Eric Striker hails from Seffner, Florida and played his high school football at Armwood High School. He recorded 109 tackles, 11 sacks and 18 tackles for loss as a senior, 125 tackles and 16 sacks as a junior, set a school record at Armwood HS for careers sacks with 42 and was named a first team Sports Illustrated All-American. He was named a four-star recruit in the class of 2012 by Rivals.com and 247sports.com. He received scholarship offers from Oklahoma, Indiana, Iowa, Tennessee and USF.
His career at Oklahoma was very impressive as the numbers above show but Eric Striker was more than just a football player. He advocates for social change. He wrote about it for campusrush.com last month. Here's an excerpt from the piece:
I grew up in a house where we sat around the dinner table and spoke the truth: In my family, we talked about what it's like to be a black man in America, what it means and the experiences it brings. I learned early on that stereotypes are everywhere—and not just racial stereotypes. As an athlete,
I get stereotyped all the time. I'll be in the library and people will say, "You know what a library is?" Yes, thank you. Athletes do their work, too. And when necessary, we speak up. As a young man I thought, I'm gonna change the world, but I didn't know how. Now I have a platform and a voice people want to hear. Why would I stop talking?
What you have to understand is that so many things are bigger than sports. One thing that's true, and this is sad, is that in this country the game of football is a bigger priority than fixing the racial divide. Sometimes the attitude is, As long as my football team is playing, I'm happy. I get it: Athletes struggle between devoting time to social justice and devoting time to their craft. Both are important and it isn't easy to find a balance. But what I do know is this: Football will come to an end some day. What will stick around are relationships.
There's a big difference between tolerance and acceptance. Tolerance means "I'm going to deal with this because I have to." Acceptance means, "I've thought about this, I've educated myself and I embrace it." Words are powerful, and we have to remember that every time we walk into a new situation.
Together, we all have to strive to accept others, not to simply tolerate them. When people get to college, they are introduced to so many new cultures, beliefs and backgrounds. Sometimes they get more of an education outside the classroom than in it. At the end of the day it's about respect: respecting others and respecting their beliefs. What better feeling is there than saying, I became a better person, a more complete human being, because today I learned about this nation, this religion or this background?
Strengths
Eric Striker has the potential to be an elite pass rusher in the NFL. He has so much speed coming off the edge when he pressures the quarterback
He’s an excellent tackler. In the film I saw on this guy, there was no arm-tackling involved. He wrapped guys up and aggressively finished tackles
Because he’s so quick and athletic, shedding blocks isn’t an issue for him
Weaknesses
His size. He doesn’t have the prototypical size and height for NFL Linebacker and I’m worried that he might not be able to deal with bigger, more experienced offensive linemen at the next level.
How He Would Fit on the Redskins
If the Redskins were to draft him, He could switch between outside line backer and left or right defensive end because his speed and quickness off the edge. I believe he has the ability to be an elite pass rusher in the NFL.
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