Catbird Seat

[Harry]

You youngsters may not have heard of Mel Allen. He was a famous baseball announcer and the voice of This Week in Baseball for many years. He used that phrase to describe being in the perfect position. With the draft at hand the Cards are in the Catbird Seat. Virtually everyone I talk with says I'm wasting my time guessing the Cards' pick in round 1. They also feel Keim isn't posturing about moving up if someone falls. Almost to a man the gurus believe the Cards have the best roster going into the draft. They will go BPA, despite a few thin spots like CB and OT. There is a near unanimous feeling they can backstop any post-draft needs after the upcoming roster cuts. They are loaded. Most rate the Cards off-season as an A effort. They filled holes at an affordable cost. Their signings and re-signings indicate many players think they are the team to beat.

Those of you who've been on this site for a long time may recall I used to host draft day chats. In 2000 during that chat I correctly called the first 3 Cardinal selections before they were made. It caused quite a stir among my guru colleagues. Sadly I've never come close to duplicating that feat, but I've done okay. I'm not bragging, just saying that the fact I have no round 1 clue is unusual. I might be able to hit after pick 27, but I feel no sense of certainty. I can tell you this, if the Cards don't move up look for a player who likely sees the field at least situationally starting in game 1. He likely will be projected to eventually be a starter unless he's a situational pass rusher. Beyond that I truly believe your guess is as good as mine. I think, based on the pools and their roster, it won't be a C, RB, TE or QB. So get out your Ouiji boards!

 

[Cardiac]

And for those who don't know Harry's history of posting on ASFN, he calls it as he sees it which meant most of his posts in the past were pretty much doom and gloom. As it turned out he was right a vast majority of the time.

So when I read this post I couldn't be happier. Times have changed and it's exciting times my fellow Card Fans.

 

[cardncubfan]

Thank you for your input Harry. It is truly appreciated.

 

[Goldfield]

You don't think we will draft a center? I think we will at some point.

 

[40yearfan]

Holy Moley!!! If Harry is optimistic, I'm ecstatic.

 

[Reddog]

You don't think we will draft a center? I think we will at some point.

He was referring to round 1. I would not be as shocked as he would.

 

[Catfish]

Good stuff Harry: My how the times have changed here on ASFN. How the entire culture has changed since moving into the stadium!!!!!

 

[pinetopred]

I think Kelly is the only C worth considering in the 1st round, but with so many guys with questions off the field and others with motor questions on the field, I have a hunch that a team in late teens early 20s will take him simply because he is a safe pick.

 

[football karma]

I think Kelly is the only C worth considering in the 1st round, but with so many guys with questions off the field and others with motor questions on the field, I have a hunch that a team in late teens early 20s will take him simply because he is a safe pick.

I beleive Seattle takes Kelley

Simply because they need help on the o line, and, they want Max Unger part 2

 

[az jam]

Good read, Harry. Love your insight on the draft. I'm clueless on what they will do at #29. So many options.

 

[football karma]

Looking at various mocks -- it does seem like there will be an intriguing front seven player available:

Nkemdiche, Ogbah, Dodd, Spence,.....

 

[Buckybird]

 

[Cardiac]

http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/eye-on...-needs-ranking-position-units-of-all-32-teams

It would appear that Harry isn't alone in respect to ranking the Cards roster.

The Cardinals, Panthers, Bengals, Packers, Patriots, Raiders, and Seahawks did not rank in the 20s or 30s in any of the position groups. The Cardinals ranked in the top 10 in every single position group.

The funny thing was they had RB ranked as our biggest need at 7.8 & no Mitch, that doesn't mean we should take your boy Henry.

They do group together D-line and O-line and all DB's so as us fans know we do need a C and a DE would be nice.

 

[Harry]

The most exciting part to me is that this team is positioned to contend for years. Don't take my unwillingness to grab the QB of the future or Fitz's replacement as being unaware of those needs. I just don't like this QB pool and I don't see Fitz leaving while having this much fun and acclaim. He's finally getting what he wanted all along and barring injury I think he'll want to savor it and add to his numbers.

As to QB I want to see what Barkley can do. You can't develop 2 QBs at once. It seems odd they'd trade for him if they didn't see something. Next year's pool looks more interesting anyway. Ideally you want to take a QB at the end of round 1 to assure 5 years of control for an affordable price if you choose well. I don't see a fit this year.

 

[Garthshort]

Harry, what if the Cards take Cody Whitehair in the first round? He's listed as an OG, but the team could move him to center. My first round hope is D. Lee, LB from OSU, but I don't expect him to be available. If we draft a CB, a position of need, he'll probably be fifth on the CB list.

 

[Cardsfanstl]

The most exciting part to me is that this team is positioned to contend for years. Don't take my unwillingness to grab the QB of the future or Fitz's replacement as being unaware of those needs. I just don't like this QB pool and I don't see Fitz leaving while having this much fun and acclaim. He's finally getting what he wanted all along and barring injury I think he'll want to savor it and add to his numbers.

As to QB I want to see what Barkley can do. You can't develop 2 QBs at once. It seems odd they'd trade for him if they didn't see something. Next year's pool looks more interesting anyway. Ideally you want to take a QB at the end of round 1 to assure 5 years of control for an affordable price if you choose well. I don't see a fit this year.

Good analysis Harry. Personally I feel the Cards go CB or ILB first round.