New Cardinals LB Kevin Minter: ‘I want to make every tackle’
Apr 27, 2013, 12:17 AM | Updated: 12:38 am
The NFL Draft rolled into the second round Friday and when the proceedings started, the Arizona Cardinals owned the 38th overall pick.
However, GM Steve Keim engineered a deal in which the Cardinals traded that pick to the San Diego Chargers for the 45th selection and an additional fourth round pick.
The Chargers selected infamous linebacker Manti Te’o from Notre Dame in the spot they moved into following the swap.
The Cardinals followed suit and picked a linebacker of their own — Kevin Minter of LSU.
“I’m a very passionate player,” Minter told Doug and Wolf on Arizona Sports 620 Friday. “I’ll go out there with an attitude. I want to make every tackle, regardless if it’s downfield or in front of me.
“I’m an all-around linebacker. I’m good in pass drops, I’m good in man-to-man, but I’m really a run-stopper and I feel like I can bring a lot to the Arizona organization.”
Minter had 130 total tackles, 15 tackles for loss and four sacks for a stingy LSU defense that was ninth in the nation against the run in 2012, allowing 101.68 yards per game. The Georgia native was a Butkus Award finalist and doesn’t lack for confidence on the football field.
“My only weakness is my experience. I’m a rookie so I’ve got to get in there and get my feet wet,” Minter said. “The sky’s the limit for me, I feel like I can really contribute to this team.”
The 6-foot-2, 245-pound linebacker played three seasons at LSU, including 2010 when he was part of a defense that featured cornerback Patrick Peterson. The two will again be teammates, this time at the professional level.
“Coming in, he was the man…it was Pat,” Minter recalled. “You thought what he did in the games was amazing, you should have seen him in practice.
“He was like a big brother, he was a guy you look up to. I’m thrilled to be on the same team as him again.”
