Monday, July 11, 2011

6-Year Draft Review: Arizona Cardinals

2006
         Round 1, Pick 10 – Matt Leinart – USC – Quarterback
            Round 2, Pick 41 – Taitusi “Deuce” Lutui – USC – Offensive Guard
            Round 3, Pick 72 – Leonard Pope – Georgia – Tight End
            Round 4, Pick 107 – Gabe Watson – Michigan – Defensive Tackle
            Round 5, Pick 142 – Brandon Johnson – Louisville – Linebacker
            Round 6, Pick 177 – Jonathan Lewis – Virginia Tech – Defensive Tackle
            Round 7, Pick 218 – Todd Watkins – BYU – Wide Receiver

            Overall: Matt Leinart was brought in to be the quarterback of the future and the first real franchise quarterback the Cardinals have had since Jake Plummer. He even looked somewhat like that kind of player during his rookie season when he started 11 games and set team records for a rookie with 2547 passing yards. However a coaching change, shoulder problems and the phoenix-like resurrection of Kurt Warner forced him back into the backup role. He played little in the last four years and was released by the Cardinals before becoming a backup in Houston. The lack of faith that Ken Whisenhunt put in Leinart hindered his development to the point where he will likely never be a regular starter.

Deuce Lutui became a starter at left guard fairly early in his rookie season and has stuck there ever since. While he has not been spectacular, he has still been a solid player, improving in pass protection as the years have gone on. The Cardinals would like to re-sign him but he may bolt for better opportunities.

Leonard Pope brought great size to the position, but he was raw coming out of Georgia. He took a while to develop and while he had flashes, he never developed into anyone would could be more than an average number two tight end. He was released last year and wound up with the Chiefs, where he played mostly as a second tight end.

Gabe Watson also came in as a very raw prospect, but he had the kind of athleticism and size that made him worth the gamble. However it took a while to for him to get himself into shape and develop into the semi-dependable backup he was the last few years. He flashed his talent at times, but he just never could consistently play well enough to justify starting him. He is a free agent this year, but there should be no rush to sign him, he’s not likely to receiver a lot of offers.

Brandon Johnson spent his two years with the Cardinals developing, but never was more than an occasional special teams player. He was waived following the 2007 season, but found himself a role as a part-time starter with the Bengals. He has played well there.

Jonathan Lewis and Todd Watkins made little to no impact in their rookie year with the Cardinals before spending the next few years bouncing around the league.

Overall the promise this draft once had has faded away. Other than Lutui, none of the players in this draft became regular starters and the miss of Leinart is still affecting the team to this day. However, some of the players did at least contribute some before leaving.

            Final Grade: C-


2007
Round 1, Pick 5 – Levi Brown – Penn State – Offensive Tackle                                         
            Round 2, Pick 33 – Alan Branch – Michigan – Defensive Tackle
            Round 3, Pick 69 – Buster Davis – Florida State – Linebacker
            Round 5, Pick 142 – Steve Breaston – Michigan – Wide Receiver
            Round 7, Pick 215 – Ben Patrick – Delaware – Tight End

            Overall: Levi Brown was brought in to be a shutdown left tackle and to help protect then franchise quarterback Matt Leinart. However Brown spent his first four years playing mostly at right tackle, most because his pass protection always seemed to not be at the level expected of a top left tackle. He has been a decent run blocker, but never great. Last year, the Cardinals moved him to left tackle, where his lack of elite athleticism became apparent. He has another year to prove that he can be that great kind of left tackle, but all indications are that he was over-drafted at number five overall.

Alan Branch at point would have been considered a great value at the first pick in the second round. However, he spent his first two years developing because he had problems controlling his weight and overall technique problems. However in 2009 and 2010, he started playing better and worked his way into a role as one of the top backups on the defensive line. He may never be the start that he was once projected to be, but he has found a role that fits him and could be brought back at the right price.

Buster Davis didn’t make the team out of training camp and only ever saw time as a special teams player with the Colts a year later. He was cut later that year and hasn’t been seen in the NFL since.

Steve Breaston was brought in to provide a boost to the return game, but has since surpassed all expectations. Following a good rookie year, where he was a solid punt returner, he broke out as the third receiver, catching 77 passes for over 1000 yards. He then found himself among the best receiving corps. in the NFL, which allowed him to utilize his speed to match up against nickel corners. Following Anquan Boldin’s trade to Baltimore, Breaston was promoted to the starting lineup, but didn’t reach the same heights he did in 2008. That could be because of the problems at quarterback or because he doesn’t have the tools to succeed against starting quality quarterbacks. It’s difficult to tell right now. But he is a solid contributor.

Ben Patrick brought great measurable in terms of size and perceived speed to the table, but the questions about the level of competition he faced appear to have been warranted. Since entering the NFL, Patrick has been fighting for playing time. He has worked fairly well as a second or third tight end, but never really took the job away from the competition.

All in all, this was an ok draft. No real stars came out of it, but the Cards got solid starters in Breaston and Brown and good contributors in Branch and Patrick. But the miss on Buster Davis, in such a small class really hurts.

            Final Grade: C


2008
         Round 1, Pick 16 – Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie – Tennessee State – Cornerback
            Round 2, Pick 50 – Calais Campbell – Miami (Fl.) – Defensive End
            Round 3, Pick 81 – Early Doucet – LSU – Wide Receiver
            Round 4, Pick 116 – Kenny Iwebema – Iowa – Defensive End/Outside Linebacker
            Round 5, Pick 149 – Tim Hightower – Richmond – Runningback
            Round 6, Pick 185 – Chris Harrington – Texas A&M – Defensive End/Outside Linebacker
            Round 7, Pick 225 – Brandon Keith – Northern Iowa – Offensive Tackle

            Overall: Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie came in as a raw prospect that had tremendous physical ability but needed a lot of technique work. However in his rookie season, he developed faster than expected and became a starter by mid-season. The athleticism he had would often make up for technical mistakes he made. That same athleticism made him a game breaker when he got the ball in his hands. He continued to develop in 2009, recording six interceptions and making the Pro Bowl. Like most of the Cardinals however, he seemed to take a step back in 2010, getting beat more often and allowing his technical problems to get the better of him. For his career, short as it has been, he has averaged almost 25 yards per interception return and has already scored 4 touchdowns on 13 interceptions. The only player who scored more interception return touchdowns during their first three years in the NFL was Hall of Fame safety Ken Houston.

Calais Campbell came in as a defensive end that was too slow off the edge to be an effective 4-3 end, but with the size and athleticism to still be an effective player. After spending his rookie season developing and working into sub-packages, Campbell was given a starting role in 2009 and proved he was well deserving of that role. He tied his more well-known teammate Darnell Dockett for the team lead in sacks with seven in 2009 and led the team in sacks in 2010 with six. Campbell is a prefect compliment to the smaller and quicker Dockett. While he lacks the burst off the edge that Dockett has, uses his superior size and athleticism to often overwhelm opposing lineman at the point. He may never produce thee kind of sacks number that guys like La’Roi Glover and Warren Sapp had, he has exceled at the five technique in the 3-4.

Early Doucet was brought in to be a strong return man and provide depth in the event that Anquan Boldin left the team. However, Doucet has had injury problems and has become lost in the depth chart. He could make an impact, but he needs to stay healthy and work his way past Andre Roberts to see the field more often.

Kenny Iwebema was brought into provide depth on the defensive line. He showed well in his limited time, but has had a number of injury problems and has become and it has become an increasing rarity to see him on the field. He needs to make an impact this upcoming season for him to keep a spot on the team.

Tim Hightower has somehow managed to both surpass and fall short of expectations in his short career in the NFL. He was brought in to build depth and help give then feature back Edgerrin James a rest every now and again. However his hard charging, downhill running style and nose for the end zone earned him a starting job well before anyone would have expected him to receive one. However, in spite of improving his yards per carry average each year in the league, Hightower has never shown the kind of speed to excel as anything more than a change of pace back. He can makes people miss in small spaces, but rarely breaks long runs and often gets stopped at the line far too often for a feature back.

Chris Harrington didn’t make it out of training camp and has bounced around the league as a bottom of the rung special teams player.

Brandon Keith spent his first year and a half developing either on the practice squad or on the bench. While he saw his first action in the last few games of 2009, he was thrust into the spotlight (relatively speaking) in 2010. He became the starter at the right tackle position after Levi Brown was moved to left tackle. He played fairly well for a seventh round pick who spent the better part of two years developing, but his overall level of play didn’t help the team that much. He also missed the seven games of the season after tearing his hamstring. His future may be at guard with Alan Faneca retiring, but at either position he needs to develop quickly if he is to make the kind of impact that the Cardinals expect him to make.

Overall, this a pretty good draft. The Cardinals found starters in Keith and Hightower and potentially special players in Campbell and Rogers-Cromartie. Even Iwebema and Doucet, who have been set back by injury concerns, have been able to contribute though only in small spruts. Only Harrington made no contributions to the team, but as a sixth round pick, that’s far from unusual. Solid draft.

Final Grade: B+


2009
         Round 1, Pick 31 – Chris “Beanie” Wells – Ohio State – Runningback                   
            Round 2, Pick 63 – Cody Brown – Connecticut – Defensive End/Outside Linebacker
            Round 3, Pick 95 – Rashad Johnson – Alabama – Safety
            Round 4, Pick 131 – Greg Toler – St. Paul’s (Minn.) – Cornerback
            Round 5, Pick 167 – Herman Johnson – LSU – Offensive Tackle/Guard
            Round 6, Pick 204 – Will Davis – Illinois – Defensive End/Outside Linebacker
            Round 7, Pick 240 – LaRod Stephens-Howling – Pittsburgh – Runningback
            Round 7, Pick 254 – Trevor Canfield – Cincinnati – Offensive Guard

            Overall: “Beanie” Wells has had an uneven first two years in the NFL. While he showed himself to be a quality runner in his rookie season, leading the team in rushing in spite of not getting a single start, a knee injury severely hampered his production this past season. While Wells never had the past long speed, he did possess good explosion through the line and ability to break tackles. However, the knee injury seemed to rob him of that explosiveness and power. A year removed from those injuries could return him to form, but there’s no certainty of that.

Cody Brown was supposed to be a quality edge-rusher, however a dislocated wrist ended his rookie season before it could even begin. He was waived at the end of the 2010 training camp and spent the whole year on the Jets practice squad. He was a total bust for the Cardinals and may never see the field if he doesn’t make a huge leap this year.

Rashad Johnson was regarded highly because of his ties to Nick Saban and general opinion that he was intelligent enough to develop quickly. However, he has developed rather slowly in his first two years. He has been unable to crack the starting lineup, though he has had to compete with three of the best safeties in the NFL in Antrel Rolle, Adrian Wilson and Kerry Rhodes. He’s mostly been used on special teams and in sub-packages to this point, but has made little impact. He will probably never make that kind of an impact while he’s with the Cardinals. He’s just too buried on the depth chart.

Greg Toler was raw during his rookie season, but he has the speed that allowed him to stay relatively high on the depth chart. He started 13 games last season, forcing two fumbles and notching two interceptions before everything was said and done. While he played very well in that limited time, there were clear problems with the pass defense this past season. The drafting of Patrick Peterson clearly means that Toler will be demoted, but he’s a solid option as a nickel corner.

Herman Johnson was brought in to provide depth and potentially challenge at guard, however he never really developed and was released following the 2010 training camp. He’s currently on the Bears roster.
Will Davis has shown good pass rush skills in first two years but he is also raw and suffered a broken fibula which forced him to miss the last half of the season last year. He could become a starter or at least a regular contributor if he recovers well from his broken fibula.

The real gem of this draft was LaRod Stephens-Howling. He was brought in to assist on special teams and potentially be a third-down back, and he has excelled in both those roles since arriving. While his role on offense has been extremely limited, he has been effective in that role. Where he has made a major impact has been special teams, notably as a kick returner. In his two years in the NFL, he has averaged 25.7 yards per kick return, returned three kickoffs for touchdowns and had 79 of his 109 returns go for more than 20 yards (eight went for more than 40). While not having the resume of guys like Josh Cribbs and Devin Hester, Stephens-Howling has had that kind of impact on the Cardinals special teams.

Trevor Canfield was on the practice squad before being signed to the Seahawks active squad partway through his rookie season. He was cut following training camp and has yet to see the field.

Overall this class is in a bit of a make or break year. Wells, Johnson and Davis need to have good years this year to solidify themselves on this roster. Stephens-Howling has been an impact player and Toler is a solid contributor. Canfield, Brown and Johnson were misses.

            Final Grade: C-


2010
Round 1, Pick 26 – Dan Williams – Tennessee – Defensive Tackle                         
            Round 2, Pick 47 – Daryl Washington – TCU – Linebacker
            Round 3, Pick 88 – Andre Roberts – The Citadel – Wide Receiver
            Round 4, Pick 130 – O’Brien Schofield – Wisconsin – Outside Linebacker
            Round 5, Pick 155 – John Skelton – Fordham – Quarterback
            Round 6, Pick 201 – Jorrick Calvin – Troy – Cornerback
            Round 7, Pick 233 – Jim Dray – Stanford – Tight End

            Overall: Dan Williams was one of the boom or bust prospects in the 2010 draft, like many Tennessee defensive lineman before him. He has great size and the kind of explosion that would make him a handful to deal with. However, he didn’t show these talents early on in his rookie season. He only flashed that kind of productivity in the season last month, after spending the majority of the season developing. The Cardinals are happy with what they’ve seen, but he needs to play at that level for a full season before he’ll be considered a success.

Daryl Washington played very well during his first season. While he is undersized and can get overwhelmed by bigger offensive lineman, his speed and athleticism allows him to roam from sideline to sideline. He made the most of that speed and athleticism, starting eleven games and finished fifth on the team in tackles with 78. He needs to put on some muscle, but should be an impact player going forward.

Andre Roberts fall into much the same category as Williams. He started very slowly, but improved as the season progressed and should press Early Doucet for the slot receiver role in 2011. He could even develop into a solid starter, if he can produce the way he did again Dallas towards the end of last season.

O’Brien Schofield was expected to miss the majority, if not all of the season because of a knee injury he suffered in college. He surprised many by missing only the first six games of the season and starting to make an impact in the last two games of the season. He recorded a sack in each of those games and showed the kind of pass rush ability that makes him a prime option to replace ether Clark Haggans or Joey Porter in the next year or two. But we still need to see how well he recovers from that knee injury.

John Skelton was considered a project coming out of Fordham, but a project who had all the tools to be a quality quarterback when he got some seasoning. It didn’t look good when the Cardinals opted to start undrafted rookie Max Hall over Skelton when Derek Anderson proved to be ineffective. However, after Hall proved to be no more effective than Anderson, Skelton was thrust into the starting role for the final four games. While he wasn’t particularly accurate, he showed great poise and a strong arm. If given more playing time and good protection, he could develop into a franchise-type quarterback.

Jorrick Calvin was traded at the end of training camp to the Eagles and played some on special teams during the season. However he made no impact for either of his teams.

Jim Dray was brought in for depth, but wound up starting towards the end of the season to help the run blocking. He needs to get stronger, but works well as a number two.

Overall this draft has good potential. With the exception of Colvin, every pick found a way to contribute this year and with some development, a number of them could become stars.

            Final Grade: B-

2011
                  Rd. 1, Pick 5 – Patrick Peterson – LSU – Cornerback
                  Rd. 2, Pick 38 – Ryan Williams – Virginia Tech – Runningback
                  Rd. 3, Pick 69 – Rob Housler – Florida Atlantic – Tight End
                  Rd. 4, Pick 103 – Sam Acho – Texas – Defensive End/Outside Linebacker
                  Rd. 5, Pick 136 – Anthony Sherman – Connecticut – Fullback
                  Rd. 6, Pick 171 – Quan Sturdivant – North Carolina – Linebacker
                  Rd. 6, Pick 184 – David Carter – UCLA – Defensive Tackle
                  Rd. 7, Pick 249 – DeMarco Sampson – San Diego State – Wide Receiver

            Overall: While I’ve never been in love with teams that select based on value more than need, don’t have any major issue with this draft. The Patrick Peterson selection doesn’t help their offense, but pairing him with Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie will definitely help their defense.

The same is true of Sam Acho and Quan Sturdivant. Acho is a quality edge rusher who should make an impact on third downs and Sturdivant could be the surprise of the draft, with his excellent athleticism and intelligence. David Carter will work in on the defensive line rotation.

Offensively, the addition of Ryan Williams likely spells the end of Tim Hightower’s time in Arizona, but his success will depend heavily on how well they utilize him in balance with Beanie Wells and LeRod Stephens-Howling and how well the offensive line plays.

I love the selection of Rob Housler at tight end. He is an excellent athlete with great hands. He should help open up the middle of the field in a way that the current Cardinal tight ends have been unable to.

Anthony Sherman brings a good blocking fullback to help open running lanes. DeMarco Sampson brings depth, but may be a training camp casualty.

Overall this was a solid draft which addressed a number of needs, though they clearly still need help along the offensive line and at quarterback.

Final Grade: B+

6-Year Overall: C