Most Chiefs fans weren't sure what to make of Javier Arenas when he was announced as the No. 50 choice overall in last April's NFL Draft. Most knew he was part of the 2009 National Champions from the University of Alabama and he was also the "punt return guy." But unless you were watching closely, most didn't realize just how highly regarded his pass rushing skills were held.
The official Crimson Tide site said in 2009 that Arenas "specializes in the corner blitz, which has resulted in four sacks (-43) while making a team-best 10.5 tackles for loss (-74 yards), which ranks second in the SEC."
Coming out of college, one scout said of Arenas, "The most underrated part of Arenas’ game is his strength, as evidenced by the way he spins out of tackles and the way he just runs through special teams defenders that can’t or aren’t willing to wrap their arms around him. His initial burst of quickness and quick feet are hard to match for his opponents."
Michael Lev of the Orange County Register praised Arenas' courage and heart on the field. "Arenas never backs down from a challenge, even if he's outsized, which is usually the case. The 5-foot-9, 195-pound senior missed the South Carolina game this season because of bruised ribs suffered on a blitz when he tried to run over the biggest player on the team, freshman tackle D.J. Fluker."
After the draft, Scott Pioli said the same thing is what drew him to Arenas. "The other thing he can do from that position is that he’s one of the best blitzing defensive backs that I’ve seen in a long time. He knows how to blitz in terms of timing."
The Chiefs are seeing the results of that now as they learn more about their younger players. The more they learn the strengths and styles of the roster, the more they'll be able to utilize them properly on the field. Arenas' first sack of the year in Sunday's win against the Cardinals will probably be the first of many more to come.
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