Owen Pappoe Selected by Cardinals - Fit, Grade and Scouting Report

The Arizona Cardinals selected athletic linebacker Owen Pappoe in the fifth-round of the 2023 NFL Draft. Here's everything you need to know.

Author:
Richie Bradshaw
Publish date:
Apr 29, 2023 3:39 PM EDT

In this story:

Arizona Cardinals

With the team's third pick of day three of the 2023 NFL Draft, the Arizona Cardinals add linebacker Owen Pappoe from Auburn in the fifth-round.

Pappoe is a freaky athlete with a sub-4.4 40-yard dash time, 29 bench reps, and a 10'6" broad jump. His testing numbers are substantial and the box score numbers look ok, but he never popped off when he played.

Pappoe notched two 90+ tackle seasons with Auburn while also adding 8.5 sacks and two interceptions over a four-year career with the Tigers. The numbers show a productive player, but the tape shows a work in progress, according to most scouts.

Lance Zerlein said this on his draft profile from NFL.com:

"Undersized linebacker with impressive build, good speed and long arms. Despite all of his traits, Pappoe failed to rack up impact production during his time at Auburn due to his lack of instincts and playmaking ability. He struggles to leverage the gaps and take on climbing blockers effectively, so a move to Will linebacker should allow him to play more run-and-chase, which suits him. He doesn’t look like an NFL starter on tape, but third down and special teams potential will give him a shot at a backup role." --Lance Zerlein

(Click for full draft profile from NFL.com)

Given the Cardinals' investments at the linebacker spot over the years, Pappoe's fit in year one feels like a stash-and-develop prospect that can hopefully get some meaningful special teams reps. When you look at the other guys they have on the roster already, it makes all the sense why Pappoe was one of their guys.

Not every pick has to be a homerun and Pappoe's athletic profile makes him an intriguing dice roll at the end of the fifth-round.