Archive for the 'Arizona Cardinals' Category

Sixth Round Storylines

Published by Sigmund Bloom April 27th, 2008 in 6th Round, Arizona Cardinals, Cincinnati Bengals, Cleveland Browns, Denver Broncos, Miami Dolphins, New York Jets, Oakland Raiders, San Francisco 49ers and Washington Redskins. 0 Comments

Trevor Scott, DE, Oakland - Oakland is thin at DE, even if Tommy Kelly slides over. Scott is an athlete, but his pass rush skills didn’t seem to translate at Texas Vs the Nation.

Marcus Henry, WR, New York Jets - The Jets needed a big, rangy target like Henry for the red zone. I expect him to make the roster.

Josh Morgan, WR, San Francisco - There is definitely opportunity at wideout in San Francisco. Morgan is a 2nd/3rd round talent at his best, but his effort and focus wavers.

Jalen Parmele, RB, Miami - Parmele is good try hard guy and grinder between the tackles. Ronnie Brown is getting close to the end of his rookie deal and Ricky, well, we know you can’t count on Ricky, and he’s gettin’ old to boot. Don’t be surprised if Parmele gets carries this year.

Corey Lynch, S, Cincinnati - The Bengals took probably the most questionable character on Draftguys TV in Jason Shirley, and they follow it with squeaky clean Lynch. There is also opportunity at safety in the Queen City.

Spencer Larsen, LB, Denver - At the end of training camp, the Broncos may find that Larsen is best true MLB on their roster. He shouldn’t be in on third down, but Larsen will get Niko Koutovides a run for his money.

Colt Brennan, QB, Washington - They took the biggest pretender QB in the draft last year, Jordan Palmer. We’ll see if they went two for two.

Athyba Rubin, NT, Cleveland - A coke machine shaped guy that is a perfect 3-4 NT. Phil Savage strikes again.

The first Cardinals choice I don’t like

Published by Marc Faletti April 27th, 2008 in 5th Round and Arizona Cardinals. 0 Comments

We saw Xavier Omon from NW Misouri State and Tim Hightower at the same all-star game, and I shot footage of both. We made a profile out of Omon’s work because we were convinced he was a future impact player as a ballcarrier. But Hightower, while chiseled and possessing some power, looked average (or worse) against solid competition. He didn’t seem like he could get away from anybody and lacked explosion. Omon had plenty of the latter along with his power. But the Cards went with Hightower anyway. I’d love to now what their scouts saw in him that moved him this high on their board…

2 quietly excellent 3-round drafts: Buffalo and Arizona

Published by Marc Faletti April 27th, 2008 in Arizona Cardinals and Buffalo Bills. 0 Comments

Buffalo hasn’t made a big splash, but they got a solid return man and a corner with shutdown potential in the first with Leodis McKelvin. Then they grabbed a huge underneath target and red zone threat (notably, the two things Lee Evans doesn’t do that well) in James Hardy. Hardy may have some character issues, but he’s certainly a talent worth gambling on in the 2nd. And so far today, they picked up an All-ACC DE, Chis Ellis, who had 38 QB pressures in 2007 alone. He may be a stand-up ‘backer for the Bills, but he’ll certainly be an effective blitzer.

Meanwhile, the Cards got my favorite corner (who’s also a pretty good returner) in Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie. He’s so fluid and so instinctive, and he’s such a humble kid — plus, he chewed up elite talent at the Senior Bowl, so I am utterly unconcerned about the small school knocks. Then they snag Calais Campbell as a dirty-work 3-4 DE in the 2nd and, unbelievably, Early Doucet falls into their laps in round 3. Doucet was often projected in the first because he’s a precise route runner who can get separation because he doesn’t tip his cuts. He’s also bull-strong with biceps similar to those of recently-departed Bryant Johnson. All of these guys are ready to contribute now — and have high ceilings to boot.

Well played, guys.

Calais Campbell goes to a 3-4 D in Arizona

Published by Marc Faletti April 26th, 2008 in 2nd Round and Arizona Cardinals. 0 Comments

Unlike most Miami players, the knocks on Campbell aren’t about his motor or effort, they’re about his lack of fast-twitch explosion. He plays more like Aaron Kampman than a startling pass rusher. Now, his Combine numbers look sweet, and he had a sick double-digit sack season in 2006, but those two things actually have less to do with each other than one would think.

Campbell should be a hard worker for the Cards, and like Merling, he’ll do the dirty work of a 3-4 DE while also being a threat to hit the QB if you don’t account for him. This seems like a much better fit to me than a 4-3 scheme. Campbell helps the Cards immediately and should develop into a capable starter in the future.

Go Go Gosder

Published by Sigmund Bloom April 26th, 2008 in 1st Round, Arizona Cardinals, Baltimore Ravens, Detroit Lions and Houston Texans. 5 Comments

Well I’m relieved that he won’t be in Black and Gold. The Lions do need a tackle, and Cherilus can step in and play RT right away, which will get George Foster off the field, something that should make every Lion fan happy.

We’re happy for Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie. He’s a humble and soft-spoken kid, and he really proved a lot at the Senior Bowl. Mike Jenkins would be a no brainer pick for Houston now, but then again you could say the same about Rashard Mendenhall, and maybe even Jeff Otah.

**TRADE ALERT**

Did Balitmore just trade up for Otah, or Jenkins, or *gasp* Henne?

KC a Winner

Published by Sigmund Bloom April 26th, 2008 in 1st Round, Arizona Cardinals and Detroit Lions. 0 Comments

And Detroit is settling, just as we thought. With Grimmenhunt at the wheel in Arizona, the Chiefs had to make sure the offensive linesmiths in the desert didn’t poach Albert from right in front of them.

Meanwhile, OL and CB value is sitting there, as is Philip Merling and Rashard Mendenhall. The Cards need a CB in the worst way, I expect to hear Jenkins or DRC in about 2 minutes.

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