AA Speaks To William and Mary D-Coordinator Bob Shoop about David Caldwell

Morning, Addicts. As you may have already noticed, the Chiefs were in attendance at William and Mary’s Pro Day yesterday and in particular, they spoke to safety standout David Caldwell. There wasn’t a ton of information out there on David, so to bring you the best possible Chiefs coverage in the universe, I reached out to William and Marry defensive coordinator Bob Shoop.

Mr. Shoop was kind enough to give me a call and we spent a few minutes talking about David Caldwell. Despite my slow and terrible handwriting, I was able to get a few quotes for you and plenty of inside perspective on David as a player and as a potential pro. Plus Bob gave me most of his Pro Day workout stats. All of that and more, after the jump.

"“We’re going to miss David. You know how they have the saying you don’t really know what you’ve got until its gone? I think we are going to see that with David”-Bob ShoopWilliam and Mary Defensive Coordinator on SS David Caldwell"

Mr. Shoop gave me a call this morning and caught me a little off guard. I was expecting at best, an email back. However, Mr. Shoop reached out and a very friendly and direct way which enabled me to get a nice feel for how he felt about David.

When I asked Mr. Shoop if he thought David would translate well to the NFL he told me he thought Caldwell would definitely become a “priority free agent who might even sneak into the later rounds of the draft.” He pointed out that the clips we found of Caldwell in our earlier post were from his freshman year and noted that David has come a long, long way since then. He also mentioned a more recent Youtube video called something like “David Caldwell Big Hit” but I can not for the life of me find it. If anyone can, please post a link in the comments. Props: Props go to reader Chris, who found not only the “Big Hit” clip (which is so great I have watched it 10 times) but also a few other clips of Caldwell in action. Check them out here and here.

Mr. Shoop told me that David came to W&M as a corner and that he transitioned to strong safety. Caldwell has never really had any problems with injury and has started all 36 games he was eligible to play.

According to Shoop, Caldwell had a very good Pro Day. Let’s take a look at some of his numbers from yesterday.

"Vertical: 39 1/2Broad: 10′ 10″40 Time: 4.5 to 4.6"

Shoop went on to say that Caldwell’s shuttle numbers were comparable to those turned in at the Combine by the likes of Tayler Mays and Eric Berry. Just because Cladwell wasn’t invited to the Combine doesn’t mean he won’t be drafted. Shoop pointed out that last year, W&M standout CB Derrick Cox was not invited to the Combine but after he ran a blisteringly fast 40 time at his Pro Day he shot right into the 3rd round where he was drafted by the Jacksonville Jaguars. Cox started every game of the 2009 NFL season.

Shoop said Cadwell seems to excel “closer to the box,” he is a “very good tackler” and that he is “good against the run.” As for his coverage skills, Shoop noted that Caldwell was always “played the pass well enough for us.” Caldwell didn’t manage to snag any interceptions last season but Shoop doesn’t think that was due to poor play.

Shoop thinks Caldwell is a good Pioli/Haley guy as he is “very reliable” and is “solid in practice and in the weight room.”

One thing Shoop told me that I liked was that he thought Caldwell improved every year. This shows he is coachable and has a will to improve.

W&M has a very good program that is starting to get more and more recognition after turning out players like Darren Sharper and Derek Cox. Many of the scouts at yesterdays Pro Day were probably also taking a look at defensive end/OLB Andrian Tracy, who was also invited to the Combine and who is projected to go as high as the 4th or 5th round, according to NFL Draft Scout.

Shoop told me he thinks Caldwell has all the physical tools to compete at the next level. If the Chiefs agree, he could be a sneaky late round pick or FA pickup with a chance to make an impression in camp. We all know how much the Chiefs value a combination of desire, hard work and talent. It appears Caldwell possesses all three.

A very special thanks to Bob Shoop for giving us some of his time.