What the San Jose Sabercats were expecting from the 64th overall pick is known only by the team’s brain trust and God. Perhaps a depth piece for a top-heavy linebacking corps or potential trade bait. What they got? A player not even the big General Manager in the sky could have seen coming. Across the entire preseason slate, 11th round pick A.C. Hackett has posted a very solid thirty tackles, good for second on the team. He also had five tackles for a loss, which is especially impressive considering he plays most of his snaps dropped back into a zone. Not content to rest on his laurels, A.C. has been hitting both the tackling sled and the weight room, working to improve aspects of his game that are relative weaknesses.
Of course, from the team’s perspective, any progression from Hackett is gravy considering that the heart and soul of the team lines up next to him. Fourth-overall pick Alexander Selich is unquestionably one of the team’s leaders, a status borne out of his stellar on-field play. Over the preseason Selich posted an astonishing thirty-nine tackles, although only one for a loss. And in a 15-13 victory over the Colorado Yeti, Selich recorded four passes defended and two interceptions, a line that would make even the league’s finest defensive backs blush.
With an ascending mid-round player and a blue-chip talent, there’s no question that the Sabercats linebacking corps is rock-solid, and, to quote many a defensive coordinator, as the linebackers go, so to goes the defense. If the conventional wisdom holds true, the Sabercats should shine on the less glamorous side of the ball
Words:273
Of course, from the team’s perspective, any progression from Hackett is gravy considering that the heart and soul of the team lines up next to him. Fourth-overall pick Alexander Selich is unquestionably one of the team’s leaders, a status borne out of his stellar on-field play. Over the preseason Selich posted an astonishing thirty-nine tackles, although only one for a loss. And in a 15-13 victory over the Colorado Yeti, Selich recorded four passes defended and two interceptions, a line that would make even the league’s finest defensive backs blush.
With an ascending mid-round player and a blue-chip talent, there’s no question that the Sabercats linebacking corps is rock-solid, and, to quote many a defensive coordinator, as the linebackers go, so to goes the defense. If the conventional wisdom holds true, the Sabercats should shine on the less glamorous side of the ball
Words:273
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