The Huddle Report Loved the Cards' Draft

[kerouac9]

From Drew Boylhart, one of my favorite draft writers:

The Cards found talent all the way through this draft and they found the value of that talent in every round. They think like THR and are like family. They didn’t reach for a QB because they have another plan. That’s how you go into a draft. You plan your work, then work your plan. You don’t reach, you don’t panic, you just work your plan. The reason teams do so many mock drafts is to try to plan for all different scenarios that might occur on draft day. The teams that don’t panic when one of those seniors does not happen usually drafts the best. It’s just that simple. The Cards drafted Patrick Peterson (CB LSU) then added a potential good running back in the second round in Ryan Williams (RB Virginia Tech). They reached a little for the tight end, but they got lucky and drafted Sam Acho in the 4th round to recover and get one of the better players in this draft. Sam is not as developmental as Aldon Smith who the 49er’s selected in the first round and Sam will impact quicker. Quan Sturdivant (LB North Carolina) was a steal in the later rounds. Big time talent and big time value…great job, Cards!

Emphasis theirs.

 

[Cardinals.Ken]

They think like THR and are like family.

I don't understand this. What is THR?

 

[Mulli]

I don't understand this. What is THR?

The Huddle Report

 

[Dougmo]

I'm a little leary with all the value talk with Quan. It was a huge postion of need and I'm very happy to have him, but we didn't select him 5th round, we took a FB instead.
To me that says our leadership deemed him a less of a player then our new FB.
I agree on the value, but with the tone of the talk, you're kinda left thinking if he doesn't start in a few years, he'll be a bust.
With the exception of Brandon Keith, I can't think of any other players that fell to us, that ended up amounting to much. I'm talking a fall of multiple rounds.
Most of our late round gems are more of the unheralded type.

I'm not trying to be negative, and I'm hopeful and happy with the pick, I'm just not expecting the next coming of Patrick Willis (or even Hayes).

 

[football karma]

I'm not trying to be negative, and I'm hopeful and happy with the pick, I'm just not expecting the next coming of Patrick Willis (or even Hayes).

you are not expecting a 6th round draft choice to become an first team NFL All-pro? C'mon!!

How about becoming the next Bart Scott -- who was an undrafted rookie FA 10 years ago?

 

[football karma]

"They reached a little for the tight end, but they got lucky and drafted Sam Acho in the 4th round to recover and get one of the better players in this draft."

funny how expectations color the same basic set of facts.

Had the Cardinals drafted Acho in the 3rd and Housler in the 4th -- I suspect the board's reaction in real time likely would have been really different.

 

[Monty]

From Drew Boylhart, one of my favorite draft writers:

The reason teams do so many mock drafts is to try to plan for all different scenarios that might occur on draft day. The teams that don’t panic when one of those seniors does not happen usually drafts the best.

Scenarios. He needs to tighten up his spelling if he is to be a good writer or better yet find a good editor.

Joking aside, I think his appraisal of the Cards draft is more or less spot on. The only aspect of it that I might debate with is his evaluation of Sturdivant who I think is good value in the sixth but I dont really think is the big time talent that Boylhart sees. He'll have to improve on a lot of things in his game to be a starter in the NFL, but he represents good value because that is not what you expect out of a sixth rounder and he certainly has some potential.

 

[CardLogic]

Good analysis of what the Cardinals did during this years draft.

Especially the 2nd and 3rd picks - I think that the Cardinals were targeting a LB's during both those rounds; and in both cases the players they would have liked to select and had graded highly were probably taken just before the Cardinals were on the clock. They trusted their board and picked who they deemed the best available selection.

Round 2 - Browns picked Jabaal Sheard (PITT) immediately before the Cardinals selection. Ayers (UCLA) and Carter (UNC) were available, but the Cardinals selected RB Ryan Williams whom was higher on their board.

Round 3 - Dontay Moch (Nevada) and Nate Irving (NC State), three and two picks, respectively, before the Cardinals selection. The Cards selected TE Robert Housler. On this pick they probably went a little early due to there being so few worthy TE's. Still available and selected with the pick following the Cardinals - Justin Houston (Georgia). Houston is a player the some posters here and various national mocks talked highly about. However there were major questions about this kid for the Cardinals - drug use and inconsistent effort - both big issues for the Cardinals draft team.

 

[Dougmo]

you are not expecting a 6th round draft choice to become an first team NFL All-pro? C'mon!!

How about becoming the next Bart Scott -- who was an undrafted rookie FA 10 years ago?

Actually, keeping it closer to home, I'd hope for more of a Gerald Hayes type. Our later round pick that took some time to develop but became a long-term strong contributor.
More cynically/realistically, he'd be more of the Lance Mitchell, Daryl Blackstock, Sekyo Senika type.