Arizona Cardinals Select Sam Acho, Receive Smart, Tough Player

by Wescott Eberts (GoBR) on Apr 30, 2011 1:32 PM CDT in News

Any time a player has to transition to a new position when jumping up a level in competition, there are no guarantees of success. That's the challenge that faces former Texas defensive Sam Acho, as he attempts to move to outside linebacker after being selected by the Arizona Cardinals with the sixth pick in the fourth round of the 2011 NFL Draft.

Projected as a third rounder in most mock drafts, Acho proved during the NFL combine and the Texas Pro Day that he has the agility to play in space, running a 4.63 40, leading defensive ends in the three-cone drill, and looking sharp in linebacker drills in late March at the aforementioned Pro Day.

Beyond that, Acho will bring a ton of intangibles to the table for the Cardinals. A three-time Academic All-Big 12 and recipient of the Draddy Award as a senior, known as the academic Heisman, there's no doubt that the former Longhorn and son of a doctor will work hard to maximize his talents in the NFL and be a positive presence in the locker room.

Though he doesn't project as a major difference-maker in the NFL, if Acho can successfully make the move to outside linebacker after playing a similar position at times for Texas at the Buck, he looks like someone who can be a solid contributor.

The production was certainly there as a senior, as Acho was one of the few bright spots in an otherwise disappointing season for Texas. In his final year in burnt orange, Acho recoded 58 tackles, 15.5 tackles for loss, and eight sacks.

Most importantly, Acho showed off his ability as a playmaker, recording five forced fumbles and five fumble recoveries. Turnover margin is one of the most telling stats for success in football, so having an edge rusher with the ability to be around the football and force and recover fumbles can be extremely valuable. Of course, as Texas found out in 2010, recovering fumbles can be a fickle thing, so it's not a given that Acho will have the chance to land on as many loose balls as he did last season.

Even though Acho doesn't have a great deal of upside in the NFL, he's also a low-risk pick because of his strong character and work ethic -- it would be a major surprise if he isn't able to help make the Arizona Cardinals a better football team.

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I thought there was a chance he'd go earlier

But the height limitation is an important one in a league where his most likely position is at rush linebacker.

So let’s recap: four Texas Longhorns drafted, one each in the 2nd-5th. In comparison, Baylor had four players drafted, two of them in the first, and the others much later.

Jonathan Baldwin: worst Chief since Larry Johnson

by burntorangehorn on Apr 30, 2011 6:50 PM CDT reply actions

Either we didn't lose much of our talent

…or we didn’t have a lot of talent to lose. :-\

by ElMariachiLoco on Apr 30, 2011 9:09 PM CDT up reply actions

I still say he will be a good

4-3 DE in the league for years to come. Scouts get way too caught up on measurables. The guy can play

by miketag on Apr 30, 2011 10:08 PM CDT via mobile reply actions

I agree with commenter above.

(Wait, isn’t that guy an aggy?) Sam has way too much talent to let something like not having the archetypal body for a certain position hold him back. I do think it’s weird that Von Miller is going to be a DE and Sam Acho is going to be a linebacker. But I think Sam will be good in The Shield. Arizona is a great fit for him. People are forgetting how freakingly talented he is and how ridiculously well he can play when he has a quality and confident supporting cast. I hope he starts right away. I’m looking forward to watching him play.

"Hey, don't y'all think that's beautiful right there? That crystal is SO beautiful. And it's coming home to Texas." - Vince Young

by LookinForIt on May 1, 2011 4:20 AM CDT via mobile reply actions

I think Denver is going to use Von as a OLB

my guess is he will be used as an anchor end, basically what we called the Jack linebacker/DE hybrid under Kines

he’ll be asked to rush the passer and drop into coverage, not play contain like a traditional DE

I think Acho will be a DE, I think they tried him out at OLB at the combine to see if has the athleticism to play in a 3-4 because of his lack of height.

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by Beergut on May 1, 2011 1:25 PM CDT up reply actions

Arizona?

Isn’t Arizona a 3-4 defense? I wouldn’t expect them to play Acho at DE in that scheme but I guess it wouldn’t shock me either.

What’s amazing to me in the evals of Sam Acho is that everyone seemed to ignore the fact that he frequently played 3-tech here. Dude is strong against the run, I’m guessing he plays SOLB in the 3-4. I’m betting that people who questioned whether or not he could handle that role are oblivious to his film at defensive tackle.

by RolloTamasi on May 3, 2011 1:27 PM CDT up reply actions