Mitch
Crawled Through 5 FB Fields
Last year, Steve Keim had the draft plan all laid out. Here's what he was hoping for:
1. Jonathan Cooper, G, North Carolina. Keim scouted Cooper himself. BA was talking up Levi Brown at the Combine because he already knew Keim was all over Cooper. Plus, Luke Joeckel or Eric Fisher were not going to be on the board.
2. Eric Reid, S, LSU. When the 49ers traded up to pick Reid the reaction in the Cardinals' draft room was one of great disappointment. With the way Reid played as a rookie this year, we can see why. Dude can play. However, all hope was not lost because the other player Keim wanted was still on the board come night 2 of the draft. That player? Zach Ertz, TE, Stanford. The Eagles took Ertz three picks ahead of the Cardinals'---which then made it more feasible for the Cardinals to trade out of the #38 pick because they felt that one of the two players they wanted would still be there seven picks later at #45. So they made the deal with the Chargers and for the #45 and #110 picks. The player the Chargers selected (ILB Manti Te'o) happened to be at the position the Cardinals were addressing, but the Cardinals had two ILBers rated higher than Te'o: Kevin Minter and Kiko Alonso.
What the Minter pick also told us was that Keim and his staff were not that high on TE Gavin Escobar, who might have been a nice consolation prize for not being able to draft TE Zach Ertz.
Here's why Keim picked Minter over Alonso: a better compliment to Daryl Washington. Alonso was a better fit at Washington's WILB position. Plus, Keim is big on picking players with leadership qualities. Minter fit the bill. Alonso, interestingly, goes one pick later to the Bills and has a phenomenal rookie season. Had Keim gone with Alonso, chances are, once they signed Karlos Dansby, Alonso would't have seen the field, just as Minter didn't see the field.
BA&SK&TB remain sky high on Minter. It wouldn't be all that surprising that they elect to go with Minter and let Karlos Dansby sign somewhere else if Dansby's price tag is too steep.
3. Tyrann Mathieu, CB, LSU. This was the plan all along---to take Honey Badger in the third round if he was still available. Keim was ecstatic that he was.
4A. Marquise Goodwin, WR, Texas. This was the hope...which was dashed when the Bills took him in round 3. So the Cardinals went with plan B---which was to see what players high on their board had slid through the cracks, and the surprise for them was Alex Okafor, OLB/DE, Texas, whom some scouts and draft gurus had rated as a late first rounder.
4B. Brian Schwenke, C, California. He was one of the main reasons why the Cardinals traded down from the #38 pick. Once again, however, Schwenke was taken three picks ahead (#107 Titans) of the Cardinals at #110. With their main target off the board, Keim elected to trade down again, this time with the Giants who picked QB Ryan Nassib at #110. This gave the Cardinals the #116 (Earl Watford, G, James Madison) and the #187 (Andre Ellington, RB, Clemson) picks.
5. Stepfan Taylor, RB, Stanford. Keim was hoping to be able to draft Taylor here and got his wish, making him three for three on the odd rounds, Cooper, Mathieu and Taylor.
6A. Ryan Swope, WR, Texas A&M. Keim knew this was a risky pick...but he knew this could be a high reward pick, getting one of the fastest slot WRs in the draft. Having a 2nd 6th rounder made this pick all the easier to make.
6B. Andre Ellington, RB, Clemson. Ellington slipped because of poor 40 times at the Combine while running on a bad ankle. Credit Steve Keim here for taking BPA even having already taken a RB and already having a RB on the roster like Ellington in Ryan Williams. The fact that Ellington had such versatility was an added appeal.
7. D.C. Jefferson, TE, Rutgers. This pick was by far the most surprising and it happened to be the one forced pick for need, having lost out on Zach Ertz earlier. The pick should have been another Jefferson as in Tony Jefferson, S, Oklahoma. Fortunately for Keim and the Cardinals, Jefferson was not taken in the draft thanks to bogus reports that Bob Stoops and the Oklahoma coaches did not have good things to say about TJ's work ethic, which Stoops tried to vehemently deny after the rumors came out---so credit Keim here as well for having Tony Jefferson lined up to sign with the Cardinals after the draft was over.
What We Know Now:
1. Cooper was looking like the most athletic guard to don a Cardinals' uniform in quite some time until he got injured.
2. Minter was quite the headhunter and thumper on STs as he has been patiently waiting his turn.
3. Mathieu wound up being worth a first round pick.
4. Okafor got injured just when he was getting his chance. He didn't have that great of a pre-season. Didn't seem as quick or as athletic on the edge as what was advertised. Maybe injuries had much to do with that.
4. Watford was brought along slowly, as was the plan.
5. Taylor proved to be tough inside runner and blocker, plus a good STs player.
6. Swope didn't even make it to training camp---but the Cardinals still hold his rights and seeing Austin Collie play well in the playoffs for the Pats, perhaps Swope will make a comeback at some point.
6. Ellington was worth at least a second round pick.
7. D.C. Jefferson was a project all the way, both on and off the field, which cost him his spot.
So what about this year?
First of all, last year, Bruce Arians did not have too much input on the draft because he was still getting to know the Cardinals' roster and shaping up his staff, etc.
This year, BA will have greater influence is in free agency, because key pieces will be added to the offense in free agency at LT and WR...plus quite possibly at RB and at TE.
The draft, therefore, is going to be focused on adding speed and aggressiveness on defense.
BA in recent interviews has highlighted the Cardinals' off-season priorities:
1. Add quality players who love the game of football.
2. Create impressive depth and competition on both the offensive and defensive lines.
3. Add speed to both the offense and the defense.
4. Bolster and strengthen the special teams (first step already accomplished by re-signing P Dave Zastudil).
If Steve Keim is able to take care of the main offensive needs in free agency---the first three picks of the draft are OLB, DL, S.
Some Nifty Fits at Senior Bowl for Cardinals:
1. OLB Kyle Van Noy (6-3, 235, BYU)---here is a guy who has sprinter's speed---can wreak havoc off the edge and can perform blanket coverage on TEs and RBs. Absolutely made to order for what the defense needs.
2. S Jimmie Ward (5-11, 204, Northern Illinois)---best cover man at the Senior Bowl and most sudden hitter.
3. DT Will Sutton (6-0, 310, Arizona St.)---John Lott helps him get his head and body right and he rotates into the nickel rush as a rookie and succeeds Darnell Dockett when he leaves. Small and quick is good in Todd Bowles' defense---especially when the strategy is to funnel Wilson and Kaepernick into the middle of the pocket where a quick, sudden rusher like Sutton can clean up.
4. TE Crockett Gilmore (6-6, 253, Colorado St.)---All-purpose TE with good athleticism, who blocks with tenacity and catches the ball with superb concentration.
5. CB Stanley Jean-Baptiste (6-3, 220, Nebraska)---big corner who is physical and quick to the ball.
6. QB David Fales (6-3, 220, San Jose St.)---makes big plays, sees the field, keeps his cool, very competitive---just not a huge arm which means he will be, imo, the Nick Foles of this draft.
7. RB David Fluellen (6-0, 205, Toledo)---good size, toughness and feet.
8. TE Arthur Lynch (6-5, 258, Georgia) or C.J. Fiedorowicz (6-7, 265, Iowa)---big TEs who can block and make plays downfield.
9. WR Robert Herron (5010, 185, Wyoming)---speedy, yet has some thickness to his legs.
10. WR Kevin Norwood ((6-2, 195, Alabama)---looks to me like he has some Reggie Wayne type qualities. Naturally fast and sure-handed.
11. OLB Dee Ford (6-2, 238, Auburn)---fast and furious off the snap, plays hard every snap, excellent chaser, needs to finish his tackles better.
12. OLB Michael Sam (6-3, 255, Missouri)---made to order for Shaughnessy's LOLB spot. Can hold the edge, can bull rush and can turn the corner with quickness.
13. S Deone Bucannon (6-1, 203, Washington St,)---big hitter who covers like a CB. Would be a nice fit at SS for the Cardinals.
14. CB T.J. Davis (6-1, 194, Auburn)---big, quick footed highly alert CB who has good return skills (as Alabama knows).
15. S Craig Loston (6-2, 205, LSU)---active and focused, good hitter, good range, nice size.
16. Chris Smith (6-3, 266, Arkansas)---has the look of a good, solid LOLB edge player---gets his hands up on quick passes---rushes with strength and good speed---very competitive.
17. K Cody Parkey (6-0, 190, Auburn)---made a 50 yarder with good room to spare---good leg, solid accuracy.
18. QB Jimmy Garoppolo (6-2, 195, Eastern Illinois)---was a but erratic in this game, but he brings a crisp style of passing to the fold. Looks and throws like Marc Bulger (compliment)---yet, has a far more competitive mien and outgoing personality than Bulger.
19. T Zach Martin (6-3, 304, Notre Dame)---sound in all aspects---gibes you all he's got---shows excellent technique---short arms do not seem to be an issue because his hand placements and smooth, hard riding techniques are near perfect.
20. LB Chris Borland (5-11, 242, Wisconsin)---tremendous tackler---sifts through traffic well to the ball---looks like a slightly smaller, slightly less rangy version of Luke Keuchly.
1. Jonathan Cooper, G, North Carolina. Keim scouted Cooper himself. BA was talking up Levi Brown at the Combine because he already knew Keim was all over Cooper. Plus, Luke Joeckel or Eric Fisher were not going to be on the board.
2. Eric Reid, S, LSU. When the 49ers traded up to pick Reid the reaction in the Cardinals' draft room was one of great disappointment. With the way Reid played as a rookie this year, we can see why. Dude can play. However, all hope was not lost because the other player Keim wanted was still on the board come night 2 of the draft. That player? Zach Ertz, TE, Stanford. The Eagles took Ertz three picks ahead of the Cardinals'---which then made it more feasible for the Cardinals to trade out of the #38 pick because they felt that one of the two players they wanted would still be there seven picks later at #45. So they made the deal with the Chargers and for the #45 and #110 picks. The player the Chargers selected (ILB Manti Te'o) happened to be at the position the Cardinals were addressing, but the Cardinals had two ILBers rated higher than Te'o: Kevin Minter and Kiko Alonso.
What the Minter pick also told us was that Keim and his staff were not that high on TE Gavin Escobar, who might have been a nice consolation prize for not being able to draft TE Zach Ertz.
Here's why Keim picked Minter over Alonso: a better compliment to Daryl Washington. Alonso was a better fit at Washington's WILB position. Plus, Keim is big on picking players with leadership qualities. Minter fit the bill. Alonso, interestingly, goes one pick later to the Bills and has a phenomenal rookie season. Had Keim gone with Alonso, chances are, once they signed Karlos Dansby, Alonso would't have seen the field, just as Minter didn't see the field.
BA&SK&TB remain sky high on Minter. It wouldn't be all that surprising that they elect to go with Minter and let Karlos Dansby sign somewhere else if Dansby's price tag is too steep.
3. Tyrann Mathieu, CB, LSU. This was the plan all along---to take Honey Badger in the third round if he was still available. Keim was ecstatic that he was.
4A. Marquise Goodwin, WR, Texas. This was the hope...which was dashed when the Bills took him in round 3. So the Cardinals went with plan B---which was to see what players high on their board had slid through the cracks, and the surprise for them was Alex Okafor, OLB/DE, Texas, whom some scouts and draft gurus had rated as a late first rounder.
4B. Brian Schwenke, C, California. He was one of the main reasons why the Cardinals traded down from the #38 pick. Once again, however, Schwenke was taken three picks ahead (#107 Titans) of the Cardinals at #110. With their main target off the board, Keim elected to trade down again, this time with the Giants who picked QB Ryan Nassib at #110. This gave the Cardinals the #116 (Earl Watford, G, James Madison) and the #187 (Andre Ellington, RB, Clemson) picks.
5. Stepfan Taylor, RB, Stanford. Keim was hoping to be able to draft Taylor here and got his wish, making him three for three on the odd rounds, Cooper, Mathieu and Taylor.
6A. Ryan Swope, WR, Texas A&M. Keim knew this was a risky pick...but he knew this could be a high reward pick, getting one of the fastest slot WRs in the draft. Having a 2nd 6th rounder made this pick all the easier to make.
6B. Andre Ellington, RB, Clemson. Ellington slipped because of poor 40 times at the Combine while running on a bad ankle. Credit Steve Keim here for taking BPA even having already taken a RB and already having a RB on the roster like Ellington in Ryan Williams. The fact that Ellington had such versatility was an added appeal.
7. D.C. Jefferson, TE, Rutgers. This pick was by far the most surprising and it happened to be the one forced pick for need, having lost out on Zach Ertz earlier. The pick should have been another Jefferson as in Tony Jefferson, S, Oklahoma. Fortunately for Keim and the Cardinals, Jefferson was not taken in the draft thanks to bogus reports that Bob Stoops and the Oklahoma coaches did not have good things to say about TJ's work ethic, which Stoops tried to vehemently deny after the rumors came out---so credit Keim here as well for having Tony Jefferson lined up to sign with the Cardinals after the draft was over.
What We Know Now:
1. Cooper was looking like the most athletic guard to don a Cardinals' uniform in quite some time until he got injured.
2. Minter was quite the headhunter and thumper on STs as he has been patiently waiting his turn.
3. Mathieu wound up being worth a first round pick.
4. Okafor got injured just when he was getting his chance. He didn't have that great of a pre-season. Didn't seem as quick or as athletic on the edge as what was advertised. Maybe injuries had much to do with that.
4. Watford was brought along slowly, as was the plan.
5. Taylor proved to be tough inside runner and blocker, plus a good STs player.
6. Swope didn't even make it to training camp---but the Cardinals still hold his rights and seeing Austin Collie play well in the playoffs for the Pats, perhaps Swope will make a comeback at some point.
6. Ellington was worth at least a second round pick.
7. D.C. Jefferson was a project all the way, both on and off the field, which cost him his spot.
So what about this year?
First of all, last year, Bruce Arians did not have too much input on the draft because he was still getting to know the Cardinals' roster and shaping up his staff, etc.
This year, BA will have greater influence is in free agency, because key pieces will be added to the offense in free agency at LT and WR...plus quite possibly at RB and at TE.
The draft, therefore, is going to be focused on adding speed and aggressiveness on defense.
BA in recent interviews has highlighted the Cardinals' off-season priorities:
1. Add quality players who love the game of football.
2. Create impressive depth and competition on both the offensive and defensive lines.
3. Add speed to both the offense and the defense.
4. Bolster and strengthen the special teams (first step already accomplished by re-signing P Dave Zastudil).
If Steve Keim is able to take care of the main offensive needs in free agency---the first three picks of the draft are OLB, DL, S.
Some Nifty Fits at Senior Bowl for Cardinals:
1. OLB Kyle Van Noy (6-3, 235, BYU)---here is a guy who has sprinter's speed---can wreak havoc off the edge and can perform blanket coverage on TEs and RBs. Absolutely made to order for what the defense needs.
2. S Jimmie Ward (5-11, 204, Northern Illinois)---best cover man at the Senior Bowl and most sudden hitter.
3. DT Will Sutton (6-0, 310, Arizona St.)---John Lott helps him get his head and body right and he rotates into the nickel rush as a rookie and succeeds Darnell Dockett when he leaves. Small and quick is good in Todd Bowles' defense---especially when the strategy is to funnel Wilson and Kaepernick into the middle of the pocket where a quick, sudden rusher like Sutton can clean up.
4. TE Crockett Gilmore (6-6, 253, Colorado St.)---All-purpose TE with good athleticism, who blocks with tenacity and catches the ball with superb concentration.
5. CB Stanley Jean-Baptiste (6-3, 220, Nebraska)---big corner who is physical and quick to the ball.
6. QB David Fales (6-3, 220, San Jose St.)---makes big plays, sees the field, keeps his cool, very competitive---just not a huge arm which means he will be, imo, the Nick Foles of this draft.
7. RB David Fluellen (6-0, 205, Toledo)---good size, toughness and feet.
8. TE Arthur Lynch (6-5, 258, Georgia) or C.J. Fiedorowicz (6-7, 265, Iowa)---big TEs who can block and make plays downfield.
9. WR Robert Herron (5010, 185, Wyoming)---speedy, yet has some thickness to his legs.
10. WR Kevin Norwood ((6-2, 195, Alabama)---looks to me like he has some Reggie Wayne type qualities. Naturally fast and sure-handed.
11. OLB Dee Ford (6-2, 238, Auburn)---fast and furious off the snap, plays hard every snap, excellent chaser, needs to finish his tackles better.
12. OLB Michael Sam (6-3, 255, Missouri)---made to order for Shaughnessy's LOLB spot. Can hold the edge, can bull rush and can turn the corner with quickness.
13. S Deone Bucannon (6-1, 203, Washington St,)---big hitter who covers like a CB. Would be a nice fit at SS for the Cardinals.
14. CB T.J. Davis (6-1, 194, Auburn)---big, quick footed highly alert CB who has good return skills (as Alabama knows).
15. S Craig Loston (6-2, 205, LSU)---active and focused, good hitter, good range, nice size.
16. Chris Smith (6-3, 266, Arkansas)---has the look of a good, solid LOLB edge player---gets his hands up on quick passes---rushes with strength and good speed---very competitive.
17. K Cody Parkey (6-0, 190, Auburn)---made a 50 yarder with good room to spare---good leg, solid accuracy.
18. QB Jimmy Garoppolo (6-2, 195, Eastern Illinois)---was a but erratic in this game, but he brings a crisp style of passing to the fold. Looks and throws like Marc Bulger (compliment)---yet, has a far more competitive mien and outgoing personality than Bulger.
19. T Zach Martin (6-3, 304, Notre Dame)---sound in all aspects---gibes you all he's got---shows excellent technique---short arms do not seem to be an issue because his hand placements and smooth, hard riding techniques are near perfect.
20. LB Chris Borland (5-11, 242, Wisconsin)---tremendous tackler---sifts through traffic well to the ball---looks like a slightly smaller, slightly less rangy version of Luke Keuchly.
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