Nigel Bradham, OLB

04/30/2012 - A closer look at the Bills' picks: Round 4/105 - Nigel Bradham, OLB, 6-2, 241, Florida State...Led FSU in tackles for three years and recorded 21.5 tackles for loss to go with 9.0 sacks. Good speed (4.64) for the job but a bit stiff. COULD SURPRISE: Linebacker Nigel Bradham: With the top edge rushers off the board, the Bills did well to land Bradham, who led Florida State in tackles for three years and can run in coverage. - The Sports Xchange

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Bradham was a celebrated five star high school prospect who had 145 tackles and 8 sacks as a senior. Bradham played as a True Freshman in 2008, and then took over as starting Will in 2009 and has led the team in tackles for the past three years. Stats were 93 tackles, 5.5 TFLs, two sacks, one interception and one pass defensed in 2009, 97/5.5/5/0/5 in 2010, and 86/9.5/2/2/5 in 2011. Bradham appears to have a perfect health record, which is understandable given his chiseled body. Bradham looks a bit like a giant safety. Hips are a bit high, arms are long, and waist is narrow. Bradham, despite his build, holds up well in traffic, and makes a lot of plays by engaging a block, shedding, and pursuing. He is completely fearless and will always try to plow into the largest piles, and has a good knack of ending up glued to the ball carrier. Cover skills, in both man and zone, speed, quickness, and agility are very good. Bradham could fit in the NFL at any 4-3 LB position, and inside in a 3-4 because he doesn't offer much of an edge rush. Ferocious against the run and very good in coverage, Bradham is extremely versatile. Best fit would appear to be outside in a 4-3, either side.

Positives: Fearless, relentless and fast. Covers a lot of ground on the field. Is usually around the ball. Solid tackler. Can turn and run with TEs in coverage. Can anchor despite slightly high cut build, and uses hands well to shed blocks. Dedicated hard worker on and off the field with virtually perfect durability record. Negatives: A bit high-hipped, which limits ability to anchor and turn. Not much of a pass rusher if there is not an open lane. Ball skills are just average. Takes some dumb penalties. NFL Comparison: Jacquian Williams, New York Giants --Brad Noel