NFL.COM OVERVIEW

Played for Jaguars RB Toby Gerhart's father at Norco (Calif.) High, where he was a wingback in a double-wing offense. Was present in March '12 when his father, Roy, died of a heart attack. Recruited as a linebacker and redshirted in 2010. Saw action as a defensive end, linebacker and special-teams player in '11 -- appeared in all 13 games, drawing the start at DE against Boise State in the Las Vegas Bowl in place of the suspended Junior Onyeali, and tallied 12 tackles, 3.5 for loss and zero sacks. Started all 13 games at the "Devil" position (hybrid DE/OLB) in '12, notching 81-20.5-11.5 with four batted passes, an interception and three forced fumbles. Started all 14 games in '13, recording 61-19-8.5 with four batted passes, an 18-yard interception touchdown and three forced fumbles. Was benched in the second half of the Oregon State contest after getting into an argument with Will Sutton that escalated into words with head coach Todd Graham on the sideline.

ANALYSIS:

STRENGTHS:

Plays with urgency and beelines to the ball. Explosive -- can power-clean 400 pounds and hits on the rise with power. Is effective stunting and looping. Flashes playmaking ability (see UCLA). Explosive tackler. Can play on his feet off the ball and times up the blitz well. Good hands. Athletic enough to fold back into coverage. Solid instincts and diagnose -- sniffs out screens and has a feel for locating the ball quickly. Excellent leaping ability -- posted a 37 1/2-inch vertical.

WEAKNESSES:

Has a short, compact frame with very short arms and gets hung on blocks. Gets locked down by big-bodied blockers when they get their hands on him. Spins in place and lacks variety of pass-rush moves. Cannot convert speed to power. Needs to improve his hand use.

DRAFT PROJECTION:

Rounds 3-4

BOTTOM LINE:

An undersized college defensive end, Bradford projects to outside linebacker in a 3-4 front in the pros, where his physical dimensions and rush ability are best suited. Would profile best in an aggressive, one-gapping odd front such as the Colts, Jets, Ravens or Steelers.

CBS.COM:

PLAYER LOWDOWN

STRENGTHS WEAKNESSES

STRENGTHS: Sports a compact, powerful frame. Highly instinctive, physical and versatile defender who splits his time between defensive end, outside linebacker and inside linebacker. Good initial quickness off the snap out of the three-point stance, showing enough speed to cross the face of the offensive tackle, as well as an effective club, rip and spin moves to break free.

Surprisingly effective when run toward due to his quickness and use of leverage, bending to take out the knees of oncoming blockers and creating a pile. Adept at slipping blocks. Locates the football quickly and shows an explosive burst to close emphatically.

Only occasionally asked to drop back into coverage, but shows at least fair fluidity and speed when doing so. Alert player with a history of making big plays.

WEAKNESSES: Played in a highly aggressive scheme that may have maximized his big-play ability while minimizing his faults. Lacks ideal physical traits to remain as an outside pass rusher in the NFL, where he starred for the Sun Devils.

Can be engulfed in the running game (whether playing linebacker or defensive end) and does not appear to possess ideal arm length to break free once blockers latch on.

Smooth accelerator off the edge but doesn't possess great speed. Can play out of control, at times, dropping his head to deliver the knockout blow and occasionally whiffing on open-field tackles. Can allow his emotions to get the better of him; benched for the second half against Oregon State Nov. 16 after a physical altercation with teammates on the sideline.

COMPARES TO: Brandon Spikes, Patriots - Like New England's free agent inside linebacker, Bradford is an instinctive, physical and tenacious defender who, unfortunately, has some size and athletic limitations.

--Rob Rang (2/12/14)

PLAYER OVERVIEW

A highly-rated fullback prospect coming out of Norco, Calif., where he was a two-way player, Bradford's high school coach was Todd Gerhart, the father of former Sun Devil offensive lineman Garth Gerhart and 2009 Heisman Trophy runner-up Toby Gerhart.

After redshirting in 2010, Bradford saw action in 12 games the following year, serving as a reserve linebacker and defensive end and contributing heavily on special teams.

Bradford finished fourth on the Sun Devils with 81 tackles in 2012. He averaged 1.58 tackles for loss per game and combined with Will Sutton for 44 tackles for loss on the season, a school record for a duo. Bradford had 11.5 sacks and along with Sutton they were also the first duo in school history to each post double-digit sacks.

Bradford was a second-team All-Pac 12 selection in 2013, a productive year that was also marred somewhat by a reported physical run-in with Sutton and other ASU coaches against Oregon State on Nov. 16. Bradford was benched for the second half of the game, but head coach Todd Graham downplayed the incident.

"People make mistakes, they get passionate at times, but you can see there is accountability," Graham said after the game. "We have got to move forward. He (Bradford) didn't go back in because we took him out."

Bradford has an impressive blend of power and explosion, rushing the passer with a violent, ferocious temperament. He will be viewed by some as a classic 'tweener, but is more than the sum of his parts.

Size, athleticism and instincts project Bradford best to inside linebacker in the NFL - a position he only occasionally played for ASU. However, his ability as a personal protector in the punting game does increase his value.