#125 - 4th Round - Green Bay, Brady Poppinga, DE, BRIGHAM YOUNG

[Hostile]

Packers select...Brady Poppinga
DE | (6'3", 259, 4.85) | BRIGHAM YOUNG

[Juke99]

Strengths: Is a durable, consistent and aggressive player. Has been extremely productive and reliable as a college player. Has very good instincts and is tough. Shows good initial quickness and is relentless as a pass rusher. Has decent COD skills when using double moves as a pass rusher. Also has good recognition skills, will get his hands up and will knock down some passes. He is at his best in space versus the run. Uses his hands well to stay off of blocks. Has a very powerful upper body. Has a great motor in the running game and never gives up on a play. Is a solid and reliable open field tackler that will break down and wrap up.

Weaknesses: Is a 'tweener DE/OLB. Has decent but not great height and lacks ideal bulk at DE position. Needs to be on the move to be effective. Does not have great lower body strength or the base to consistently hold his ground versus the run. Lacks ideal top-end speed as a pass rusher. Also lacks a good array of moves as a pass rusher and gets engulfed too often after getting reached. Has very limited experience dropping into coverage.

Overall: Poppinga played in 10 games on special teams and as a reserve defensive end his true freshman season in 2001. He won a starting job at right defensive end in 2002 and has been a starter since. He finished with 55 total tackles, 13 for loss and five sacks as a junior in 2003 and 79 tackles, 12 TFL and six sacks as a senior in 2004. Poppinga is an active, disruptive, instinctive and tough defensive end prospect that has been extremely durable, consistent and productive throughout his collegiate career. He is the type of overachieving, intelligent, disciplined and sound player that could contribute as a "wave" DE or even as a rush linebacker type in a 3-4 scheme. However, his lack of ideal height, lower body strength and top-end speed will always limit his potential in the NFL and will cause him to slip to the mid-to-late rounds of the 2005 draft.

* Player biographies are provided by Scouts Inc.

[Juke99]

Brady Poppinga, OLB+DE, Brigham Young
Height: 6:03.1 Weight: 259

Overview: Poppinga is a player blessed with above average speed, which helped him make the smooth transition from defensive end to outside linebacker during his senior year. Poppinga comes from a sports-oriented family with close ties to BYU and Utah State. His father, Dennis, played tight end at BYU from 1968-1971. Poppinga's older sister, Tara, played volleyball at Utah State. His older brother, Casey, was a tight end at Utah State. His younger brother, Kelly, plays linebacker for BYU. Poppinga was an All-State selection at linebacker and tight end for Evanston High School. He lettered three times in football and basketball and four times in track. Poppinga was named the Class 4-A lineman of the year and selected to the Wyoming super-25 team. As a senior, he led Evanston to a 9-1 record and a 4-A state title. He also finished second in the 1997 state discus competition. Poppinga saw action in every game as a reserve at right defensive end for Brigham Young in 2001. He recorded ten tackles and recovered a fumble that year. He earned first-team All-Mountain West Conference and Academic All-MWC honors as a sophomore. That year, he started only two games, but posted 49 tackles (25 solos) while leading the team with eight sacks and ranking second with 14 stops behind the line of scrimmage. He also caused three fumbles. As a junior, he manned the right defensive end position, picking up All-MWC first-team accolades. He registered 55 tackles (34 solos), led the team with five sacks, ranked second with 13 stops for losses and recovered two fumbles. Poppinga shifted to left outside linebacker as a senior, garnering All-MWC first-team honors for the third consecutive year. He ranked third on the squad with a career-high 79 tackles (35 solos), adding five sacks, 12 stops for losses, five pressures and a fumble recovery. In 47 games with the Cougars, Poppinga started 25 times. He finished his career with 193 tackles (99 solos), 19 sacks for minus 120 yards, 39 stops for losses of 162 yards and nine pressures. His 19 sacks rank seventh on the school's career-record list. He also recovered five fumbles, caused four others, intercepted a pass and deflected another.

Analysis: Positives...Undersized defensive end whose move to linebacker proved beneficial in 2004...Slippery and sudden pass rusher who is quick off the ball and plays with leverage and a good pad level...Does a nice job of recognizing the trap blocks...Very effective in pursuit, closing quickly on the quarterback from the backside...Engages quickly and uses his hands well to keep the blocker off his body and also in attempts to slip off the blocks... Takes on blockers with a strong hand punch that gives him a good chance to shed...Has the foot speed and agility to accelerate to the ball and get transfer on the block, displaying the body control and balance to get through trash...Hits and wraps with authority and has the strength to drag down the more physical backs...Asked to play a lot of alignment in the BYU scheme and shows decisiveness whether in a three-point stance or off the ball...Uses his hands well to fend off the low blocks and is effective getting a shoulder on the slower offensive tackles...Has the lateral agility to get up field, displaying the body control to dip and flatten...Uses the up-and-under moves as a change-up and has the burst to get into the backfield once he gets a free lane.

Negatives...Lacks the bulk and leg drive to face up to the more athletic blockers...His size limitations prevent him from consistently stacking the blocks when working at the line... Better coming off the edge, as his small frame causes him to get bounced around by blockers when trying to redirect inside...Gets single-blocked too often and lacks the strength to collapse the hole...His frame seems to be better suited for strong-side line-backer, but does not have the timed speed to cover receivers one-on-one...Needs to do a better job of holding his ground at the point of attack, as his marginal leg strength sees him get pushed back in attempts to attack the rush lanes (better off the corner than working in-line)...Age is a concern, as he will turn 26 two weeks into the 2005 season.

Agility tests: COMBINE: 4.72 in the 40-yard dash...2.7 20-yard dash...1.65 10-yard dash...4.38 20-yard shuttle...12.28 60-yard shuttle...7.27 three-cone drill...35.5-inch vertical jump...9'2" broad jump...Bench pressed 225 pounds 26 times...31 1/8-inch arm length...9 -inch hands...25 Wonderlic score.

High school: All-State selection at linebacker and tight end for Evanston (Wyo.) High School...Lettered three times in football and basketball and four times in track...Named the Class 4-A lineman of the year and selected to the Wyoming super-25 team...As a senior, he led Evanston to a 9-1 record and a 4-A state title...Finished second in the 1997 state discus competition.

Personal: Business major...Married Brooke Hubbard in February 2002...They celebrated the birth of their first child just prior to fall camp, 2004...Son of Dennis and Vicki Poppinga...Father played tight end at BYU from 1968-1971...Older sister, Tara, played volleyball at Utah State and older brother, Casey, played tight end at Utah State...Younger brother, Kelly, plays linebacker for BYU...Recipient of the Eagle Scout award...Born 9/21/79...Resides in Evanston, Wyoming.

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