He's everything the Seahawks said they wanted in their first round draft pick. West Virginia defensive end Bruce Irvin has speed and can deliver one heck of a sack. But he also comes with some baggage.
Unexpected choice
KPLU sports commentator Art Thiel says the Seahawks No. 15 pick in the first round of the NFL draft Thursday was a surprise to most people - including Irvin himself.
Most scouting services had him as a second round pick. Irvin told reporters he was just as astonished as everyone else that he was selected as early as he was in the first round.
This sacker has speed
Even though he was a surprise pick, Irvin has something the Seahawks need in a defensive end - speed. Art says Pete Carroll knew Irvin from his junior college days in California when Carroll was head coach at USC.
"The clincher was that Pete Carroll said he's the fastest defensive end in America - which means everything for the Seahawks who need a pass rusher. But no one saw this guy coming except for a handful of scouts who timed him at the scouting combine (in Feb. 2012) at 4.5 seconds in the 40-yard dash, which is an astonishing number for a 250-lb. guy."
Questions about character
Irvin was arrested in March and charged with destruction of property for breaking a sign at a sandwich shop. Art says Irvin downplayed the incident when he talked with reporters Thursday night.
"He said he managed to get all the charges dropped and mentioned that 'The Lord knew it was B.S.' It turns out he's a pretty colorful and somewhat tragic character. He's gone to two different high schools (eventually got GED), two different junior colleges and couldn't get into USC when Carroll wanted him there because he didn't have the academics. So he went to West Virginia and starred there for a couple of years. But he got into various scrapes and issues."
The Seattle Times reports Irvin spent a few weeks in jail on burglary chargesafter dropping out of high school in Atlanta. That's back when he was known as B.J. Irvin.
New name, fresh start
Art says Irvin's sense of humor came through when he was talking about how he started going by Bruce in 2008 in an effort to make a fresh start.
"He emphasized he's never been suspended, never had a drug test. He sounded like he was going to portray himself as a victim of circumstances. But he also admitted to something that was rather amusing. He was asked why he changed his name from B.J. to Bruce and he said 'That B.J. guy was getting into a lot of trouble."
Wait and see
Art says there's no question about Irvin's talent, speed and ability. It may take longer to see if his troubled past will really make way for a brighter future.
"He's certainly a tremendous athlete and fills what Pete Carroll wanted out of his first round draft choice. So, the Seahawks are quite happy about this. The rest of us are going to wait to see how this plays out with character and attitude."
Find out more details from Art Thiel at Sportspress Northwest.
