With the 2015 NFL Draft behind us, the Last Word On Sports NFL department continues its draft review series here. Today, the Arizona Cardinals are the focus. Here’s who they selected:
1st Round, 24th Overall: OT D.J. Humphries (Florida)
2nd Round, 58th Overall: DE Markus Golden (Missouri)
3rd Round, 86th Overall: RB David Johnson (Northern Iowa)
4th Round, 116th Overall: DT Rodney Gunter (Delaware State)
5th Round, 158th Overall: DE Shaquille Riddick (West Virginia)
5th Round, 159th Overall: WR J.J. Nelson (UAB)
7th Round, 254th Overall: TE Gerald Christian (Louisville)
Cardinals 2015 Draft Grade: 7/10
Arizona Cardinals 2015 NFL Draft Review
The Best Player: First-round draft choice D.J. Humphries is the best player joining the Arizona Cardinals from the 2015 NFL draft. Humphries has the athletic ability needed to shine at the tackle position and he played against top-notch defensive linemen every week in the SEC. He will need to make the transition from left tackle to right tackle in order to get on the field in Arizona, as Jared Veldheer is anchored on the blind side. Adding a talent like Humphries should give the Cardinals two standout tackles in the near future. He is expected to compete with current right tackle Bobby Massie for the starting job in 2015, but if he does not win it, I wouldn’t write him off. This guy was a late riser because he wasn’t expected to declare for the draft and he could be a top talent in the future. Add in newly-signed guard Mike Iupati and the Cardinals suddenly have a solid offensive line.
The Head-Scratcher: Arizona traded up in the fourth round and reached big time for Delaware State defensive end Rodney Gunter. National Football Post had Gunter projected as an undrafted free agent while NFL Draft Scout ranked Gunter as a seventh rounder. The analysts were definitely left scratching their heads after Gunter was picked so early. His athletic tests were very average and he did not seem very explosive at his Pro Day. Not only did they reach big time for an unknown player with limited tape, but they traded away two picks in the process.
The Surprise: Arizona took Gunter, as I mentioned above, in the fourth round and he was definitely the surprise of this draft class. You don’t often see someone ranked so poorly get drafted so early, but Gunter was exactly that. He was definitely the outlier of an otherwise solid class for the Cardinals.
The Steal: I love the selection of pass rusher Shaq Riddick (West Virginia) in the fifth round. While Markus Golden was a safer pick in the second round, Riddick is a boom-or-bust prospect and that is a solid pick in the fifth round. The freak athlete spent one year on West Virginia’s team before entering the draft, so he is very raw. Despite being better suited for a 3-4 defense (what Arizona runs), the 6’6″ pass rusher had seven sacks in the 4-2-5 Mountaineer defense in 2014. I like Riddick in the long run over Golden due to his potential, but I could see both starting in the future.
Most Likely to Turn Heads in Training Camp: David Johnson (Northern Iowa) will turn heads in training camp. Arizona has been messing around with running backs to complement current electric starter Andre Ellington and they just haven’t found the right fit yet. Johnson was very productive at Northern Iowa and is also a great pass catcher. His best game was a “wow, check out that box score” five reception, 203-yard game against Iowa in 2014. He is a downhill runner and he will add a new element to Arizona’s offense. Ellington and Johnson will be a nice pair because their styles mesh well together. If Ellington continues to be injury-prone, I recommend adding Johnson to your fantasy team as soon as possible.
The Rest: Missouri has suddenly become a defensive line factory, and the trend continued with the selection of Markus Golden in the second round. Golden was a captain of the Missouri football team and a second-team All-SEC member in 2014. Golden will get plenty of playing time at outside linebacker and potentially defensive end as well, depending on where he feels comfortable and where the team needs him. He is a workhouse and Arizona desperately needed a pass rushing talent like him. With a fifth-round pick, Arizona added receiver J.J. Nelson (UAB), who was the fastest guy at the combine with a 4.28 40-yard dash. Nelson also weighed in at 154 pounds, which happened to be the lightest weigh-in ever at the combine. I don’t think we will ever see Nelson as an impact receiver, but he can be an electric return man. Lastly, Arizona used the final pick of the 2015 NFL draft to select tight end Gerald Christian. Christian is a great blocker as a tight end, fitting Arians’ scheme nicely.
The Bottom Line: Rodney Gunter was the only wild selection the Cardinals made. For the rest of the picks, they made smart, tactical choices that filled needs on the defensive line, offensive line and in the backfield. They didn’t have to reach to fill their needs either. Instead, they took talented players to fill their holes and traded down if their guy wasn’t there. Arizona has reloaded for 2015 and I expect another playoff year in Arizona.
Check out our other draft reviews here.
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