Grading each pick made by Arizona Cardinals in the 2020 NFL Draft

With the 202nd pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, the Arizona Cardinals took Evan Weaver. Evan Weaver has made a name for himself by being a tackling machine through his career at Cal. In 2019, he never had fewer than six tackles in a game and had multiple 20+ tackle games. He also had two, five-game streaks of double-digit tackles.

Weaver is a stereotypical inside linebacker; a strong, hard-hitting guy who makes tackles for days. The downside about Weaver is his coverage skills and athleticism. He isn’t overly instinctive in coverage and doesn’t have the range you’d like to see in a starter, or even a backup linebacker.

Weaver isn’t a modern-day linebacker. He won’t be that dynamic guy you see flying across the field. His playstyle is outdated, but not for special teams.

The good thing about this particular spot in the draft is that you can easily grab a special teams contributor who can make a difference, and that is exactly what Weaver is. His tackling ability will prove incredibly useful in special teams.

Weaver doesn’t have any upside really, so don’t expect him to develop and work his way into a contributing role. In my opinion, this is a specials team pick through and through; from his tackling to his work ethic and competitiveness, Weaver is a special teamer.

Pick Grade: C-