Arizona Cardinals needs pre-draft
If there is one thing you can count on with the Arizona Cardinals each year is that they will almost always draft for need on most of their picks and not go with the best player available in the early rounds. They tend to reverse trends in the later rounds and start picking based on best player or scout recommendations, which is why you often see them strike out on their high picks but have some very good mid round talent that ends up playing. If only they would hold to the best player approach for all seven rounds!
Anyways, leading up to the draft now that the Larry Fitzgerald contract is resolved and free agency shopping has pretty much come and gone, it’s time to look at the holes in the roster and use those as clues as to where the team might be headed in the bargain shopping phase of free agency and then in the draft.
1. Corner back and secondary. The club has made clear through several interviews and media outlets locally that they intend to resign Matt Ware and Oliver Celestin once the Fitzgerald contract is approved by the league office and they have the cap room. Both are key special teams players and as last season showed they can step in and provide depth at safety, even though the drop off is pretty steep from the starters. The move of Antrel Rolle to free safety and the return of Aaron Francisco and Adrian Wilson now creates what could potentially become one of the strongest groups of safeties in the NFL. If only the situation at corner back was so rosy! With Eric Green returning from injury and a solid 07, coupled with Rod Hood’s productive year the Cardinals have decent starting cornerbacks. No all pro’s for sure but neither did the NY Giants. The issue is there is zero depth, particularly with Rolle moving to FS. This team absolutely must draft at least two CB prospects in my opinion and look to make a bargain acquisition in the late stages of free agency to find someone to challenge Ralph Brown for the nickel or dime CB position. Look for the Cardinals to use at least two picks this year on CB prospects in what is shaping up as a deep, but not superior, crop of draftable corners.
2. Defensive line. The team continues to build depth in it’s front seven but as the NY Giants showed this year, you can’t have enough premier D linemen to stuff the run and pressure quarterbacks. A great DL makes average corner backs look pretty good. The Cardinals are set at Nose tackle with Gabe Watson and Alan Branch manning the position. I’m hoping Branch makes the same kind of strides that Watson did in year two and that they can form a dynamic and tireless push up the middle of the line. At the under tackle you have Pro-Bowl Darnell Dockett hitting his prime and the surprisingly solid Rodney Bailey backing him up, creating another solid tandem but if Dockett goes down there is going to be a big drop off here. At the LDE position the team gave a tender offer to the Antonio Smith and at the RDE slot they reworked Bert Berry’s contract and signed Travis LaBoy to most likely start in front of Berry. However, the depth is exceptionally thin at DE with only Joe Tafoya, a solid journeyman type, to be possibly resigned so I would look for the team to jump all over Phillip Merling or Derrick Harvey if they some how drop to the 16th slot in the first round. As last season showed this team is exceptionally thin and just above average at DE and they need a substantial upgrade in talent and speed.
3. Linebacker. While the team locked up Gerald Hayes last year and put the franchise tag on Karlos Dansby, this is another area that is solid at the starting position’s but has a huge drop off in talent once the starters are out. The SLB will be manned by Chike Okefor who was poised for a huge season under the new defensive scheme, but who lost the entire season due to injury. His injury opened the door for Calvin Pace to show his stuff, but I really think that in this scheme that Chike is going to be a monster. MLB is held down by Hayes and the WLB is going to be the home for potential pro-bowler Karlos Dansby. The problem becomes there is almost zero depth and talent behind these three and the team lost out on the services of Brandon Chillar due to the Fitzgerald contract so they are now going to be looking for a versatile LB in the draft as well as another vet to provide some depth and experience. Watch for a top five rounds pick at the linebacker position as well as one more signing as this team is exceptionally vulnerable if any of the three starters goes down to injury.
4. Offensive tackle. The addition of Levi Brown and the solid play of Mike Gandy gives the Cardinals a decent tandem. Elton Brown demonstrated that both he and Reggie Wells can move to tackle in a pinch, but I don’t think anyone wants to see either of them as our starters at tackle for any length of time. The Cardinals desperately need another young stud tackle to develop, particularly with Oliver Ross being cut and few if any prospects at the position on the roster. If a potential franchise LT slips to the 16th slot, such as Chris Williams of Vanderbilt I think the Cardinals would be crazy to pass on him. They are a torn ACL from total chaos at the tackle spot and even if they don’t get a guy like Williams at 16 you can count on them grabbing a prospect in rounds 3 through 6 on draft day.
5. Running back. I personally don’t think it’s a huge area of need as Edgerrin James is one of the most durable and reliable running backs in the NFL. Sure they would like to add a break away change of pace back, but thats a result of J.J. Arrington never panning out as a second round pick because he should be filling that role but he just has never gotten it done. I see the RB spot as one where you look for a mid to late round steal to put in the mix so you can release Arrington or Shipp and put some fresh legs in there to back up edge. I definitely don’t see the team taking a high pick at RB but in the late third to sixth round I would expect them to take advantage of an incredibly deep group of running backs to find a prospect here. As mentioned before I think Ryan Torrain is going to be the steal of the mid round and I’m hoping the Cardinals grab him.
6. Wide receiver. While set at the starting slot I listened to a radio interview with OC Todd Haley two days ago when he talked about who the guys are that could fill the third and fourth receiver slots for this team now that Bryant Johnson has left via free agency. I get the impression this staff really likes the potential of Jereme Urban and that Steve Breaston has made real strides in his rookie year. However, I will be shocked if the Cardinals don’t make a mid to late round pick at WR to add a slot receiver or some real speed to the mix. The big risk of having so much money tied up in Fitz and Boldin is if they go down to injury you don’t have much money to spend on depth to back them up, so you better find some cheap free agents or rookies to fill that void. Watch for at least one pick to be used at WR.
Well, that pretty much sum’s up the team needs. They are getting very strong up the middle on both sides of the line, at MBL and safety and have the key skill players at QB, WR and RB to compete. This is going to be a draft that builds depth, upgrades the defensive line, CB and pass rush and hopes to find a solid RB. Who those players will be and where they take them is always the intrigue.
Once again i’ll make my prediction that this staff will want to build the lines first so you can look for Chris Williams the OT from Vandy, Phillip Merling the DE from Clemson or Derrick Harvey the DE from Florida to be the picks for the Cardinals depending on who is there when they get to the 16th slot.
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23 Responses to “Arizona Cardinals needs pre-draft”
March 24th, 2008 at 9:08 am
Punting game was horrible after Player was released. Durant Brooks in the 4th or 5th rounds would provide stability to the position for years.
March 24th, 2008 at 9:31 am
Very nice write-up! Excellent work.
March 24th, 2008 at 12:30 pm
Wow, you actually have knowledge of the Cardinals and give a very accurate description of the team needs. Most mock drafts, even from the larger sites glaze over on the Cardinals and give a guess to what the problems of the team are. Color me impressed!
March 24th, 2008 at 3:23 pm
I have to concur. I think you hit the nail right on the head. I don’t recall the last time I read a review of my team that was as spot on as this one is.
Again, very well researched and presented.
March 24th, 2008 at 3:53 pm
I liked the review. I am curious that you think the most glaring need is corner, but you don’t think they will draft a corner in the first round. There is supposed to be elite talent at corner when the Cards pick. I personally would love to see the Cards draft an CB and DE in the first two rounds.
March 24th, 2008 at 5:52 pm
Thanks for all the feed back guys.
I’m a big special teams guy and I agree the punting situation probably cost them at least one game, and possibly two last year, not to mention the games it played with Racker’s head. Durant Brooks has incredible potential but I don’t think i’d ever draft a punter higher then a 6th or 7th round slot. This team has too many other holes to fill to take a punter that high in the draft in my opinion.
The glaring need is corner, I think pretty much all commentators and fans agree on that, but I just feel that the relative value at the 16th pick is going to be to take a stud DE who can play the run and pass, or a potential franchise LT. The only two guys I would draft at CB in the 16th slot would be McKelvin, the kid from Troy or Rodgers-Cromartie from Tenn. St. This franchise has reached for need players before, ( think Tommy Knight ) when they also desperately need an impact DE to pair up with their roster of decent DE’s they have now. They have CB’s in Green and Hood, they just need some young prospects to back them up and learn.
Again, I’m hoping that this year, with the way the talent is shaping up that they avoid the sexy pick of a RB or CB and go instead with a LT or DE prospect instead. Let’s build this franchise for the long term.
March 24th, 2008 at 8:20 pm
wow. Great assessment on the Cardinals needs!! I also think the cardinals need to keep building up the trenches! This is the best most intelligent well though out report I have seen to this year. You think there can be a slight possibly Sam Baker falls to us in the 2nd round? Or how about Antoine Cason? How do you feel about him as possible draft choice? For the 3rd/4th round pic what do you think about Geno Hayes Lb from FSU?
March 25th, 2008 at 7:28 am
Outstanding Mark! Not only did you address the needs well, but understand the Ofeensive Line and Defensive Front-7 is where games are won and lost. Running Back and Cornerbacks in the first rounds have less of an immediate impact on the team, cost more in contracts. Cornerbacks always look better when you have a stout pass rush. Running Backs always look better with a great Offensive Line. Secure those areas first, THEN go after CB & RB (next yr if necessary). Rome wasn’t built in a day, but Great Progress is being made.
March 25th, 2008 at 12:29 pm
Juan,
Thanks for the encouragement. I like to think that Eli and I as long term fans of the team give it a little more thought and effort then some of the publications that show up in AZ twice a year, if that, and pretend to know what the Cardinals needs are.
As to your question I would be shocked to see Sam Baker drop that far, but stranger things have happened. I think he’s getting a bad rap based on the fact that a lot of teams think USC players look better then they are at times due to be surrounded by a lot of talent. I think thats absurd and Baker should be a very solid pro. I’m really torn on Antoine Cason. I think he’s going to be a good pro but he’s a classic cover two type CB. I could see him thriving in Tampa or Indy given his skills but he reminds me a lot of Antrel Rolle in that he might not be an ideal cover corner. I’m glad you mentioned Geno Hayes! I think that guy is going to be a great mid round linebacker, and with the Cardinals releasing Beisel, Blackstock and Johnson they are desperately short of linebackers. He could be a very solid prospect.
As to Ralph’s point, right on my friend. We agree that building the lines is always the best way to make an average running game solid and mediocre CB’s into stars. It should be a great draft if they stick to the lines and linebackers for the first three picks and then go shopping for CB’s, RB’s, etc.
March 25th, 2008 at 4:36 pm
Just want to follow suit with the solid Cardinal’s coverage…it’s a beautiful thing.
I think the line is the end all as stated. If we have a good line on both sides with Edge, Boldin, and Fitz with an improving Matt Leinart as well Warner if need be…we are playoff bound. We can scrounge CBs and WRs if need be. As seen in the past, we can’t scrounge lineman midseason or reform the line with much sucess. We need as we began last year to solidify our line, develop Leinart, and change the Cardninal’s mindset to victory.
March 25th, 2008 at 10:58 pm
Mark,
I have taken a bit of a break commenting on your posts as often i ended up being the only one in here but i will continue with the compliments, great article. I encourage those of you who enjoyed this one to continue reading Mark and Eli’s material and even read some back-posts because many of them are equally as well thought out and well crafted. Now for my question to you mark(or eli depending on who has seen the film,) Do you believe Phillip Merling can translate well into a 3-4 DE? I know the cards play a hybrid D but there is no doubt the goal is to continue the transition to a 3-4 base. I know Callis Campell (sp?) would be a big time reach at 16 but i think with his long arms he has potential to become a dominant 3-4 end. I am certainly not advocating reaching for him at 16, but i wonder if the cost of trading back up into the first round or maybe moving up high into the second round (if he were to fall) would be a worthwhile investment. He is 6′8” and has a massive wingspan to help play the run. The knock on his is he isn’t a fantastic speed rusher but as a 3-4 DE that is not something that is a necessity. I just can’t wait to see how this draft pans out. There is no doubt it is a HUGE one to continue this teams development from the basement to the peak of the nfc!
March 26th, 2008 at 6:40 am
Mike,
Good to hear from you as always. Eli is the film freak on this blog so i’m going to let him really get into your question. I know he has looked hard at Merling, Campbell and Harvey. You raise a good point and that is what the current staff is looking for out of a DE in this hybrid system. I’m of the opinion that what they have isn’t what they ultimately want at that slot. I think of the three, in my opinion, that Campbell and Merling would be the best options as true DE’s and that Harvey is actually looking more and more like an edge OLB/DE combo type. Lets see what Eli’s thoughts are.
March 26th, 2008 at 4:12 pm
Mike, Good question about Phillip Merling. From what I’ve seen and heard about Merling, he is more of a 4-3 defensive end. Most scouts believe that Merling wouldn’t translate well to a 3-4. So that might make the decision easier for the Cardinals not to select him. Also, Merling just had surgery for a hernia which is making is stock drop a little bit.
I think Derrick Harvey will be selected before the Cardinals pick but he would be a great fit for a 3-4. Calais Campbell would be better suited for a 3-4 than Merling but is a little bit of a reach in my opinion. With that all said, If the Cardinals did select Campbell or Merling I would not be disappointed.
March 26th, 2008 at 7:53 pm
on a side note I read some of your previous articles, and awesome work Mark Wahlstrom. I do not know why I have not heard of you, or seen your articles up until this one, but I am loving them and looking forward to more of them from you!
March 26th, 2008 at 8:12 pm
Eli,
What your hearing about merling is fairly similar to what i have heard/read thus far. As far as campell again i was merely implying he would be better suited at the postion, not that he is worthy of the 16th pick. Harvey I think there is a chance he could last although it seems doubtful. I just simply can’t wait to see how it all pans out. Thanks for the input. Looks like you have another faithful follower in Juan, welcome to the club.
March 26th, 2008 at 8:30 pm
Thanks Juan. Both Eli and I put a lot of time and effort into it, as he and I are just obsessive Cardinals fans that decided to take our daily debates and conversations online. It helps that in our day jobs we do writing and media work of another type, which is why we plan on expanding our podcasts. Eli and I will be doing a pre-draft podcast tomorrow going over a lot of this material and we will be sure to post the link here.
Back to the Calais Campbell/Phillip Merling debate I am trying to look at the 15 picks ahead of the Cardinals to see who is going to be there for them. Campbell’s slow 40 times at the combine and a less then impressive bench press hurt his chances of going mid first round, but a guy his size at DE in a true 3-4 doesn’t have to be lightening fast in the 40, he just needs to be quick and Campbell’s shuttle times were pretty good. 16 is probably too high for him but he’s an intriguing prospect.
I think Eli is right that Merling is more of a 4-3 type of DE, but as more teams convert to the 3-4 and start putting guys like Harvey or Calvin Pace out on the edge you are going to see more hybrid type schemes. What i’m hoping is the Cardinals have a strong philosophy of the kind of player they want and then they get that guy.
On another note i’m probably going to have to rework my mock draft again this week as the pro day that Chris Williams had at Vandy just cemented his status as the third best OT in the draft and I don’t see him getting past Detroit at this point, but with Matt Millen calling the shots who knows what they will do.
March 26th, 2008 at 9:47 pm
Mark, assuming that Chris Williams and Derrick Harvey are both gone by the Card’s pick where do you think they will go? Also, I know that they have talked about getting a speed RB to compliment Edge, who do you think they are looking at?
March 27th, 2008 at 2:19 am
Hey Mark.
I really enjoyed the article and have printed it off to refer to during the draft. We only get the first round live in the UK, but we can watch the rest on the net overnight. I’ve bought in extra rations of coffee
Thanks for the excellent insight. You put many of your peers to shame.
Mike (Northern Soul)
March 27th, 2008 at 5:39 pm
where’s your guy’s podcast?? I would like to hear it.
March 28th, 2008 at 3:10 pm
Its nice to hear someone make sense when it comes to the Arizona Cardinals. good writing.
March 28th, 2008 at 10:14 pm
Great work guys. You obviously have your finger on the pulse of the Cards. I wanted to get your opinion on a couple of guys I think might be later round sleepers. First is CB Orlando Scandrick out of Boise St. and 2nd is Ezra Butler OLB out of Nevada.
March 29th, 2008 at 7:43 am
bg7brd,
Thanks. Glad you mentoned Scandrick, who I have listed as one of my targeted guys in the third round. He opened a lot of eyes at his pro day, sticking 40 times in the 4.32 range, and having good size at 5 10, 195lbs. I think he is really on a lot of teams radars and could possibly go in the late second round. I’m hoping the Cardinals grab him in the third as I think the second is a bit high for him, but i’d love to see this guy as a Cardinals.
Ezra Butler had a lot of buzz leading into the combine but then decided not to work out and save his leg after popping a ham string early in the process. His Pro Day was just this past week but I haven’t seen any times or results posted just yet. He’s got great size and was expected to run in the 4.6 range and he could be a decent prospect, but that conference can make guys look a lot better then they really are and it’s tough to translate who out of the WAC or Mountain West might be able to stack up against their peers in other parts of the country. I’d heard he was a mid round choice but I do like his college production and he might be intriguing in rounds 5-7.
March 31st, 2008 at 8:08 pm
The Cards has had the best drafts the last 2 years. A very complete offense. This team needs to address positions at linebacker, corner, running back, safety and defensive end in the draft.
I think the Cards should trade some guys for 1 time pro bowl CB Lito Sheppard of the Eagles. Hey, maybe they could trade Bolden for Chad Johnson.
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