Cards Draft Eval: S Justin Bethel

[Elijah]

Rd 6 Pick #177 21 year old DB Justin "Hops" Bethel, Presbyterian College
(Aquired from Washington Redskins in exchange for RB Tim Hightower)



The Cardinals have become a team known for rolling the dice on small school guys and they have had a lot of success doing so. While the 6 ft 200 lb Bethel played both CB and S for the small school Blue Hose, he is projected to play S at the NFL level as he lacks great long speed. The Cards use a lot of safeties in their scheme, most notably in the unusual 3-1-7 package where starters Rhodes and Wilson effectively play close to the line as LB on passing downs with 3 CB's and 2 more safeties coming in off the bench. Where he is most likely to impact however, at least right away, is special teams where he will likely be featured in all units. He had an impressive 9 blocked kicks in college and joins elite blockers Calais Campbell and Patrick Peterson to form what might be the best such unit in the NFL.

Justin is a guy we've had our eye on around here ever since the CAL game where he dazzled in what was otherwise a rout, and it was no surprise to us he was drafted. He racked up 87 total tackles, a sack, four interceptions, one defensive touchdown, and a special teams TD as a senior. He has very long arms and jumps like a cat. A smart player who anticipates well, he's also a tough nosed kid who does well vs the run. He's known for having a high motor, and while its clear the NFL is a lot higher level of competition than he is used to, he's looked like he belongs whenever matched against top talent, whether vs teams such as CAL or in the Shrine Game practices. I'm very confident he makes the final roster cut.