Over the phone, Carl Bradford was minutes away from boarding a plane to Arizona. He's heading back to spend the weekend with his college roommate Jamil Douglas, an Arizona State guard who hopes to hear his name called in this weekend's NFL draft.
Exactly one year ago, Bradford was in this situation himself. The Packers used a fourth-round pick last year on him to be an edge rusher. That didn't pan out. So by the end of training camp, Bradford was moved to inside linebacker and 2014 became a virtual redshirt season — the 6-foot-1, 252-pounder was a healthy scratch for all 18 games.
Bradford understands that, sure, the Packers might draft an inside linebacker Friday night.
He also plans to fight for a starting spot in 2015. Expectations, he said, "are high this year."
"Who doesn’t want to start?" Bradford said. "I’m going to put my full effort into trying to win that starting job and just do what I can do on and off the field, mentally and in the playbook and show it in practice. I know they’re looking for that fire from me that I played at ASU with and I’m going to bring that. Not just talk about it — but show them this year that I can play that and hopefully get to start."
The Packers were thrilled to have Bradford fall all the way to them at the 121st overall pick. And they planned to use him as an edge rusher in their 3-4 despite the 30 1/4-inch arms that might've scared off other teams.
Now, he's playing a new position. Resetting his football career at inside linebacker, he expects that "fire" from college to transfer, to be the ace up his sleeve.
“The inside linebackers make the play," Bradford said. "They try to get the whole defense hyped up. With my attitude and how I play on the field it fits in perfect with getting the defense together and going to get 3-and-out’s. When I play with that fire, it’s something where I don’t even realize it. It just clicks. And that position allows me to be in charge basically of the defense and have those guys feed off my energy.”
Right now, Sam Barrington returns at inside linebacker and is eager to lead the defense. And of course,Clay Matthews played inside on nickel downs the back-half of last season.
Heading into Day 2 of the draft, the likes of Paul Dawson, Eric Kendricks, Benardrick McKinney andDenzel Perryman are all still on the board. Green Bay picks at No. 62 and No. 94 overall tonight.
The coaches' message to Bradford, he said, was to take "that next step" at inside linebacker. Compete. On this roster, he has become somewhat of a forgotten man. After all, he didn't play a down as a rookie. Once the team jettisoned A.J. Hawk and Brad Jones, inside linebacker became a perceived glaring need on the roster.
Chuckling, Bradford doesn't mind if people have forgot all about him.
“I’ve always been the underdog playing, even in college," Bradford said. "I don’t look on it too much like that. I just look on it as let them sleep and I’ll wake them up eventually. I’m just ready to prove everybody wrong.”
So, back in Arizona with his friend, he will watch the draft. He'll probably see the Packers take an inside linebacker, too.
That doesn't change anything to him.
“I don’t care. It’s a business," Bradford said. "I’m ready to keep earning my job, year in and year out.”
ya, it would be great if he shows up to camp and wows us. but being a healthy scratch for every game last year despite the need for ILB doesn't exactly scream he made enough gains last year...
