Interesting Pappoe may leave a mark

[THESMEL]

Lil more hope on defense​

Arizona Cardinals​

LB Owen Pappoe
Drafted: No. 168, fifth round round
Impressive stat to know: 4.39 in the 40-yard dash at the 2023 combine

Clearly, Pappoe is a rocket to the football. He's faster than most NFL wide receivers and plays to that level of speed on film. While not a tremendous, Fred Warner-type coverage player, being as fast as Pappoe is a great initial attribute to start with as he learns that nuance of playing the off-ball position. Zaven Collins and Isaiah Simmons were two oversized off-ball linebacker / safety hybrids who've taking excruciatingly long to acclimate to being a full-time second-level defender in the NFL. Pappoe is the opposite of that. He's high floor because of how well he tackles and how explosive he is. Youngsters will play in Arizona this season, and Pappoe will be a tackling machine.

 

[HairZach]

I was thinking that he was more in line with the type of linebacker Kyzir White is and that he might get play. It's probably wishful thinking that he will be anything more than special teams this year. I think most people would lose their minds if Monti found a good ILB in the fifth round of his first draft.

 

[CardLogic]

I like the topic. I also think Pappoe is a player to keep your eyes on!

 

[CFLredzoned]

Top 5 'Ooo Wee' 2023 Breakout Candidates

 

[PACardsFan]

This kid and White are exactly the types of LB’s that JG will utilize in his defensive system moving forward. The days of drafting ILB’s early are over. Our early drafting emphasis will be OL, IDL (which will need to wait until next year), Edge, and CB.