As always, I look forward to the draft with a lot of hope and excitement. It is the offseason Super Bowl, and to me, it is always a joy. It is typically where I convince myself that this year is the Cardinals’ time to go far in the playoffs because of all these great reinforcements they get. I like to have some early rankings before Senior Bowl at the end of January, so here they are.
Some guidelines for my rankings:
I rank players based on their fit with the Cardinals. I don’t care what the other teams focus on (actually, I do a little because of the overall rankings, but I will not include those thoughts in this post), and who might be interesting in their schemes. You can listen to Mel Kiper and Daniel Jeremiah for that stuff instead.
For example:
Walter Nolen is a good DT, but by knowing Gannon’s scheme and history, most likely he has enough “small” linemen with Stills, Robinson, Collier, and thus a potential draftee likely will have more size.
Or, I personally have higher thoughts about edge rusher James Pearce, but Jack Sawyer is a better fit and therefore likely higher on the real-life Cards board.
And you can go on like that. It doesn’t make sense to rank players by overall potential on the Cards board. I often got the impression that Keim did that a lot, but Ossenfort seems to be drafting according to a specific plan. So, studying and understanding which players Gannon have historically liked to deploy, and which players Ossenfort have been heavily involved in drafting makes a lot of sense to me.
The rankings are heavily aimed at the front five as I think that is by far the most important focus area, and I am not even considering any offensive player.
Especially edge rushers are attractive to me in the first round, though certainly not all of them make sense. Again, it is based on looking at Gannon’s preferred playing style, as well as what is needed. For example, Princely Umanmielen and Mike Green are fine fits, but they are basically BJ Ojulari coming out of LSU 2.0 and 3.0, so it doesn’t make much sense to draft them. For this reason, by the way, these rankings would also change a lot if they don’t resign Browning, since that would bring Green, Umanmielen and others into play.
In my mind, the last two offseasons have been about raising the floor level of the team, and I believe that it has been done well through free agency and the draft. Now I think it is time to go for the gold – to target players that can be stars. That can win you games. The rankings also reflect that.
I expect defensive tackle Mason Graham, cornerback Will Johnson, edge rushers Mykel Williams and Abdul Carter to be drafted very early, and thus I have not included them in the write-ups. I just don’t see the need to do that.
This is a top six because that is the six players I would consider at #16. If all is gone, selling the pick is by far the best solution, if possible.
Enough explanation. On to the rankings:
1 – Shemar Stewart, edge rusher, Texas A&M.
I have never seen a 290-pound guy move like Stewart. It actually defies the laws of physics, so I think he might be a little lighter, but even at, say, 280, he is still a world class freakish athlete. He is very explosive, but it is his balance, bend, and change-of-direction skills that intrigues and fascinates me so much. In stature he will remind you quite a lot of Darius Robinson, but whereas Robinson is a very good run stopper first and strong pass rusher second, Stewart is pass rusher first and run stopper second, if that make sense. For some reason he has never created a lot of production, but I guess the positive perspective to that is that there is a lot of untapped potential. His 2.42 average time to pressure (best in all of FBS) backs that up. Stewart’s ceiling is sky high, and I think his floor is as an above average run defender. I don’t see him flame out completely.
2 – Kenneth Grant, defensive tackle, Michigan.
Think of Grant as Gannon’s new version of Jordan Davis, who he strongly advocated for when the Eagles drafted him. Grant is also a freak athlete, and he can also give some pass rush while being a mountain on the d-line. As such, he could fit very well in Gannon’s one-and-a-half gap-technique d-line scheme. Also, don’t underestimate how good he is at diagnosing plays and to hunt down players from behind. It is a big part of the job description. I think that Grant’s potential is enormous, and further, he will make it much more reasonable to deploy smaller guys like Stills and Robinson at defensive tackle.
3 – Jalon Walker, edge rusher, Georgia
This is the most difficult projection on this list, because where the Cards need reinforcement is especially in the defensive end-role that Zaven Collins, Okwara and Dimukeje have played, and it’s a fair argument that Walker is not big enough for that. The thing is that he plays big enough for it, and in playing style he is a Gannon-player all the way. He plays highly energetic, intensive, aggressive, and violent. Despite his size he plays with a lot of power, and he can set the edge well against the run. I am usually not a fan of hybrid players without a true position, but I would also guess that every team would play Walker on the edge full-time, simply because that is where he will bring the highest value. I am taking Walker in the top ten anyday, but he could slide a little due to slight question marks about his developmental upside relative to other edge guys in the class. It is because of the small doubts about the fit that I have him ranked “conservative” on the Cards board, but I think he is amazing and when I understand more about him as a player it is very possible that he will move up higher.
4 – Nic Scourton, edge rusher, Texas A&M.
Last year, in writing my early draft thoughts, I listed Jared Verse as one of my three options at #4, but obviously they didn’t address edge rush until much later in the draft. I see some of Verse in Scourton. Sure, Scourton is about 30 pounds heavier, but he plays like he was Verse’s size, and they have a lot of the same playing style. Both are power rushers who play tough and violently. Both have quality hand techniques and advanced pass rush moves. Both are highly explosive but slightly limited athletically. The main difference is that Scouton is four years younger, which obviously indicates more potential for development.
5 – Tyleik Williams, defensive tackle, Ohio State.
Is there a better fit in the entire draft class? I am leaning “no.” Williams might be the best run stopper in the draft, and I think that his pass rush is underrated. He is ideal for the scheme, and if the Cards want a plug-and-play guy, Williams should be rated higher than this. I do question his developmental potential a little, though, which is why I have Grant higher.
6 – Shavon Revel, cornerback, East Carolina.
Gannon’s defenses have a reputation for playing almost exclusively zone coverage, but in reality, Rallis called one of the highest amounts of cover 0 (3rd most, to be exact) in the NFL. That is the purest and most demanding man coverage there is (because there is no safety help), which is where Revel comes in. He is a very good CB in most aspects, but he especially excels is man coverage. On top of that, he perfectly fits the physical type of cornerback that Gannon historically have preferred.
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I would not be surprised if Ossenfort selected other great fits like edge rushers Jack Sawyer (Ohio State) and Landon Jackson (Arkansas), or cornerback Jahdae Barron (Texas) at #16, but to me, the six mentioned are the ones I would consider at that spot. If they moved down 7-10 spots, I would be fine with one of those four.
Some guidelines for my rankings:
I rank players based on their fit with the Cardinals. I don’t care what the other teams focus on (actually, I do a little because of the overall rankings, but I will not include those thoughts in this post), and who might be interesting in their schemes. You can listen to Mel Kiper and Daniel Jeremiah for that stuff instead.
For example:
Walter Nolen is a good DT, but by knowing Gannon’s scheme and history, most likely he has enough “small” linemen with Stills, Robinson, Collier, and thus a potential draftee likely will have more size.
Or, I personally have higher thoughts about edge rusher James Pearce, but Jack Sawyer is a better fit and therefore likely higher on the real-life Cards board.
And you can go on like that. It doesn’t make sense to rank players by overall potential on the Cards board. I often got the impression that Keim did that a lot, but Ossenfort seems to be drafting according to a specific plan. So, studying and understanding which players Gannon have historically liked to deploy, and which players Ossenfort have been heavily involved in drafting makes a lot of sense to me.
The rankings are heavily aimed at the front five as I think that is by far the most important focus area, and I am not even considering any offensive player.
Especially edge rushers are attractive to me in the first round, though certainly not all of them make sense. Again, it is based on looking at Gannon’s preferred playing style, as well as what is needed. For example, Princely Umanmielen and Mike Green are fine fits, but they are basically BJ Ojulari coming out of LSU 2.0 and 3.0, so it doesn’t make much sense to draft them. For this reason, by the way, these rankings would also change a lot if they don’t resign Browning, since that would bring Green, Umanmielen and others into play.
In my mind, the last two offseasons have been about raising the floor level of the team, and I believe that it has been done well through free agency and the draft. Now I think it is time to go for the gold – to target players that can be stars. That can win you games. The rankings also reflect that.
I expect defensive tackle Mason Graham, cornerback Will Johnson, edge rushers Mykel Williams and Abdul Carter to be drafted very early, and thus I have not included them in the write-ups. I just don’t see the need to do that.
This is a top six because that is the six players I would consider at #16. If all is gone, selling the pick is by far the best solution, if possible.
Enough explanation. On to the rankings:
1 – Shemar Stewart, edge rusher, Texas A&M.
I have never seen a 290-pound guy move like Stewart. It actually defies the laws of physics, so I think he might be a little lighter, but even at, say, 280, he is still a world class freakish athlete. He is very explosive, but it is his balance, bend, and change-of-direction skills that intrigues and fascinates me so much. In stature he will remind you quite a lot of Darius Robinson, but whereas Robinson is a very good run stopper first and strong pass rusher second, Stewart is pass rusher first and run stopper second, if that make sense. For some reason he has never created a lot of production, but I guess the positive perspective to that is that there is a lot of untapped potential. His 2.42 average time to pressure (best in all of FBS) backs that up. Stewart’s ceiling is sky high, and I think his floor is as an above average run defender. I don’t see him flame out completely.
2 – Kenneth Grant, defensive tackle, Michigan.
Think of Grant as Gannon’s new version of Jordan Davis, who he strongly advocated for when the Eagles drafted him. Grant is also a freak athlete, and he can also give some pass rush while being a mountain on the d-line. As such, he could fit very well in Gannon’s one-and-a-half gap-technique d-line scheme. Also, don’t underestimate how good he is at diagnosing plays and to hunt down players from behind. It is a big part of the job description. I think that Grant’s potential is enormous, and further, he will make it much more reasonable to deploy smaller guys like Stills and Robinson at defensive tackle.
3 – Jalon Walker, edge rusher, Georgia
This is the most difficult projection on this list, because where the Cards need reinforcement is especially in the defensive end-role that Zaven Collins, Okwara and Dimukeje have played, and it’s a fair argument that Walker is not big enough for that. The thing is that he plays big enough for it, and in playing style he is a Gannon-player all the way. He plays highly energetic, intensive, aggressive, and violent. Despite his size he plays with a lot of power, and he can set the edge well against the run. I am usually not a fan of hybrid players without a true position, but I would also guess that every team would play Walker on the edge full-time, simply because that is where he will bring the highest value. I am taking Walker in the top ten anyday, but he could slide a little due to slight question marks about his developmental upside relative to other edge guys in the class. It is because of the small doubts about the fit that I have him ranked “conservative” on the Cards board, but I think he is amazing and when I understand more about him as a player it is very possible that he will move up higher.
4 – Nic Scourton, edge rusher, Texas A&M.
Last year, in writing my early draft thoughts, I listed Jared Verse as one of my three options at #4, but obviously they didn’t address edge rush until much later in the draft. I see some of Verse in Scourton. Sure, Scourton is about 30 pounds heavier, but he plays like he was Verse’s size, and they have a lot of the same playing style. Both are power rushers who play tough and violently. Both have quality hand techniques and advanced pass rush moves. Both are highly explosive but slightly limited athletically. The main difference is that Scouton is four years younger, which obviously indicates more potential for development.
5 – Tyleik Williams, defensive tackle, Ohio State.
Is there a better fit in the entire draft class? I am leaning “no.” Williams might be the best run stopper in the draft, and I think that his pass rush is underrated. He is ideal for the scheme, and if the Cards want a plug-and-play guy, Williams should be rated higher than this. I do question his developmental potential a little, though, which is why I have Grant higher.
6 – Shavon Revel, cornerback, East Carolina.
Gannon’s defenses have a reputation for playing almost exclusively zone coverage, but in reality, Rallis called one of the highest amounts of cover 0 (3rd most, to be exact) in the NFL. That is the purest and most demanding man coverage there is (because there is no safety help), which is where Revel comes in. He is a very good CB in most aspects, but he especially excels is man coverage. On top of that, he perfectly fits the physical type of cornerback that Gannon historically have preferred.
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I would not be surprised if Ossenfort selected other great fits like edge rushers Jack Sawyer (Ohio State) and Landon Jackson (Arkansas), or cornerback Jahdae Barron (Texas) at #16, but to me, the six mentioned are the ones I would consider at that spot. If they moved down 7-10 spots, I would be fine with one of those four.
Anyway, I think that Mykel Williams might be over Carter in their rankings. Carter certainly fits in every scheme, but Williams is an extraordinary fit in Gannon’s scheme. The thing is that all teams look for physical marvels like Williams. He will most likely be ranked above Carter on some boards.
