Before the draft I posted that the Cards had the deepest roster in the NFL. They must have agreed. 2 of their first three picks were gambles. Was that a good decision?
Nkemdiche has left no doubt about his athletic prowess. I'm just concerned that he seldom displayed it at Ole Miss. I'm also worried about judgment and maturity. If he were the only impact player available at that point, I'd like the pick much better. I must admit Keim has put the Cards in position to gamble, so I guess he's earned the right. Still the Cards have a real chance at the Super Bowl and depth seems to always be critical to getting there. I'd just be more comfortable with a player who was more certain to make a continual contributution. Is Nkemdiche simply a free spirit, like Ricky Williams, or someone who just fantasizes a good game? I think we'll know sooner than later.
Third round pick Brandon Williams is another outstanding athlete who had an odd college career. He looked good as an RB at OKLA. He hurt his neck, got homesick and transferred to A&M. They felt his injury potential was too great to be an every down back so they switched him to CB. He played well considering his lack of experience. Things heated up when they started testing his measureables. He was faster and more agile than expected. Then team after team brought him in for a workout. Still no one took him until the end of round 3 despite a terribly shallow CB pool. Is he a gunner, maybe? Is he a press corner? That's not likely until he gets considerably more experience. Again he may help on special teams but CB is very thin on this roster. Harlan Miller another corner taken later and drafted safety Marqui Christian are both slower than top players. They can't all play special teams, can they? I don't see any of them helping on defense in the event of injury.
There is one pick I really like, Evan Boehm. He's a terrific center prospect. If Shipley falters or gets hurt, Boehm may Wally Pipp him and play for years.
Finally they took future practice squad member Cole Toner. He's obviously smart, but you can't just think your way into the NFL.
The Cards had a chance to shore up several thin positions on the roster. They fixed the center and maybe the D-line. I just wish they'd done more of that.
Nkemdiche has left no doubt about his athletic prowess. I'm just concerned that he seldom displayed it at Ole Miss. I'm also worried about judgment and maturity. If he were the only impact player available at that point, I'd like the pick much better. I must admit Keim has put the Cards in position to gamble, so I guess he's earned the right. Still the Cards have a real chance at the Super Bowl and depth seems to always be critical to getting there. I'd just be more comfortable with a player who was more certain to make a continual contributution. Is Nkemdiche simply a free spirit, like Ricky Williams, or someone who just fantasizes a good game? I think we'll know sooner than later.
Third round pick Brandon Williams is another outstanding athlete who had an odd college career. He looked good as an RB at OKLA. He hurt his neck, got homesick and transferred to A&M. They felt his injury potential was too great to be an every down back so they switched him to CB. He played well considering his lack of experience. Things heated up when they started testing his measureables. He was faster and more agile than expected. Then team after team brought him in for a workout. Still no one took him until the end of round 3 despite a terribly shallow CB pool. Is he a gunner, maybe? Is he a press corner? That's not likely until he gets considerably more experience. Again he may help on special teams but CB is very thin on this roster. Harlan Miller another corner taken later and drafted safety Marqui Christian are both slower than top players. They can't all play special teams, can they? I don't see any of them helping on defense in the event of injury.
There is one pick I really like, Evan Boehm. He's a terrific center prospect. If Shipley falters or gets hurt, Boehm may Wally Pipp him and play for years.
Finally they took future practice squad member Cole Toner. He's obviously smart, but you can't just think your way into the NFL.
The Cards had a chance to shore up several thin positions on the roster. They fixed the center and maybe the D-line. I just wish they'd done more of that.
