Hau’oli Kikaha should have been a 1st-round pick
Oct 4, 2015; New Orleans, LA, USA; New Orleans Saints outside linebacker Hau
Top edge-rusher usually get picked in the first round of the draft and Hau’oli Kikaha was that in May. After leading the nation in sacks last year, he should have been a 1st-round pick in 2015 NFL Draft. Executives look for certain athletic traits to translate how they’ll get their production in the NFL.
They often put too much emphasis on speed, arm length, change of direction to translate to NFL production. But if they would have looked at how Kikaha got his sacks, they would have known he could produce in the NFL right away. The so-called top prospects like Vic Beasley, Randy Gregory and Shane Ray were regarded higher because of their 40 speed.
Kikaha ran a way-slower-than-the-others 4.93 40 and was lucky to go in the second round. But when you watch them play, he gets off the ball just as quick has just as much burst around the corner to the quarterback. And with that, he has pass-rush moves, technique and he’s really good with his hands.
The way to be good at football or anything you want to in life is to know how to do what you’re doing. That’s a trait that much more emphasis should be put on a player, especially a 1st-round pick. Kikaha knows how to get to the quarterback and instincts to play the run—that’s why he has more production than any rookie at his position.
Kikaha was nominated for the Pepsi Rookie of the week with a strong performance on Sunday. He contributed big in a win over the Atlanta Falcons, with seven tackles, a sack and a forced fumble. So far on the year, Kikaha has 34 tackles, four sacks, three forced fumbles and he hasn’t been a liability in coverage.
That’s immediate impact so you can’t tell me Kikaha shouldn’t have been a 1st-round pick!
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