They clearly have a vision and clearly drafted guys they like.
Melton was one of the corners I looked into throughout the process. He's an outstanding athlete and plays Rutgers tough. Ask Harrison who was the toughest corner he faced all year and he will tell you it was Melton. This is the type of scouting that nets good players, find the guys who fit what you want and get them.
Trey Benson was my RB1 in this class. He is explosive with good size and has wiggle. He also doesn't have a ton of carries, so he is fresh. This pick also shows some foresight; Conner isn't getting younger and he tends to get nicked up every year. I don't really view Carter as a guy that you want to fill in for your starter, so there was a need for a RB.
I'll admit, I wasn't as focused on the guard class as many others. From what I'm seeing, Isiah Adams was a guy that assistant OL coach Chris Cook loved. He worked with him at the Senior Bowl so he got an extended view of what kind of player he is. Scouts love him on the move, and the Cardinals love to have their guards pull in the run game. I care much more about fit than I do about where Kel Kiper ranks a player. Many fans wanted Cooper Beebe, but if you watched his tape, he didn't look like a fit in what the Cardinals do on offense...he's a below average mover and would like struggle to get to his spots in the running game.
Tip Reiman was my first real head scratcher, not because I didn't think it was a need, but because he wasn't a guy I was targeting. But sometimes we miss out on guys because there are so many players to "scout". Reiman literally tested as the 10th most athletic TE since 1987. We are talking about a pool of THOUSANDS of players. He fits a clear role on the roster: the Cardinals needed a jumbo blocking TE. He will play quite a bit and his athleticism means that he can be that guy who comes on the field to block 10 times and on the 11th time he slips out to flat while no one is looking and gets a 30 yard gain. He's massive and is tough as nails, and fills a clear role on the offense.
As Harry noted, Elijah Jones was one of those guys that was ranked later, but I absolutely love his profile. Good size, speed and production. He was one of the stingiest cornerbacks in the nation. Under ESPNs QBR, he gave up a 3.9 out of 100 when targeted last year and had five interceptions. That's insane. If we are drafting based on last year's production and athletic profile, Elijah Jones is easily being considered at least a second round picks.
And I'm already bullish about Marvin Harrison Jr and Darius Robinson. I think the Cardinals added key pieces to their biggest needs on day one, and then filled out some of their biggest needs on day two. The CB group especially looks substantially better with Murphy-Bunting, Max Melton, Garrett Williams, and Elijah Jones. This group has size and speed and the scrubs have been pushed off the roster.
