Mitch
Crawled Through 5 FB Fields
Getting right to the point---BA&SK said prior to the draft that they did not perceive any immediate or desperate needs heading into the draft---that they had done their addressing of immediate needs in FA---and that they felt very comfortable that they could already play with the current roster.
Therefore---what this draft was---for all intents and purposes---a "Next Man Up" draft.
1. T D.J. Humphries takes the swing tackle (2014-Bradley Sowell) role. He's only 21---and he needs to be groomed until he's ready to start. 2016 FA: Bobby Massie.
2. LB Markus Golden takes the situational rusher role (2014-Marcus Benard). He gets to be groomed by FA OLB LaMarr Woodley. 2016 FA: LaMarr Woodley.
3. RB David Johnson becomes Andre Ellington Part II, so that with shared touches, both players can stay fresh. (What we didn't know was that Kerwynn Williams has now taken the Mendenhall/Dwyer role).
4. DE Rodney Gunter gets to work behind Frostee Rucker for a year. 2016 FA Frostee Rucker.
5. OLB Shaquille Riddick get to work behind Alex Okafor at the WILL. Although, it is likely the Cardinals are going to sign another veteran FA edge rusher---which means that unless Riddick is a real factor on STs, he likely spend the year on the PS, assuming he can clear waivers.
6. WR J.J. Nelson's ticket to the roster is simple---he has to win the KO/PR job over Brittan Golden. If so he replaces (2014-WR Ted Ginn Jr.). With the current depth at WR, Nelson can focus primarily on STs.
7. TE Gerald Christian has to beat out Ifeanyi Momah for the speed TE role (2014-TE Rob Housler).
UDFAs: (any have legit roster chances?)
OLB Zach Wagenmann, Montana. He didn't get drafted because he recently broke his foot during a workout, but he was expected to go in rounds 5-7. I think he could make things interesting.
CB C.J. Roberts, University of Colorado-Pueblo. This aggressive, young CB is going to impress the coaches, certainly enough to make the PS. He's sticky in coverage and a good tackler.
ILB Gabe Martin, Bowling Green. Fast and instinctive. Lacks ideal size, but then again so does Larry Foote.
LB Alani Fua, BYU. What's appealing about him is his length, speed and coverage ability (5 career ints.). His is an outside shot---but I wonder if he could be used as a Dansby type WILB.
Early 53 Man Roster Prediction:
QB (3): Palmer, Stanton, (Thomas/Harnish winner)
RB (5): Ellington, Williams, Johnson, Grice, (Taylor/Hughes winner)
WR (5): Fitzgerald, Floyd, John Brown, Jaron Brown, (Golden/Nelson winner)
OL (8): Veldheer, Iupati, Shipley, Cooper, Massie, Larsen, Humphries, (Watford/Steen winner)
TE (4): Carlson, Niklas, Fells, (Momah/Christian winner)
DL (8): Campbell, Rucker, Peters, Redding, Stinton, Gunter, Shaughnessy, (Mauro/Ta'amu winner)
LB (9): Foote, Weatherspoon, Minter, (Carson/Martin/Fua/Demens winner), Woodley, Okafor, Golden, Martin, (Riddick/FA/Wagenmann winner)
DB (8): Peterson, Bucannon, Mathieu, Johnson, Powers, Bethel, Jefferson, (Clemons/FA/Whitley/Legree/Weaver/Smith winner)
ST (3): Catanzaro, Leach, Zastudil
* The fact that the Cardinals did not draft an ILB, very likely means that Larry Foote will be playing this year
* I think the Cardinals like Tyrann Mathieu as a combo S/CB---which is why they didn't feel desperate to draft a CB.
Thanks to everyone at ASFN for making this site a wealth of information and well-prepared analyses of the draftees. We do up the draft right! We really do our homework---which is why this draft was tough for many to take---because with all the mocks we do and all the info we generate---no one could have predicted what the Cardinals did in this draft.
As for draft grades---there is only one grade for every draft the day after: INC.
When the work is turned in over the course of 3-4 years, then we can assess how the Cardinals did.
And---I have to laugh when pundits talk about "good value" in a pick.
The bottom line is a player you like has NO value to you if you don't take him!
Take him---coach him up big-time---and then let's talk about value.
Therefore---what this draft was---for all intents and purposes---a "Next Man Up" draft.
1. T D.J. Humphries takes the swing tackle (2014-Bradley Sowell) role. He's only 21---and he needs to be groomed until he's ready to start. 2016 FA: Bobby Massie.
2. LB Markus Golden takes the situational rusher role (2014-Marcus Benard). He gets to be groomed by FA OLB LaMarr Woodley. 2016 FA: LaMarr Woodley.
3. RB David Johnson becomes Andre Ellington Part II, so that with shared touches, both players can stay fresh. (What we didn't know was that Kerwynn Williams has now taken the Mendenhall/Dwyer role).
4. DE Rodney Gunter gets to work behind Frostee Rucker for a year. 2016 FA Frostee Rucker.
5. OLB Shaquille Riddick get to work behind Alex Okafor at the WILL. Although, it is likely the Cardinals are going to sign another veteran FA edge rusher---which means that unless Riddick is a real factor on STs, he likely spend the year on the PS, assuming he can clear waivers.
6. WR J.J. Nelson's ticket to the roster is simple---he has to win the KO/PR job over Brittan Golden. If so he replaces (2014-WR Ted Ginn Jr.). With the current depth at WR, Nelson can focus primarily on STs.
7. TE Gerald Christian has to beat out Ifeanyi Momah for the speed TE role (2014-TE Rob Housler).
UDFAs: (any have legit roster chances?)
OLB Zach Wagenmann, Montana. He didn't get drafted because he recently broke his foot during a workout, but he was expected to go in rounds 5-7. I think he could make things interesting.
CB C.J. Roberts, University of Colorado-Pueblo. This aggressive, young CB is going to impress the coaches, certainly enough to make the PS. He's sticky in coverage and a good tackler.
ILB Gabe Martin, Bowling Green. Fast and instinctive. Lacks ideal size, but then again so does Larry Foote.
LB Alani Fua, BYU. What's appealing about him is his length, speed and coverage ability (5 career ints.). His is an outside shot---but I wonder if he could be used as a Dansby type WILB.
Early 53 Man Roster Prediction:
QB (3): Palmer, Stanton, (Thomas/Harnish winner)
RB (5): Ellington, Williams, Johnson, Grice, (Taylor/Hughes winner)
WR (5): Fitzgerald, Floyd, John Brown, Jaron Brown, (Golden/Nelson winner)
OL (8): Veldheer, Iupati, Shipley, Cooper, Massie, Larsen, Humphries, (Watford/Steen winner)
TE (4): Carlson, Niklas, Fells, (Momah/Christian winner)
DL (8): Campbell, Rucker, Peters, Redding, Stinton, Gunter, Shaughnessy, (Mauro/Ta'amu winner)
LB (9): Foote, Weatherspoon, Minter, (Carson/Martin/Fua/Demens winner), Woodley, Okafor, Golden, Martin, (Riddick/FA/Wagenmann winner)
DB (8): Peterson, Bucannon, Mathieu, Johnson, Powers, Bethel, Jefferson, (Clemons/FA/Whitley/Legree/Weaver/Smith winner)
ST (3): Catanzaro, Leach, Zastudil
* The fact that the Cardinals did not draft an ILB, very likely means that Larry Foote will be playing this year
* I think the Cardinals like Tyrann Mathieu as a combo S/CB---which is why they didn't feel desperate to draft a CB.
Thanks to everyone at ASFN for making this site a wealth of information and well-prepared analyses of the draftees. We do up the draft right! We really do our homework---which is why this draft was tough for many to take---because with all the mocks we do and all the info we generate---no one could have predicted what the Cardinals did in this draft.
As for draft grades---there is only one grade for every draft the day after: INC.
When the work is turned in over the course of 3-4 years, then we can assess how the Cardinals did.
And---I have to laugh when pundits talk about "good value" in a pick.
The bottom line is a player you like has NO value to you if you don't take him!
Take him---coach him up big-time---and then let's talk about value.
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