Harry
ASFN Consultant and Senior Writer
For those of you not old enough to have visited Disneyland when it opened you got a ticket book that had coupons. They were lettered A-E. “A” tickets were things that were pitiful like the horse drawn streetcar on Main Street. E tickets were the best rides, like the Matterhorn. You got more A tickets than E, of course. There weren’t enough tickets for everything. However, the best rides were the E tickets. They made the trip. They were typically the most exciting rides.
We Cards’ fans have come to mostly see draft day as a land mine field and Keim seemed to have very large shoes. BTW I’m not buying the argument that BA was at fault. There were as many bad defensive picks as offensive. So if you want to know what’s changed, I don’t know. Several on the board noted he seemed to formulate some ideas from PFF. I’ll try to compose something on them soon, including how I think you use them. Regardless of what changed, the change was for the better.
I’m sure everyone was aware of my feelings about Murray. Is he talented? Yes. Is he a sure thing? No. I thought and still think the price was too high. Consider this; delete Isabella and add Bosa. You’ve got one of the top defenses in the NFL. You also have an outstanding set of targets for Rosen. I think the Cards could have won half of their games with that roster in year1.
Now consider the current makeup. The Cards are heavily dependent on Suggs. He has been a great player but durability and skill decline have to be considered. He could be fine or he could be ordinary opening a flaw in the Cards’ defense. At best the situation will have to be dealt with next year. If Murray succeeds and the Cards win half their games, there’s unlikely to be a prime edge rusher at their point in the draft. So that’s the extent of my concerns.
I have one other overall comment on the draft. I’m ignoring round 7. I guess if he was a better pro player than a college player Wilson might be a factor but frankly I rate all 3 non-prospects.
The remainder of the draft was exceptional. Ever other player could start or see significant playing time. Murphy (CB) figures to start as the nickel and be the number 2 corner by mid-season. Forget the speed numbers you saw. He’s at least below 4.45. His support team told him to bulk up for the combine. Some of it carried over to Pro Day so he didn’t even run there. Fortunately there’s plenty of tape showing him against speed receivers in which he holds his own just fine. He's got a nose for the ball and will get his share of turnovers. Years of frustration about finding a complimentary player opposite PP appear over. The tandem should hep the pass rush get coverage sacks and enable the Cards to blitz more often.
The receivers group promises to be a contender for the NFL’s best once they get a little experience. They'll likely use Fitz in the slot, occasionally replaced by Isabella. They may intend to use so many 4 WR sets that there was little need to worry about a tight end. Figure Butler, Johnson and Kirk rotate with Isabella on the outside. They should be able to wear dowm DBs and create all kinds of match up problems. This group has speed, power, great catch radiuses, and fight like demons for 50/50 balls. This group should be formidable for years to come.
Thompson figures to be the center fielder when they play 3 safeties. He’s best going downhill and understands zone coverage. He has drop issues but that can be improved with drills. At least he breaks up the passes and is a sure tackler. He’ll be a role player but he’ll play early.
Gaillard had an awesome senior year and flew up the ranking. I can only assume he didn’t end higher on some evals because he had a bunch of people to pass. It’s like being an unranked team preseason. You can usually not get to the playoffs. Some like a taller center, I prefer a mean one. He’s well balanced between run & pass. You need to keep guards in tight as he doesn’t move as well side to side as the ideal player, but he’ll usually find a way to slow the rusher. Influence blocks can help with this concern. I think he could become the starter this year.
I saved Allen for last. I know some scouts liked him. He’s a blue collar type. He does everything okay but nothing outstandingly. He works hard and will make the roster I just think if he plays he’s giving Suggs a breather. He’s too slow and lacks the agility needed to start.
What a fun draft. It was a ride to remember.
We Cards’ fans have come to mostly see draft day as a land mine field and Keim seemed to have very large shoes. BTW I’m not buying the argument that BA was at fault. There were as many bad defensive picks as offensive. So if you want to know what’s changed, I don’t know. Several on the board noted he seemed to formulate some ideas from PFF. I’ll try to compose something on them soon, including how I think you use them. Regardless of what changed, the change was for the better.
I’m sure everyone was aware of my feelings about Murray. Is he talented? Yes. Is he a sure thing? No. I thought and still think the price was too high. Consider this; delete Isabella and add Bosa. You’ve got one of the top defenses in the NFL. You also have an outstanding set of targets for Rosen. I think the Cards could have won half of their games with that roster in year1.
Now consider the current makeup. The Cards are heavily dependent on Suggs. He has been a great player but durability and skill decline have to be considered. He could be fine or he could be ordinary opening a flaw in the Cards’ defense. At best the situation will have to be dealt with next year. If Murray succeeds and the Cards win half their games, there’s unlikely to be a prime edge rusher at their point in the draft. So that’s the extent of my concerns.
I have one other overall comment on the draft. I’m ignoring round 7. I guess if he was a better pro player than a college player Wilson might be a factor but frankly I rate all 3 non-prospects.
The remainder of the draft was exceptional. Ever other player could start or see significant playing time. Murphy (CB) figures to start as the nickel and be the number 2 corner by mid-season. Forget the speed numbers you saw. He’s at least below 4.45. His support team told him to bulk up for the combine. Some of it carried over to Pro Day so he didn’t even run there. Fortunately there’s plenty of tape showing him against speed receivers in which he holds his own just fine. He's got a nose for the ball and will get his share of turnovers. Years of frustration about finding a complimentary player opposite PP appear over. The tandem should hep the pass rush get coverage sacks and enable the Cards to blitz more often.
The receivers group promises to be a contender for the NFL’s best once they get a little experience. They'll likely use Fitz in the slot, occasionally replaced by Isabella. They may intend to use so many 4 WR sets that there was little need to worry about a tight end. Figure Butler, Johnson and Kirk rotate with Isabella on the outside. They should be able to wear dowm DBs and create all kinds of match up problems. This group has speed, power, great catch radiuses, and fight like demons for 50/50 balls. This group should be formidable for years to come.
Thompson figures to be the center fielder when they play 3 safeties. He’s best going downhill and understands zone coverage. He has drop issues but that can be improved with drills. At least he breaks up the passes and is a sure tackler. He’ll be a role player but he’ll play early.
Gaillard had an awesome senior year and flew up the ranking. I can only assume he didn’t end higher on some evals because he had a bunch of people to pass. It’s like being an unranked team preseason. You can usually not get to the playoffs. Some like a taller center, I prefer a mean one. He’s well balanced between run & pass. You need to keep guards in tight as he doesn’t move as well side to side as the ideal player, but he’ll usually find a way to slow the rusher. Influence blocks can help with this concern. I think he could become the starter this year.
I saved Allen for last. I know some scouts liked him. He’s a blue collar type. He does everything okay but nothing outstandingly. He works hard and will make the roster I just think if he plays he’s giving Suggs a breather. He’s too slow and lacks the agility needed to start.
What a fun draft. It was a ride to remember.
