Arizona Cardinals: UDFA Mike Orakpo Has Massive Upside

By Dan Schmelzer | May 8, 2015

The Arizona Cardinals had a very strong 2015 NFL Draft. First round pick D.J. Humphries can help the offensive line right away, and has huge potential going forward. The Cardinals also landed physical pass rusher Markus Golden and dynamic running back David Johnson in the second and third rounds respectively. Their strong start led to a very successful showing in the draft.

Now, the Cardinals are swinging for the fences with undrafted free agents. While it has yet to be official announced by the team, it appears that Texas State linebacker Mike Orakpo is getting an opportunity with the Cardinals. Orakpo (the younger brother of Tennessee Titans’ pass rusher Brian Orakpo) announced the signing himself on Twitter.

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Orakpo has taken a very interesting road to this opportunity with the Cardinals. A high-profile linebacker recruit out of high school, Orakpo originally committed to Baylor, but never even enrolled at the Big 12 university. He ended up at Colorado State where he had a very successful first year on the field, but was kicked out of school following a fight with another student.

After the debacle at Colorado State, Orakpo transferred to Texas State where he turned his career around for the better. Orakpo became a force at middle linebacker for Texas State in 2013, when he totaled 71 tackles, and a team-leading 4.5 sacks and 10 tackles for loss. Unfortunately, just two games into his senior season at Texas State, Orakpo suffered a major knee injury (torn ACL and MCL) that ended his college career.

Orakpo did not compete at the combine because of his injury, but he did workout for scouts at Texas State’s Pro Day only six months after his surgery. His numbers may not appear to be overly impressive (4.80 40-yard dash, 29 225 pound bench press reps, 9’10” broad jump and 4.44 shuttle), but considering the workout was only six months after major knee surgery, I find them extremely impressive.

When completely healthy, Orakpo really is an incredibly athletic player. In fact, he was ranked on Fox Sports’ most athletic “Freaks” list for the 2014 College Football season. In the piece, Bruce Feldman mentioned that Orakpo bench pressed 560 pounds with an impressive 375-pound power clean, while also measuring a 41.5-inch vertical leap and 4.53 40-yard dash.

Obviously those numbers were before the knee injury, but with proper recovery, there is no reason that he cannot get that raw strength and athleticism back.

Feldman had a quote from Texas State defensive coordinator John Thompson that should really excite Cardinals’ fans. “This is a guy who can play in pass coverage and also play at 5-Technique versus a 300-pounder and he can get his hands inside him,” Thompson told Feldman. “Derrick Thomas was one of the few guys who I’d ever been around who could do that, but Mike can too. He’s so sudden and so strong and just has phenomenal leverage.”

The comparison to Derrick Thomas is probably a little bit extreme; but make no mistake, Orakpo has a very exciting skill set, and he knows how to use it on the field.

On the field, Orakpo plays like a man possessed. He mostly played middle linebacker in college, but Orakpo’s skill set may allow him to be an effective edge rusher as well. The Cardinals have needs for both positions, so Orakpo’s versatility could certainly come in handy.

He shows a natural ability to shed blocks and track down the ball, both against the run and in the pass rush. His “freak” athleticism and pure strength allowed him to abuse his competition, but he also showed great awareness and a knack for finding the ball.

Aside from the knee injury, the biggest knock on Orakpo is his inability in pass coverage. He is purely a downhill linebacker who has not shown good instincts while defending opposing receivers. However, he does have the athleticism that could allow for some success in that department. Extremely raw in coverage, but there is certainly some upside there.

This really is a bit of a shot in the dark for Arizona. His knee injury definitely brings some downside to the table, but the risk of signing an undrafted free agent is extremely limited. Orakpo’s natural ability and upside makes this a great move that could pay major dividends down the road.

Next: Cardinals Land Big-Time Talent in RB David Johnson

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