Mel Kiper's grade

[Skkorpion]

Arizona Cardinals: C
Arizona's draft was all about saving money. The Cardinals moved down from the sixth spot and got Bryant Johnson, the wide receiver they needed, and an athletic pass rusher in Calvin Pace. Some will say they gave up too much to save dollars, but they redounded nicely, getting another receiver in Anquan Boldin and more help for the defense.

 

[pinnacle]

It was a screw up...not a money saving move..I firmly believe we had the right intentions...but it was an error. It was not about $$. If it was about money we would bring arnold jackson back as our punt returner - and suggs would have sold more tickets...

 

[Shane]

Originally posted by Skkorpion
Arizona Cardinals: C
Arizona's draft was all about saving money. The Cardinals moved down from the sixth spot and got Bryant Johnson, the wide receiver they needed, and an athletic pass rusher in Calvin Pace. Some will say they gave up too much to save dollars, but they redounded nicely, getting another receiver in Anquan Boldin and more help for the defense.

I dont think it had anything to do with money especially with our cap room.

I do think it had to do with having many holes to fill and underestimating the run on DL and nothing more!

 

[AZCB34]

First let me say that it wasn't ONLY about the money. But please don't trick yourself into believing money had NOTHING to do with it. Every decision football teams make, there is financial part of the equation that comes up and is taken into account.

Here is what I believe. The Cards knew it was doubtful they would get one of the guys they wanted so they traded down. In the process of doing that, they did probably save themselves money...and they knew this and it was likely discussed. I would think the conversation went like this "If one of our top 3 players isn't there, we don't feel it makes sense to pick a guy we are not all the enamored with and pay him #6 money...so let's trade down. We get more picks and thus we can fill more holes."

In essense I think they could justify paying #6 money to a guy who in their minds wasn;t a guy the REALLY wanted. It was not a deal where they traded down simply to save money.

I also believe they figured, if they couldn;t get one of their top 3 guys, they figured by trading down they would remove alot of the contract problems they have had...and that is mostly money related.

The trade was a good idea...Graves just got taken is all. He learned a lesson that he hopefully won;t repeat again.

 

[CardinalChris]

A Gamble that cost them, but the lack of a DB in the draft is inexcusable... when it blew up, trade down again. Mitigate your losses, don't just give up. The fourth and swap in the second is confusing also.

 

[Ed B]

It was about misjudgment.

They thought they could trade down and get an impact player for less money. They misjudged how picks 10-16 would go. Very badly.

 

[Houdini]

Has anyone seen any interviews or read any comments from the Bidwills on how they felt they did in the draft? I thought maybe Mike would say something because he was supposedly given more say in the team.

 

[seesred]

Mosdt draft "experts are giving us a C to C+. I guess we didn't fail, we just didn't study hard enough. We will see what we get in the finals, come playing time!

GBR

 

[Brighteyes]

Cardinal's Grade

I gotta ask: are there many teams below the Cardinal's Grade, or did they end it at the 'C' mark?

 

[Russ Smith]

Originally posted by Ed B
It was about misjudgment.

They thought they could trade down and get an impact player for less money. They misjudged how picks 10-16 would go. Very badly.

I think they decided there wasn't anybody on the board at 6 they were willing to pay a signing bonus comparable to what Ryan Sims got last year. So they moved down. THat in itself was not a bad thing, but they didn't wind up getting "their guy" which makes it a poorly executed move.

Fear of 2 tiered bonuses drove the desire to move down unless someone we loved was there.

 

[JeffGollin]

When I read that the Cards rated Sullivan their guy at #6 and Suggs #16 on their board, I have to believe it's about money - they need to go out and pay more money for better scouts.

 

[WizardOfAz]

From John Clayton @ESPN.com:


10. The only knock on the three new receivers for the Arizona Cardinals is that two of them -- second-rounder Anquan Bolden and veteran Larry Foster -- lack speed. Bolden is a 4.7 40 receiver and Foster isn't much faster. Bryant Johnson is about a 4.5 runner. But at least the Cardinals upgraded one of the weakest receiving units in football.

 

[Krangodnzr]

Originally posted by WizardOfAz
From John Clayton @ESPN.com:


10. The only knock on the three new receivers for the Arizona Cardinals is that two of them -- second-rounder Anquan Bolden and veteran Larry Foster -- lack speed. Bolden is a 4.7 40 receiver and Foster isn't much faster. Bryant Johnson is about a 4.5 runner. But at least the Cardinals upgraded one of the weakest receiving units in football.

I love it...Clayton cites his (Boldin) bad combine number, when he ran under a 4.5 a few weeks or a month later.

 

[brews]

Originally posted by WizardOfAz
From John Clayton @ESPN.com:


... But at least the Cardinals upgraded one of the weakest receiving units in football.

Which is the issue I've had with how they've dealt with their receivers in the off season. They depleted one of the few positions they were strong in so completely that they had to make it a focus of the draft, and weren't able to make the necessary improvements in other areas, especially defense.

 

[Russ Smith]

Originally posted by Krangthebrain
I love it...Clayton cites his (Boldin) bad combine number, when he ran under a 4.5 a few weeks or a month later.

True he is getting faster. Kirwan compared Johnson to Boston, but then said he felt boldin had trouble breaking press coverage and looked like a #4 WR in the NFL. He also said Pace was rated a 2nd rounder by most teams he talked to, but that he felt he fit the Cards scheme better than Suggs because the Cards felt Suggs was a LB not a DE. So as others speculated we just didn't want Suggs.

 

[LVCARDFREAK]

Of course it was about saving money. How many holdouts have the Cardinals had? I think, of course, they thought they could get who they wanted at 17 and 18, but to say it had nothing to do with saving money is absurd.

 

[JeffGollin]

I love it...Clayton cites his (Boldin) bad combine number, when he ran under a 4.5 a few weeks or a month later.
Tell the whole story Krang - True - He ran 4.7 something at the Combine and knocked it down to about a 4.5 on Pro Day.

But then they made him run it again without track spikes and he ran around a 4.62.

The feeling (and hope) is that he'll improve on the 4.62 as his knee gets stronger.

Bottom line, though, is that John Clayton was 2 weeks behind the times on that one.