Adrian Bushell: 5 Things You Need to Know About the Louisville CB

All of the attention on the Louisville Cardinals football program right now is going towards Teddy Bridgewater and what will likely be his final college season in 2014.  However, the Cardinals have a few pro prospects entering this year's draft.

Adrian Bushell played cornerback for the Cardinals during the 2012 season and was one of the bigger players on the team.  He was a leader on the defense, helping lead the team to an 11-2 record that included a victory in the Sugar Bowl.

With so many players in the draft, it's nice to get to know a bit about some of the prospects expected to go on Day 2 or 3.  Here are some things to know about the corner out of Louisville.

Background

Full Name: Adrian Bushell

Birthday: January 19, 1990

High School: DeSoto High School, DeSoto, Texas

Major: Administration of Justice

Year: Senior

Bushell transferred to Louisville after spending a year at Florida, reuniting with Charlie Strong, who coached at Florida when Bushell played there in 2009.  

He played at Florida after spending his first three years of high school in Miami before moving to DeSoto for his senior year.  It appears that Bushell will be moving once again once his name is called during the draft.

Statistics

Bushell played in all 14 games during his redshirt freshman year at Florida.  After transferring and eventually landing in Louisville, he became a bigger part of his team's defense, and his numbers went up. 

At Louisville, Bushell was a pretty solid dual threat.  He played on defense and was also able to return some kicks.  He was even able to bring one to the house during his junior year.

While the numbers don't exactly jump off of the page, Bushell was certainly a talented player in the secondary who did a great job containing receivers and making plays.

Defense:

Year	G	TKLS	INT
2009	14	14	1
2011	10	50	1
2012	13	61	1
Totals	37	125	3

Kick Returning

Year	ATT	YDS	AVG	TD
2011	9	276	30.67	1
2012	17	333	19.59	0
Totals	26	609	23.42	1

Draft Process

Measurables

Height: 5'9''

Weight: 186 pounds

Arm Length: 32"

Hand Size: 9.25''

Combine Results

40-yard Dash: 4.58 seconds

Bench Press: 17 reps

Vertical Jump: 33 inches

Broad Jump: 116 inches

Three-Cone drill: 6.92 seconds

20-Yard Shuttle: 4.25 seconds

Pro Day Results

40-Yard Dash: 4.53 seconds

Vertical Jump: 36 inches

Broad Jump: 121 inches

20-Yard Shuttle: 4.36 seconds

Three-Cone Drill: 6.93 seconds

The combine for Bushell wasn't eye-popping, but most of his numbers improved at his pro day.  None of his numbers were bad by any means, but at the same time, none of the numbers were surprising enough help his draft stock in a significant way.

(Combine results were provided by NFL.com's draft profile for Bushell, and the pro day results were provided by Gil Brandt of NFL.com)

Interesting Facts

Apparently Bushell was a triple-threat player in high school, playing on offense, defense and special teams.  In fact, he was a 4-star recruit and the 21st-ranked player in Texas before going to Florida (via GoCards.com).  

Before transferring to Louisville, Bushell played a year at Coffeyville Community College, a junior college.  He transferred there from Florida after his freshman year.  He played in nine games and was a triple threat there as well (via NJCAA.com).

In his senior year, Bushell was selected to the ESPN.com All-Big East team.  He may have only had one interception on the year, but he contributed in other ways, which helped him receive this honor. 

Observations

For a guy listed at only 5'9", Bushell is a solid tackler and actually makes a pretty big impact in the running game.  He is able to get by receivers trying to block him, usually without much trouble.  When he gets to the ball-carrier, he is able to do what it takes to get him down.

The place where Bushell excels is blitzing.  If he can disguise it well enough, he is able to blow up plays.  Where he does struggle is man and press coverage.  He struggles particularly when going up against big and physical receivers due to his smaller size.

Special teams is a place where Bushell could make a real impact on an NFL team.  At Louisville, he was able to block two kicks.  He also played as a gunner on the punt team and did a solid job there.  His speed and athleticism could also make him a pretty valuable returner.

Bushell could very well go anywhere from the end of the fourth round to the sixth or seventh.  He has the skills to make an impact on both special teams and defense, and some team will be happy with his presence come training camp.