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Championship!!!!
Cards stick to board, pass on corner
By Darren Urban, Tribune
Call it the downside of taking the best available player.
The Cardinals finished their last four picks Sunday and came out of the NFL draft without taking a cornerback, a position that looked like their greatest need heading into the weekend.
But coach Dennis Green had stressed that was exactly what could happen, and both Green and vice president of football operations Rod Graves were satisfied they had done the right thing after the draft ended.
“That’s where (our picks) were ranked on the board,” Green said. “If you buy part of the package, you have to buy the whole package.”
The Cardinals took Ohio State offensive lineman Alex Stepanovich, Oklahoma State defensive end Antonio Smith, Kansas State offensive lineman Nick Leckey and Michigan quarterback John Navarre.
Green said all seven of the Cardinals’ picks were within the top 103 players on their draft board.
The Stepanovich selection early in the fourth round wasn’t a complete surprise. He can play both center and guard and the Cardinals needed a player in that area. It made sense even though USC cornerback Will Poole was still available.
But what was strange was when the Cardinals took Leckey, who plays the same positions as Stepanovich, two rounds later.
“As soon as I saw Alex go, I was like, ‘Well, I can mark Arizona off the list,’ ” Leckey said. “Then I saw the caller ID (when I was picked) and saw it was from Phoenix, Arizona, and I thought to myself, ‘Is this a prank call or something?’ ”
What it means is that veterans like Frank Garcia, Raleigh Roundtree and even starting guard Cameron Spikes could be in roster jeopardy.
“We have to shore up our offensive line,” Green said. “We have some (former) top picks; we all know they need to play better. But we have not had a lot of depth. We need guys who can do more than one thing.”
Smith is a project, with some raw tools that might be able to be developed — what has become a common trait among young Cardinals defensive linemen. Navarre has a good pedigree, since Michigan quarterbacks (Tom Brady, Brian Griese, Elvis Grbac) have been known to turn into competent NFL players despite lower draft status.
He’ll battle Preston Parsons for a spot on the roster behind Josh McCown and Shaun King.
The Cardinals got commitments from four undrafted free agents Sunday afternoon. Their names were not released because they had not yet signed contracts, but the positions are safety, tight end, receiver and running back. The Cardinals also signed free agent kicker Matt Fordyce, giving Arizona the maximum 83 players on the roster.
Green said he thinks the cornerback group the Cards have — Duane Starks, David Macklin, Renaldo Hill, Robert Tate — is good enough. If not, they’ll find a free agent.
By Darren Urban, Tribune
Call it the downside of taking the best available player.
The Cardinals finished their last four picks Sunday and came out of the NFL draft without taking a cornerback, a position that looked like their greatest need heading into the weekend.
But coach Dennis Green had stressed that was exactly what could happen, and both Green and vice president of football operations Rod Graves were satisfied they had done the right thing after the draft ended.
“That’s where (our picks) were ranked on the board,” Green said. “If you buy part of the package, you have to buy the whole package.”
The Cardinals took Ohio State offensive lineman Alex Stepanovich, Oklahoma State defensive end Antonio Smith, Kansas State offensive lineman Nick Leckey and Michigan quarterback John Navarre.
Green said all seven of the Cardinals’ picks were within the top 103 players on their draft board.
The Stepanovich selection early in the fourth round wasn’t a complete surprise. He can play both center and guard and the Cardinals needed a player in that area. It made sense even though USC cornerback Will Poole was still available.
But what was strange was when the Cardinals took Leckey, who plays the same positions as Stepanovich, two rounds later.
“As soon as I saw Alex go, I was like, ‘Well, I can mark Arizona off the list,’ ” Leckey said. “Then I saw the caller ID (when I was picked) and saw it was from Phoenix, Arizona, and I thought to myself, ‘Is this a prank call or something?’ ”
What it means is that veterans like Frank Garcia, Raleigh Roundtree and even starting guard Cameron Spikes could be in roster jeopardy.
“We have to shore up our offensive line,” Green said. “We have some (former) top picks; we all know they need to play better. But we have not had a lot of depth. We need guys who can do more than one thing.”
Smith is a project, with some raw tools that might be able to be developed — what has become a common trait among young Cardinals defensive linemen. Navarre has a good pedigree, since Michigan quarterbacks (Tom Brady, Brian Griese, Elvis Grbac) have been known to turn into competent NFL players despite lower draft status.
He’ll battle Preston Parsons for a spot on the roster behind Josh McCown and Shaun King.
The Cardinals got commitments from four undrafted free agents Sunday afternoon. Their names were not released because they had not yet signed contracts, but the positions are safety, tight end, receiver and running back. The Cardinals also signed free agent kicker Matt Fordyce, giving Arizona the maximum 83 players on the roster.
Green said he thinks the cornerback group the Cards have — Duane Starks, David Macklin, Renaldo Hill, Robert Tate — is good enough. If not, they’ll find a free agent.
