For eleven years, former Arizona Cardinals and NFL safety Corey Chavous watched hundreds of hours of film preparing for upcoming opponents and players.
Since retiring, he’s taken his film studying to a whole new level.
Chavous, who was drafted and played for the Cards from 1998-2001, is the Founder and President of DraftNasty.com which covers the draft on a year-round basis. He and his staff tour the country evaluating and ranking players on and off the field.
It’s the perfect fit for the well-spoken Chavous who has always followed the draft, even providing network analysis during his playing days.
Tuesday he joined Brad Cesmat on ‘Big Guy on Sports’ and gave an overall view of the 2012 version which starts April 26 at Radio City Music Hall in New York.
“I don’t think it’s quite as strong as last year’s draft, at least at the top,” Chavous explained. “But I think the depth of this draft, the second round through the fourth round, is where a good number of prospects lie…you may be able to pick up a very good player on Day Three.”
Within that early three-round window, some local players like ASU’s Brock Osweiler and Vontaze Burfict, along with Arizona’s Nick Foles could hear their name called. Of those three, the 6’5 Foles has caught the attention of Chavous.
“I really like Nick Foles,” Chavous told Cesmat. “At the end of the day, he ended up being our third- ranked quarterback. I like his competitiveness. He had to operate around freshmen in his offensive line. He has enough poise and calm to be a pretty good quarterback.”
Osweiler, who has seen his name rise on draft boards since announcing he would forego his senior season in Tempe, also has the potential to develop into a solid NFL quarterback according to Chavous.
“I think there’s a lot of promise…he can throw on the run,” he said. “He has pretty good mobility. I thought he had some moxie. He was well-liked by his teammates. He’s somebody to me who has a lot of upside. There’s a lot to like. His best years are ahead of him.”
As for Burfict, who also left ASU after junior year, his pro career isn’t as clear as the before mentioned quarterbacks.
“He’s a good football player in spots,” Chavous said. “The workouts he had in the post season really didn’t endear him after a pretty rough close to his career. There have been flashes of brilliance. I do think there’s some things he can improve on at the point of attack. We have him [ranked] as our 10th insider linebacker and a fourth-round grade.”
Other local players like cornerback Omar Bolden and wide receiver Gerell Robinson, as well as UofA receiver Juron Criner could also hear their name called during draft weekend later this month.
A Valley native, Eric has had a passion for the Arizona sports scene since an early age. He has covered some of the biggest events including Super Bowls, national championships and the NBA and MLB playoffs in his near 20 years in local media.
