Shaun Bradley Overview
Position: Linebacker
Height: 6’1”
Weight: 230 pounds
School: Temple University
NFL Draft Performance Data
40 Yard Dash: 4.51 seconds
Bench Press: 14 reps
Vertical Jump: 32.5″
Broad Jump: 121.0″
3 Cone Drill: 7.07 seconds
20 Yard Shuttle: 4.24 seconds
Shaun Bradley 2020 NFL Draft Profile
In today’s NFL, teams are often looking for young, athletic defensive players to help fill out their roster. General managers tend to gravitate towards these types of players since they have the ability to play multiple positions, making their selection seem like a safe move. One such player who fits those criteria in this year’s draft is linebacker Shaun Bradley.
In 2016, Bradley, a 6’1, 230-pound linebacker out of Rancocas Valley, NJ, enrolled at Temple University and began his journey on the academic and athletic front. The speedy, multi-purpose linebacker began his college career as a depth piece and transitioned into a full-time starter by his sophomore year. By his senior year, Bradley had become a team captain and a leader on Temple’s linebacking corps. In 2019, Bradley finished with a career-high 86 tackles and was on watchlists for both the Bronko Nagurski Trophy and the Chuck Bednarik Award. Bradley’s athleticism topped with his excellent football IQ made him an outstanding linebacker at Temple, and the scouting reports certainly show that. With Bradley officially declaring for the 2020 NFL Draft, let’s take a look at the technical side of his game.
Strengths
- Bradley displays great playmaking abilities and impresses scouts with his natural instincts;
- Has elite speed;
- Appears to have the strength necessary to compete at the next level;
- Can make solo tackles with ease and doesn’t need fellow defenders to help him finish the job;
- Has the ability to impose his will on ball carriers, despite his smaller frame.
Weaknesses
- Bradley’s frame and build leaves a bit to be desired;
- His play recognition isn’t quite up to par with that of a starting linebacker in the NFL;
- Unfortunately, his arms are a little on the small side, which could make tackling bigger targets harder for him;
- Has a bit of an injury history;
- Because of his smaller fame, Bradley has problems shedding blockers at the line.
NFL Comparison: Mychal Kendricks
Teams with Need at Position: New England Patriots, Indianapolis Colts, New York Jets, New York Giants, Washington Redskins, Carolina Panthers
Projection: Early 3rd – Late 5th
Bottom Line on Shaun Bradley
In the end, Shaun Bradley has the potential to become a successful linebacker in the NFL. Apart from his small frame, Bradley has all the intangibles that you would find in an All-Pro linebacker. Due to his lack of playing time and small frame among other things, Bradley’s draft stock shows him being drafted somewhere near the fourth round. Personally, I believe this is too low for what his skillset is, so whoever stumbles upon him late in the draft could end up with a draft diamond.
His elite speed paired with his incredible natural instincts and high football IQ will help him succeed at the next level and nearly guarantees him a roster spot somewhere in the league. Seeing that he’s expected to be mid-to-late round pick, he will no doubt be expected to perform on special teams. Lucky for Bradley, he already comes packed with special teams experience after he was featured on Temple’s unit during his collegiate career. All in all, Bradley is a sneaky-good prospect who teams with a mid-to-late round pick should do their homework on. If he is placed into the ideal setting, Bradley can blossom into a starting-caliber linebacker at the professional level.
Main photo:
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