Slow & Steady 2 Year Plan

[SECTION 11]

I was pretty excited to watch Verse this year and watched two, three FSU games. Usually the stud NFL types stand out easily but it looked like he was just one part of a great defense. Hard to tell anything. But you can say the same thing about Anquan at FSU. Something about a bunch of loud Florida rednecks making endless amounts of noise makes it hard to endure any more than the minimum analysis.

 

[SECTION 11]

I think Verse will be a little less impactful at his position than Todd Heap was at his.
Wrap your head around that comp!

 

[MadCardDisease]

I love Verse and think he fits the the Cardinals scheme perfectly. He is the perfect blend of strength and athleticism. He knows how to use his hands. Would love to see the Cardinals move up from #27 and snag him if for some reason he drops into the late teens. Doubt he will but you never know.

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[SECTION 11]

JustBombs and the mute button go together like peanut butter and jelly. Bonnie and Clyde. Electric chairs and sparks.

 

[BritCard]

?

Verse is EDGE3 at best in this class & this isn’t even a top heavy class.

Is he? He was unanimous Edge 1 all through the college season. His ADP was between 6 and 8 until January with eyes on him all season.

Then he tested well too.

I think it's just draft Twitter fatigue. But, we don't know where teams have him. Mock drafts and big boards aren't real.

As I said recently here, Verse is a better prospect than any Edge that went top 15 last year outside Anderson, and they went 7, 13 and 15.

I think Verse would be a top 10 pick in most classes, in this one he's being pushed down by a very strong QB, WR and OT class.

I think Murphy in most draft classes goes late 1st, early 2nd.

 

[dreamcastrocks]

Is he? He was unanimous Edge 1 all through the college season. His ADP was between 6 and 8 until January with eyes on him all season.

Then he tested well too.

I think it's just draft Twitter fatigue. But, we don't know where teams have him. Mock drafts and big boards aren't real.

As I said recently here, Verse is a better prospect than any Edge that went top 15 last year, and they went 7, 13 and 15.

I think Verse would be a top 10 pick in most classes, in this one he's being pushed down by a very strong QB, WR and OT class.

I think Murphy in most draft classes goes late 1st, early 2nd.

Are you forgetting Anderson?

 

[BritCard]

I think the argument is three years at Albany as he was not highly recruited out of high school. From a production standpoint, he has been pretty consistent. from his last year at Albany to include the two years at Florida St, Verse has had at least 9 sacks and 11.5 TFLs every year.

Still learning too. Relatively new to the position and still a lot of development potential there.

 

[BritCard]

Are you forgetting Anderson?

Sorry, yes I mean outside Anderson. Edited.

 

[BritCard]

Agree on this. I don't see a top pass rusher in his game.

Turner was used in coverage too and was really good at it for an edge. So his pass rush numbers are lowered because of that.

Chop Robinson has the best first step but he is pretty much just a speed rush guy with one inside move. He needs more moves to get better and needs to anchor more.

Like the top 3 WRs I think there is very little between the top 3 Edge guys but they are all different flavors and it really comes down to which you prefer.

Verse is the strongest and most powerful. He's going to hold up best vs the run and fit a 4 man front best of the bunch.

Latu is the most technically gifted and could likely play both 3 man and 4 man fronts.

And Turner feels like a 3 man guy in the NFL playing OLB. He's the quickest and most agile, can drop if needed.

3 very different guys. Verse probably the best fit for the Falcons. Turner for the Vikings if they don't move up.

 

[Fitz4Ever]

I think Verse has the highest floor. He is going to be a good NFL player. I dont know that he is ever a premier pass rusher in the NFL...but I think he is a legit starting DE for a long time.

If we are trying to run a defense where our pressure comes from the front 4...then we need an interior pass rush threat along with a more consistent DE. I think Collins/Gardeck as a rotation could be ok if we improve the other spots.

In an ideal world we land someone like Byron Murphy or Johnny Newton at #27...and then hope we hit on one of the mid round edges like Trice or Dorlus.

 

[Krangodnzr]

I think Verse has the highest floor. He is going to be a good NFL player. I dont know that he is ever a premier pass rusher in the NFL...but I think he is a legit starting DE for a long time.

If we are trying to run a defense where our pressure comes from the front 4...then we need an interior pass rush threat along with a more consistent DE. I think Collins/Gardeck as a rotation could be ok if we improve the other spots.

In an ideal world we land someone like Byron Murphy or Johnny Newton at #27...and then hope we hit on one of the mid round edges like Trice or Dorlus.

Trice was a lot smaller than Washington listed him at, like 25-30 lbs smaller. And his workout was pretty underwhelming. I'm kind of thinking he's just a dude. He was also dreadful against the run last year.

 

[DVontel]

Is he? He was unanimous Edge 1 all through the college season.

Yup. Also, unanimous? Turner & Latu were getting nods over him throughout the CFB season. You also had Chop Robinson there until it seems like scouts have cooled off on him.

 

[BritCard]

Yup. Also, unanimous? Turner & Latu were getting nods over him throughout the CFB season. You also had Chop Robinson there until it seems like scouts have cooled off on him.

No, I didn't have Chop Robinson there. I mentioned him once as a random Edge guy when talking about Edge at #4 way back, which I explained at the time.

Latu has never gotten nods. Consensus draft position trackers have him no higher than 12th at any time.

You're right that Turner and Verse kinda chopped and changed through the season though so not quite unanimous. Still top 8 all season though.

 

[DVontel]

Latu has never gotten nods. Consensus draft position trackers have him no higher than 12th at any time.

Those same trackers has/d Verse lower than 12th…

Verse was unanimous #1 prior to the season, but he has been battling for all 3 of the spots with Turner & Latu during the season.

 

[GatorAZ]

I’d trade up for Latu if it only costs a third up from 27. He’s been durable since the neck fusion surgery.

 

[Cardsfaninlouky]

Honestly this should never be a concern when you’re drafting players. Especially if you project them as a 10+ sack guy after a year or two.

Will Anderson didn’t get 8 sacks as a rookie. Myles Garrett didn’t get 8 sacks as a rookie. TJ Watt didn’t get 8 sacks as a rookie.

Will Anderson didn't get 8 sacks as you said, however, at one point he led the league in pressures. I think most people just look at sacks. Pressure can rattle a QB into mistakes.

 

[CardNots]

No, the narrative was not spending money until they knew what they had long term with Kyler. We just as easily cut him like the Broncos did, ate all of that dead cap, and in prime position to take a QB.

Last year was about clearing Hopkins’s cap hit.

 

[BulldogCard]

Let's get the offense some receivers in round 1. I'd be psyched if MHJ and McConkey were Cardinals. We'll see if McConkey falls that far, but wow that'd be awesome!

 

[Chris_Sanders]

Daniel Jeremiah's latest Mock has the Cardinals trading with the Vikings:

Daniel Jeremiah 2024 NFL mock draft 3.0: Vikings go get J.J. McCarthy; Jets jump for Marvin Harrison Jr.

www.nfl.com

The Cardinals end up with :

11
Arizona Cardinals

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Jared Verse
Florida State · Edge · Senior
PROJECTED TRADE WITH MINNESOTA VIKINGS

The Cardinals trade back and still get an elite edge rusher in Verse.

23
Arizona Cardinals
(via CLE through HOU)

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Brian Thomas Jr.


LSU · WR · Junior
PROJECTED TRADE WITH MINNESOTA VIKINGS

The Cardinals passed on a chance to pick a receiver at No. 4 in this scenario, but they still land a premier pass catcher after trading down.

27
Arizona Cardinals
(via HOU)

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Byron Murphy II
Texas · DT · Junior
The Cardinals make the last of their three first-round picks in this projection and get the best interior pass rusher in the draft class. So, in this scenario, they wrap up Round 1 with arguably the best outside and inside pass rushers available and a receiver who offers as much upside as any pass catcher in this prospect crop.

I could see this being what Monty does but the board will be one fire

 

[Cardiac]

I don't like waiting until the 23rd pick to get a WR. I do like addressing edge and DT.

 

[ASUCHRIS]

How do people expect this team to acquire premium talent? They won't even get above average starters in FA, they haven't traded picks for players, and now we're talking about trading down from incredibly safe options at #4 for magic beans.

The same question was asked last year, and we were told "don't worry - we're taking a year off to clear the cap, then we'll try to compete". Here we are - while other playoff teams are loaded with talent, we've added basically 0 above average starters on a team desperate for them. 2025 offseason will apparently be fire!

 

[Mulli]

How do people expect this team to acquire premium talent? They won't even get above average starters in FA, they haven't traded picks for players, and now we're talking about trading down from incredibly safe options at #4 for magic beans.

The same question was asked last year, and we were told "don't worry - we're taking a year off to clear the cap, then we'll try to compete". Here we are - while other playoff teams are loaded with talent, we've added basically 0 above average starters on a team desperate for them. 2025 offseason will apparently be fire!

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[kerouac9]

How do people expect this team to acquire premium talent? They won't even get above average starters in FA, they haven't traded picks for players, and now we're talking about trading down from incredibly safe options at #4 for magic beans.

The same question was asked last year, and we were told "don't worry - we're taking a year off to clear the cap, then we'll try to compete". Here we are - while other playoff teams are loaded with talent, we've added basically 0 above average starters on a team desperate for them. 2025 offseason will apparently be fire!

I get what you're saying, but it just depends on the position. The WRs on the 2023 All Pro Team were:

Drafted 17th overall (CeeDee Lamb)
Acquired via trade (Tyreek Hill, A.J Brown, D.J. Moore)
Drafted in the 4th round (Amon-Ra St. Brown)
Drafted 25th overall (Brandon Aiyuk)
Drafted in the third round (Nico Collins)
Drafted in the fifth round (Puka Nacua)
Drafted 7th overall 10 seasons ago (Mike Evans)

If there's a place where you can get very high-quality talent without expending a wealth of draft capital, it's WR and RB. If this front office has the stomach for it, and if they truly believe that Paris Johnson Jr. will develop into an elite (Regular Pro Bowler, occasional all-pro) player, the wise play is to roll over this asset into the future to maximize your chances for an above-average starter (with a mid-first rounder) or future picks.

The challenge is that if you keep doing this and those midround picks don't develop into at least average starters, you're stuck in nothing. But I completely get the long-term view that if you're hunting for premium talent, you use your high picks at premium positions -- Edge, DT, CB -- when they're available. If there aren't premium prospects at the positions you need (we have an OT and QB), then you collect and defer assets.

The "haul" folks are really forgetting that we traded the #3 overall and a 4th last year for #12, #33 and the 2024 1st and 3rd. I'd be surprised if we get more to move out of #5 this year.

 

[Mulli]

DJ Moore was acquired as part of a haul.

 

[kerouac9]

DJ Moore was acquired as part of a haul.

He was. In a move from 9th to 1st.

The problem is there aren't teams desperate to move into that position right now. Monti muffed the tank and here we are.