DF Nigel Bradham of Florida State ~ 6.2/240
"Bradham is an impressive specimen at the linebacker position. He is physically imposing and a strong player who is a feared tackler in the ACC. He will bring a physical presence to the NFL and make big plays early on in special teams.
He has speed and has been productive for Florida State, but has struggled to find the field at times and will be somewhat of a project at the next level. Either way, teams will love his special teams ability early on.
***
Strengths: Bradham is a very physical and reliable tackler working from his outside linebacker position. He can jolt an offensive lineman and get outside to make plays and tackle running backs. He is quick to react to the outside run, chasing it down from the inside-out.
He is a reliable jump-and-dive tackler who excels when pursuing the ball in the open field. He is also an effective blitzer and just as able to defend the run between the tackles. He is good to sink his hips and fit on running backs.
Weaknesses: Bradham can be slow to recognize plays and get either into his pass drop or come up to make the play. He is athletic enough to recover from this hesitation at the collegiate level but will struggle if he can't become a more instinctual player in the NFL."
He has speed and has been productive for Florida State, but has struggled to find the field at times and will be somewhat of a project at the next level. Either way, teams will love his special teams ability early on.
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He is a reliable jump-and-dive tackler who excels when pursuing the ball in the open field. He is also an effective blitzer and just as able to defend the run between the tackles. He is good to sink his hips and fit on running backs.
"Bradham was a celebrated five star high school prospect who had 145 tackles and 8 sacks as a senior.
Bradham played as a True Freshman in 2008, and then took over as starting Will in 2009 and has led the team in tackles for the past three years.
Stats were 93 tackles, 5.5 TFLs, 2 sacks, 1 interception and 1 PD in 2009, 97/5.5/5/0/5 in 2010, and 86/9.5/2/2/5 in 2011. Bradham appears to have a perfect health record, which is understandable given his chiseled body.
Bradham looks a bit like a giant safety. Hips are a bit high, arms are long, and waist is narrow. Bradham, despite his build, holds up well in traffic, and makes a lot of plays by engaging a block, shedding, and pursuing.
He is completely fearless and will always try to plow into the largest piles, and has a good knack of ending up glued to the ball carrier. Cover skills, in both man and zone, speed, quickness, and agility are very good.
Bradham could fit in the NFL at any 4-3 LB position, and inside in a 3-4 because he doesn't offer much of an edge rush. Ferocious against the run and very good in coverage, Bradham is extremely versatile.
Best fit would appear to be outside in a 4-3, either side.
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Positives - Fearless, relentless, and fast. Covers a lot of ground on the field. Is usually around the ball. Solid tackler. Can turn and run with TEs in coverage. Can anchor despite slightly high cut build, and uses hands well to shed blocks. Dedicated hard worker on and off the field with virtually perfect durability record.
Negatives - A bit high hipped, which limits ability to anchor and turn. Not much of a pass rusher if there is not an open lane. Ball skills are just average. Takes some dumb penalties."
NFL Comparison: Jacquian Williams - New York Giants
--Brad Noel
Bradham played as a True Freshman in 2008, and then took over as starting Will in 2009 and has led the team in tackles for the past three years.
Stats were 93 tackles, 5.5 TFLs, 2 sacks, 1 interception and 1 PD in 2009, 97/5.5/5/0/5 in 2010, and 86/9.5/2/2/5 in 2011. Bradham appears to have a perfect health record, which is understandable given his chiseled body.
Bradham looks a bit like a giant safety. Hips are a bit high, arms are long, and waist is narrow. Bradham, despite his build, holds up well in traffic, and makes a lot of plays by engaging a block, shedding, and pursuing.
He is completely fearless and will always try to plow into the largest piles, and has a good knack of ending up glued to the ball carrier. Cover skills, in both man and zone, speed, quickness, and agility are very good.
Bradham could fit in the NFL at any 4-3 LB position, and inside in a 3-4 because he doesn't offer much of an edge rush. Ferocious against the run and very good in coverage, Bradham is extremely versatile.
Best fit would appear to be outside in a 4-3, either side.
***
Positives - Fearless, relentless, and fast. Covers a lot of ground on the field. Is usually around the ball. Solid tackler. Can turn and run with TEs in coverage. Can anchor despite slightly high cut build, and uses hands well to shed blocks. Dedicated hard worker on and off the field with virtually perfect durability record.
Negatives - A bit high hipped, which limits ability to anchor and turn. Not much of a pass rusher if there is not an open lane. Ball skills are just average. Takes some dumb penalties."
NFL Comparison: Jacquian Williams - New York Giants
--Brad Noel
"Possesses a thick, muscular stature and is thickly put together with natural muscle tone/girth through both his upper and lower halves. Exhibits a natural explosive element to his game when asked to click and close. Exhibits a good first step, stays down and can drive on the football under him.
Possesses below average instincts and read/react ability vs. the run game inside, is slow to react to the football, and struggles to quickly key off blocks and find the ball carrier. Takes himself out of a lot of plays with false steps and too often will seal himself from the action inside, though he does exhibit good range in pursuit.
He runs well sideline-to-sideline, closes with a vengeance and plays the game with bad intentions. Is a solid wrap up guy who brings his hips/legs through contact and will routinely get his man to the ground.
Does a decent job beating blocks when he knows where the football is. He keeps his pad level down, can fight his way through contact when he gains an angle, and will use his hands at times to keep himself clean.
Exhibits natural bend when sitting into his drop in coverage, keeps his legs under him and gets good depth off the line. Again, clicks and closes well on plays under him and can drive on the football but he's tighter in the hips when breaking down.
He struggles to quickly re-direct, needing to gather himself too often and will lose steps getting out of his breaks. Can also easily be sidestepped at times when driving on the ball carrier. Is physical in man coverage down the field, and uses his strength/balance to initially stick with backs out of the backfield.
However, he struggles to quickly re-direct, making up for a false step to some degree with his closing burst, but for the most part lacks the length to get his hands around and make a play on the throw.
Impression: Is a physically built backer who can run and play in pursuit. However, he's tighter in the hips + isn't real instinctive. Needs to play OLB only in the NFL in more of a run and hit scheme as he won't be able to handle much volume. Has the talent to start, but might not ever live up to his skill set because of awareness problems."
Possesses below average instincts and read/react ability vs. the run game inside, is slow to react to the football, and struggles to quickly key off blocks and find the ball carrier. Takes himself out of a lot of plays with false steps and too often will seal himself from the action inside, though he does exhibit good range in pursuit.
He runs well sideline-to-sideline, closes with a vengeance and plays the game with bad intentions. Is a solid wrap up guy who brings his hips/legs through contact and will routinely get his man to the ground.
Does a decent job beating blocks when he knows where the football is. He keeps his pad level down, can fight his way through contact when he gains an angle, and will use his hands at times to keep himself clean.
Exhibits natural bend when sitting into his drop in coverage, keeps his legs under him and gets good depth off the line. Again, clicks and closes well on plays under him and can drive on the football but he's tighter in the hips when breaking down.
He struggles to quickly re-direct, needing to gather himself too often and will lose steps getting out of his breaks. Can also easily be sidestepped at times when driving on the ball carrier. Is physical in man coverage down the field, and uses his strength/balance to initially stick with backs out of the backfield.
However, he struggles to quickly re-direct, making up for a false step to some degree with his closing burst, but for the most part lacks the length to get his hands around and make a play on the throw.
Impression: Is a physically built backer who can run and play in pursuit. However, he's tighter in the hips + isn't real instinctive. Needs to play OLB only in the NFL in more of a run and hit scheme as he won't be able to handle much volume. Has the talent to start, but might not ever live up to his skill set because of awareness problems."
"A rocked-up, tightly wound, productive three-year starter with good play speed.
Chases hard and shows pop as a tackler but does not use his hands strongly to play off blocks — is more effective on the perimeter.
Is an active pass defender able to stick with backs and tight ends in coverage.
Should be able to serve as a backup outside linebacker for a 4-3 team but average timed speed and lack of flexibility aren't ideal for special teams."
Chases hard and shows pop as a tackler but does not use his hands strongly to play off blocks — is more effective on the perimeter.
Is an active pass defender able to stick with backs and tight ends in coverage.
Should be able to serve as a backup outside linebacker for a 4-3 team but average timed speed and lack of flexibility aren't ideal for special teams."
"First Word: Florida State has done a nice job of producing good defensive players. They have had plenty of defenders selected in the first round of the NFL draft. This upcoming draft will feature a number of Florida State prospects including linebacker Nigel Bradham.
Bradham is an athletic linebacker with the speed to cover sideline to sideline. Once he identifies the football, he uses his good short area burst to close. His quickness also helps him hold up on pass coverage. Bradham is a 4 down player that can contribute on special teams and doesn't need to be replaced on passing downs.
However, Bradham isn't an explosive player and is hesitant to attack the ball. He is able to locate the football and has the quickness to purse but he just doesn't make a ton of plays. A successful linebacker is expected to always be around the football and make tackles. He also makes to many tackles down field rather than behind the line of scrimmage.
Overall, Bradham needs to show more urgency and tenacity pursing the football in order to raise his draft stock. He possesses all the physically abilities to be successful but needs to go that little extra to be a force.
Bold Statement: Bradham's speed and quickness will help his draft stock more than his on the field play
Games Viewed: North Carolina ('10), Virginia Tech ('10), Oklahoma ('10)
Notes:
Bradham is an athletic linebacker with the speed to cover sideline to sideline. Once he identifies the football, he uses his good short area burst to close. His quickness also helps him hold up on pass coverage. Bradham is a 4 down player that can contribute on special teams and doesn't need to be replaced on passing downs.
However, Bradham isn't an explosive player and is hesitant to attack the ball. He is able to locate the football and has the quickness to purse but he just doesn't make a ton of plays. A successful linebacker is expected to always be around the football and make tackles. He also makes to many tackles down field rather than behind the line of scrimmage.
Overall, Bradham needs to show more urgency and tenacity pursing the football in order to raise his draft stock. He possesses all the physically abilities to be successful but needs to go that little extra to be a force.
Bold Statement: Bradham's speed and quickness will help his draft stock more than his on the field play
Games Viewed: North Carolina ('10), Virginia Tech ('10), Oklahoma ('10)
Notes:
- Bradham has good quickness with the ability to cover sideline to sideline
- He has a good short area burst that allows him to close on the football
- In pass coverage, Bradham is able to use his athletic ability to hold up in both man and zone coverage
- Bradham is a 4 down player with the ability to contribute on special teams
- It appears as though Bradham is playing at half speed and hesitant to attack the ball
- When he does attack the line he attempts to avoid blockers rather than stacking and shedding
- He just doesn't make enough plays or tackles"
"Consistent, versatile veteran WLB with 26 career starts;
Athletic player with good speed and better quickness; has good instincts with sideline-to-sideline range; solid wrap-up tackler led the team with 98 tackles last fall, although he doesn’t deliver many big hits; also not known as a natural blitzer, but did have 5 sacks last fall;
Covers a lot of ground in coverage and can run with most backs and TEs, but doesn’t have great ball skills and has only one career pick and 5 pass breakups; has a thick lower base, but isn’t that physical at the point of attack and struggles getting off blocks."
Athletic player with good speed and better quickness; has good instincts with sideline-to-sideline range; solid wrap-up tackler led the team with 98 tackles last fall, although he doesn’t deliver many big hits; also not known as a natural blitzer, but did have 5 sacks last fall;
Covers a lot of ground in coverage and can run with most backs and TEs, but doesn’t have great ball skills and has only one career pick and 5 pass breakups; has a thick lower base, but isn’t that physical at the point of attack and struggles getting off blocks."
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