Louisville Football: Projections for Cardinals in the 2018 NFL Draft

James Hearns – OLB

On the other side of the field opposite of Trevon Young, was James Hearns, who was equally as dominant at times for the Louisville football program. While it tooks Hearns a few years to get onto the field, once he did, he quickly became one of the most impactful players on the defense. He’s a very good pass rusher, with good size, capable of taking on bigger blockers. However, Hearns does lack “NFL” speed, which we saw at the combine, and has faced questions regarding the 2016 on-campus shooting where he was shot in the shoulder. Hearns bounced back from a poor combine and looked much better at Louisville’s pro day, which ultimately should help him to get drafted in the later part of day 2 or early on day 3.

Strengths:

• Good combination of pass rush moves
• Great power from his lower body
• Good game speed, ability to chase down quarterbacks
• Quick-twitched, allows him to fake out lineman/blockers
• Great at stripping quarterbacks, running backs to force fumbles

Needs Improvement:

• Has a tendency to play upright, which causes him to get bounce back when hit
• Footwork
• Change of direction
• Hand placement

Projections:

Walter Football: Rounds 3-5

NFL.com: Rounds 5-6

Draftanalyst.com: Undrafted