Evan
Weaver.
Evan
Weaver.
California· 6'2"· 237 lb· 4.76s 40
"The most productive tackler in college football in 2019, a consensus All-American who wins with instincts, motor and violent contact rather than the speed the NFL usually demands at linebacker."Pre-draft read
Weaver is a stack inside linebacker who plays the run like a fullback in reverse. He reads guards quickly, triggers downhill on the first step and meets ballcarriers in the hole with his pads low and his arms wrapped. His tackling is his signature: he rarely leaves his feet, breaks down under control and finishes through the body instead of lunging at it.
He began his career as a defensive end, and that shows when he takes on blocks: he uses his hands well to shed climbing linemen. The limits appear in space. He is late to the flat, labors to turn and run with backs up the seam, and relies on anticipation rather than recovery speed in coverage.
Downhill 4-3 or 3-4 front that asks its MIKE to fill gaps against gap and zone runs on early downs and leaves the field in nickel.
Year 1: core special teamer and backup MIKE. Ceiling: early-down run-stopping starter replaced by a coverage linebacker on passing downs.
A two-high, sub-package-heavy defense that asks its off-ball linebackers to carry seam routes and match running backs in man coverage.
His value is concentrated before third down, so the roster must carry a coverage linebacker to pair with him.
NFL Draft Highlights: Cal linebacker Evan Weaver
Draft cut-up showing the downhill triggers and wrap-up tackling that produced his nation-leading senior total.
Evan Weaver 2019 highlights
Full senior-season reel from his consensus All-American year, heavy on run fits between the tackles.
Evan Weaver ILB OLB California 2020 NFL Draft
Pre-draft film study that also exposes the range and coverage limits evaluators flagged.
Weaver is an old-school two-down middle linebacker whose entire case rests on processing and effort. He sees run fits early, arrives with bad intentions and makes the tackle, and he did it on nearly every snap of Cal's defense for two seasons. The team buying him is buying a run-down thumper and a core special teams player, not a three-down starter.
He arrived at Berkeley from Spokane as an edge player and moved inside as a sophomore under Justin Wilcox. As a senior he led the nation with 182 tackles, won Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year and was a consensus All-American, while serving as the emotional center of the unit. Much of that production came between the tackles against zone and gap runs, which is exactly the part of the game he projects to handle.
The flag was athletic. A 4.76 forty and pedestrian agility times confirmed what the tape suggested about his range and coverage ability, and evaluators worried he would be a liability on passing downs. Boards generally placed him on Day 3, and Arizona took him in the sixth round, 202nd overall, betting that production would outrun testing.
- 01
Run-game instincts
Diagnoses guard pulls and flow on the snap, triggers downhill without hesitation and fills his gap before blockers can climb to the second level.
- 02
Tackling technique
A reliable wrap-up finisher who breaks down under control, keeps his feet and rarely lets ballcarriers slip free in the hole or in space.
- 03
Block shedding
Former defensive end with strong, active hands who can stack a climbing lineman, disengage and still make the play in his assigned gap.
- 04
Relentless motor
Plays every snap at full speed from whistle to whistle, chasing plays across the field and setting the emotional tone for the defense.
- 05
Proven production
Led the nation in tackles as a senior, won Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year and earned consensus All-American honors in 2019.
- 01
Limited speed
A 4.76 forty and average agility confirm modest range, and faster backs can beat him to the edge on outside zone and toss plays.
- 02
Coverage liability
Labors to open his hips and carry running backs or tight ends up the seam, leaving him exposed on passing downs against NFL skill players.
- 03
Recovery ability
Relies heavily on anticipation; when he guesses wrong on a read, he lacks the burst to recover and close the gap on the ballcarrier.
- 04
Two-down ceiling
Profile points to an early-down run defender and special teamer, which limits his value in a league built around sub-package defense.
Relative Athletic Score (Kent Lee Platte) benchmarks combine/pro-day numbers against every measured prospect at the position since 1987. 10.00 is elite; 5.00 is average.
— — — positional median (p50)
- 40 yd
- 4.76sp50
- Vertical
- 32inp50
- Broad jump
- 117inp50
- Three-cone
- 7.02sp50
- Shuttle
- 4.21sp50
- Bench
- 15repp50
| Yr | Team | G | Tkl | Sk | Int | PD | FF |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | California | 10 | 16 | 1.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2017 | California | 12 | 55 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 2018 | California | 13 | 159 | 4.5 | 2 | 6 | 0 |
| 2019 | California | 13 | 182 | 2.5 | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| Career | — | 48 | 412 | 8.5 | 2 | 11 | 3 |
Sports-Reference (California, 2016-2019), bowl games included for 2018 and 2019. Season totals sum exactly to the career line: 48 games, 412 tackles, 24 TFL, 8.5 sacks, 2 INT, 11 PD, 3 FF, 0 FR. Played defensive end as a freshman before moving to linebacker.
A dash means the figure is not published by a source we trust — never a zero we invented.
Record-setting Pac-12 tackler with limited testing who survived as a special teams contributor rather than a starter.
Instinctive two-down inside linebacker who carved out multiple starting seasons on run defense and special teams.
Productive Big Ten tackler whose modest speed limited him to fringe-roster and practice squad work.
Everything above is the pre-draft evaluation. This section is what actually happened — updated year over year.
Weaver never played a regular-season NFL snap. Arizona waived him at the September 2020 cutdown, a year when the pandemic erased the preseason games he needed to show his tackling, and signed him to the practice squad, where he spent the entire 2020 season. He was retained on a futures contract in January 2021 and returned for a second camp behind Jordan Hicks, Isaiah Simmons and Zaven Collins.
The Cardinals released him again at the August 2021 cutdown, and despite the pedigree of a consensus All-American he did not land on another NFL active roster afterward. In hindsight the pre-draft concern was correct: the instincts and tackling were real, but the league had little room for a linebacker who could not cover or run with backs on third down and had no preseason tape to argue otherwise. Evaluated fairly, he was a reasonable sixth-round swing on elite college production that never translated into a professional role.