Through one preseason game of his NFL career, Cardinals rookie defensive back Tyrann Mathieu looks like the same kind of playmaker he was at LSU, before off-field issues cut short his promising college career.
In the first quarter of the Cardinals’ preseason opener against the Packers, Mathieu had a hit that caused an incomplete pass. In the second quarter, he had a tackle on a kickoff. In the third quarter, he had back-to-back plays on which he made a tackle at the line of scrimmage and then dove to the ground, grabbed Packers quarterback Graham Harrell by the ankles and sacked him for a loss of 12 yards. In the fourth quarter, Mathieu had a punt return for 24 yards, and another tackle on a kickoff.
After the game, Mathieu’s mentor and teammate Patrick Peterson made a point of going on Twitter to sing Mathieu’s praises.
Proud of my baby boy @Mathieu_Era doing great thing in his first @nfl game. Can't wait till Sept 8 coming soon 👀 out.
— Patrick Peterson /P2 (@P2) August 10, 2013
It is, of course, just one preseason game. But Mathieu looks like a very good draft pick for the Cardinals.