The Cardinals made a big splash in Saturday's draft by selecting behemoth offensive tackle Levi Brown. Here, Jeff Gollin from a Cardinals blog breaks down the draft for the Bleacher Report.The Cardinals entered the draft with a glaring need at offensive tackle and a roster hole at weakside linebacker. Stated objectives of coach Ken Whisenhunt were to increase physical presence at the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball, pick up a blocking tight end and possibly a fullback, and add more depth at linebacker and in the secondary.
There was also speculation that the Cards were on the prowl for a speedster who could return kicks, run crisp routes (to complement and free up Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin), and terrify deep secondaries.
According to both coach Whisenhunt and VP Player Personnel Rod Graves, the Cardinals stack two boards: a "big board" ranking roughly 500 players in order of their perceived ability as players and a "120 player" working board which factors position need and fit within the Cardinal system into the valuation of each player.
The Cards draft the "player who can best help our team" until they run out of their 120 players, at which point they revert to the big board. An idea of how the system works: Top rated QB's JaMarcus Russell and Brady Quinn could be ranked atop the Cardinals' big board but significantly farther down their "120 Board," given the Cards' strength under center.
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There was some speculation about whom the Cardinals would select with their number five pick in the first round. Of course, our choice would ultimately depend on the four picks ahead of us.
Conventional wisdom was that the top of the Cardinals' board included OT Joe Thomas, OT Levi Brown, and RB Adrian Peterson. There had been buzz coming out of Cardinal Country that the Cardinals actually felt Brown might be better fit for Whisenhunt's power running offense than would Thomas (who was considered the better pass blocker of the two). Late reports (which actually seemed credible for a change) suggested that Peterson's broken collarbone had not healed on schedule and that he might need to have a plate inserted.
The options, therefore, seemed to be narrowed down to either Thomas or Brown—either at number five or by trading down a few notches to where Brown would be considered a better value. According to Graves, things were very silent on the trade front, so the Cardinals were stood pat and drafted Brown, whom they felt was a solid value at five.
When most teams draft high in the second round, they adopt a "Catcher in the Rye" approach (i.e. standing at the edge of the first round cliff waiting to see which players fall over). I don't think the Cardinal front office ever imagined that they'd have to be ready to catch a 330-pound space-eating defensive tackle.
Graves confided that the Cardinals had behemoth DT Alan Branch rated "very high" on their 120 Board. When it became evident around pick 25 that Branch could drop all the way out of the first round, the Cardinal front office began to consider strategies for securing the Michigan lineman. They were ultimately able to swing a trade with Oakland to move from 38 to 33 (in exchange for a fourth-round draft choice) to draft Branch.
In drafting Levi Brown and Alan Branch, Coach Whisenhunt and the Cardinals took two significant steps toward becoming tougher and more physical at the line of scrimmage on both offense and defense.
In the third round (at number 69), the Cardinals addressed a position need at inside linebacker by picking Florida State's Buster Davis, who might have been a first-round talent if he'd been a few inches taller.
Clancy Pendergast is transforming the Cardinal defense into a hybrid entity involving various fronts, disguised coverages, and a multiplicity of position responsibilities for each player. Although the Cardinals had a need at weakside linebacker, most if not all of their current linebackers can play more than one position—so the addition of someone in the middle can free up another linebacker to move outside.
After the Oakland trade, the Cardinals had to wait until number 141 in the 5th round for their next pick—when they found slender Michigan wide receiver and return man Steve Breaston still on their board. The initial reaction was that the Big Red had drafted Breaston purely for his home-run ability on punts and kicks, but Coach Whisenhunt says the Cardinals are fascinated by Breaston's talent as a wideout.
Near the top of the Cardinal board (and mine, incidentally) as they bade farewell to pick 141 was tight end Ben Patrick, who had shot up the charts after a terrific Senior Bowl week and Combine workout. For some reason, Patrick fell right down most boards as fast as he had risen. The Cardinals sweated out their missing sixth-round pick before finally nabbing Patrick at number 215 in the seventh round.
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about 1 year ago
Or even close to it? I'm in agreement that taking an OT was the correct move for this team. Interesting how they are using a #5 pick (in 07) to defend a #10 pick (in 06), but that does not undermine the importance of protecting Matt. If he has even a fraction more time to pass, expect big things form their excellent WR corp. Also, I'm not really sure why Adrian Peterson was on their draft board that high.
But for some reason, I never feel like this team gets it together. I thought they were a contender last season, but I was way off the mark. This year they improved via the draft, but it won't be enough to keep pace with SF or even overtake a weakened Seahawks team.
Great analysis here, though.
about 1 year ago
I agree with this. The cardinals had a very underrated draft in which they made all the right moves and the available prospects fit their board like a glove. My opinion is that they were the toast of the '06 draft (with not much success to follow) and pundits are choosing other teams to celebrate this time around. Funny how Cleveland did the same thing you guys did last year, e.g. draft a top rated QB lower than anyone imagined, and are getting simmilar praise.
about 1 year ago
The Cardinals have been everyone's pick for "breakout" team of the year for about 3 years running. Picking Arizona to make the playoffs was almost a fad. But now that trend ship has sailed, and what we're left with is a team that actually "probably" will make the playoffs.
It's all about the line of scrimmage. Great draft!
about 1 year ago
Although they have a rookie head coach, they have a confident young quarterback in Leinart, some decent receivers, and a D learning to play together. These additions should push the to contend in the division, with an even brighter future ahead.
about 1 year ago
One important clarification - reports of Branch's "stress fractures" and leg problems were not givens and remain uncorroborated rumors.
One thing I failed to mention in my article is that the draft is an inexact science. It's all about possibilities and probabilities and not about definites.
All you can expect a team to do is to play the percentages and count on the law of averages to eventually play out over time. The teams that play the percentages will figure to do better than teams who don't over the long haul.
In this respect, the Cardinals, in my opinion, played the percentages and had a "safe" draft. Whether or not Brown turns out to be "a fixture for 10 years" or Branch completely changes the dynamic of the Cardinal run defense cannot be guaranteed. But I believe the Big Red made the right moves in drafting them, and the outcomes are more likely to be positive than otherwise.
about 1 year ago
They did indeed have an incredible draft Brown is a better fit than Thomas at OT, and trading up to get Branch was a smart move. Seems like they addressed their most pressing needs.
Will be anxious to see how they stack up in a rapidly improving NFC west.
Great analysis here Jeff.
about 1 year ago
Enough of this "Brown is a better fit than Thomas" talk. We all know that if Thomas was there at 5, the Cards would have jumped on him. Brown is good, too, but with more question marks.
Branch was the better pick. If he lives up to a shred of his potential, they will have him at tremendous value. The D is the big "if" for Zona - we all know their offense can produce with those receivers and Leinart progressing. The question is if they can stop the other team from scoring.
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