haason Reddick

By Dan Parzych

Mar 5, 2017; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Temple Owls defensive lineman Haason Reddick participates in a workout drill during the 2017 NFL Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 5, 2017; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Temple Owls defensive lineman Haason Reddick participates in a workout drill during the 2017 NFL Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Arizona Cardinals used the 13th overall pick in the 2017 NFL Draft to land Temple star linebacker Haason Reddick.

With the 13th pick in the 2017 NFL Draft, the Arizona Cardinals had a few different areas to focus on after missing out on the playoffs last year following a 7-8-1 finish, but many believed the quarterback position would be a strong consideration. Instead, the Cardinals seemed to take what looked like the best pick available at the moment in linebacker Haason Reddick, and after seeing what he accomplished at Temple, the team has every reason in the world to feel excited about their newest defensive addition.

As much as Arizona would have loved to land a quarterback like Patrick Mahomes II or Deshaun Watson to help prepare for life after Carson Palmer, using the No. 13 pick on this position based off what was available would have been foolish for the team. Now, the Cardinals can be happy over the fact they managed to land one of the top linebackers from this year’s draft class in Reddick that seems capable of making an impact right away for the defense.

Based off his numbers seeming to improve each season, the 22.5 tackles for loss along with 9.5 sacks as a senior with the Owls in 2016 shows Reddick is ready to make the transition to the NFL, and this could turn out to be a blessing in disguise for Arizona. Thanks to the Kansas City Chiefs and Houston Texans, the Cardinals were forced to consider other options outside of quarterback and the selection of Reddick earns them an A- for their first-round pick.

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Most mock drafts had Reddick landing in the middle of the first round, so it shouldn’t seem like that much of a surprise to see the linebacker land at No. 13 to the Cardinals. And what’s even more exciting is Reddick finds himself with an opportunity to help Arizona return to being one of the top teams in the NFC once again after failing to live up to the hype of being Super Bowl contenders one year ago.

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