Cardinals selected Auburn LB Owen Pappoe with the No. 168 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft.
Originally categorized as an outside linebacker during his recruitment, Pappoe (6’0/225) immediately moved off-ball where he started every game and received freshman All-American accolades from the FWAA in 2019. The two-time team captain tallied 256 tackles, 15.0 TFL, 8.0 sacks, and seven PBU as a fixture on the Auburn defense for the last four years. Pappoe closes on the ball in a flash and can stay with either running backs or tight ends in space, as is evidenced by his 77.7 PFF coverage grade. His 6.9 percent missed tackle rate last year is a superb mark and is indicative of Pappoe’s ability to finish despite being on the smaller side for the position. A plus athlete, he lit up the combine’s radar gun with a 99.9th percentile 4.39s 40-yard dash while also banging out 29 bench reps (96th%) for a very respectable 9.31 RAS. Pappoe isn’t going to stack linemen in the run game or bring consistent pressure up the middle, but he can cover a lot of ground and chase down ball carriers in a way most linebackers cannot thanks to his elite speed.