Cardinals' Arians raves about Nkemdiche: 'I had to slow him down'
Robert Nkemdiche continues to earn rave reviews from the Arizona Cardinals' coaching staff.
Nkemdiche was selected with the 29th overall pick by the Cardinals, and head coach Bruce Arians said he plans to line up the defensive lineman in goal-line packages.
The 21-year-old was dominant during the Cardinals' rookie minicamp, much to Arians' delight.
"(Nkemdiche) was killing people in walk through," Arians told Mike Jurecki of FOX Sports 910. "I had to slow him down. It's a walk through, and he bench-pressed a lineman already."
DT Robert Nkemdiche has been unblockable considering that he's getting double teamed, was in the backfield before the QB throws the ball.
— Mike Jurecki (@mikejurecki) May 6, 2016
Arians noted that per the provisions of the collective bargaining agreement, the team can't conduct contract drills. Nkemdiche's on-field aggression would otherwise be viewed as a positive trait, but Arians told him to scale it back.
"If I get fined. I’m taking it out of your check," Arians told Nkemdiche.
The rookie figures to be an important component of the Cardinals' defense. While it's too early to speculate on the trajectory of his career, Nkemdiche is off to a promising start.