Robert Nkemdiche marches to beat of his own drum, like his new coach

9:44 AM ET

TEMPE, Ariz. — From the moment Robert Nkemdiche met Arizona Cardinals coach Bruce Arians, he felt like the two connected beyond football.

It was during a meeting at the NFL scouting combine in February, and there was one topic on every team’s mind that week: Nkemdiche’s incident last December at an Atlanta hotel.

“I said to him, ‘I’m not trying to tell you what you want to hear. I’m really just trying to be me,’” Nkemdiche said. “He’s like, ‘No, I’m feeling you. I’m listening to you. I feel you.’ I’m like, ‘I like this guy.’”

There were 31 other teams that could have drafted Nkemdiche, but he was selected by the one with a head coach who’s as independent a thinker as there is in the NFL. Arians marches to the beat of his own drum, whether it’s with his approach to play calling (he goes deep on third-and-short), the media (he’s open, honest — sometimes — and funny), with his players (he doesn’t sugarcoat anything) or his style (he wears driving caps designed specifically for him and wears shirts more apropos of a night out in Scottsdale than a Monday morning news conference).

In Nkemdiche, the Cardinals drafted a player who also marches to the beat of his own drum, a man with hobbies outside of football. For one, he plays the saxophone and is an avid reader. He also said money isn’t motivation — in football or in his life.

He’s driven by proving to the Cardinals they made the right decision.

“Just really to get an opportunity to play football in an organization …

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