Rodney Gunter to Arizona Cardinals: Full Draft Pick Breakdown

The Arizona Cardinals knew that nine rookies would struggle to make their final 53-man roster, so the team packaged picks to get its guy in the fourth round of the 2015 NFL draft. With the No. 116 pick acquired from the Cleveland Browns, the Cardinals selected defensive end Rodney Gunter of Delaware State.

To move up for Gunter, the Cardinals paid a heavy price. Arizona traded picks No. 123, 198 and 241 overall.

"

Rodney Gunter is the first player drafted that wasn't on my board.

— Matt Miller (@nfldraftscout) May 2, 2015"

Arizona needed a developmental player for its front seven. Gunter is certainly a developmental talent, and so much so that this pick seems like a huge reach. Gunter has good size at 6’4” and 298 pounds, but coming from Delaware State, he will be facing a major jump in competition.

"

#Cardinals take DT Rodney Gunter from Delaware State in the 4th round. He's not among the 800 prospects graded in Nolan Nawrocki's book

— Ben Volin (@BenVolin) May 2, 2015"

How well was Gunter known in scouting circles? Not at all. NFL draft experts were scratching their heads on social media after the pick. That doesn’t mean Gunter is not a good player, but the Cardinals seemingly took him way too early.

According to NFLDraftScout, Gunter was a projected undrafted free agent. He was a two-time All-MEAC first-team selection in 2013 and 2014 and played all four years of his collegiate career.

The only available film online for Gunter is a highlight tape from his sophomore and junior season. Throughout the video, which is above, Gunter does show good quickness and athleticism. His jump in competition is huge, so the Cardinals likely view Gunter as a long-term project.

Below are Gunter’s pro-day numbers compared to the combine averages for defensive ends in the last decade. Gunter’s athleticism is nearly identical to the average, which is concerning for the long-term outlook for a project pick. His broad jump is the only standout difference. 

	Pro day performance	Combine average
Height	6043	6031
Weight	298	306
40-yard dash	5.00	5.11
Bench Press	20	27
Vertical	27"	29"
Broad Jump	9'7"	8'8"
3-Cone	7.4	7.66

Arizona does have some good veterans in place for 2015 at defensive end. There is no pressure for Gunter to play right now. He may even be put on the practice squad to buy him more time to develop.

For a team looking to win right now, this just seems like too big of a reach. A small-school player with elite athleticism is a reasonable gamble, but that is not the case here.

Overall, this is a concerning pick for the Cardinals. Instead of moving up for a player who can help right now, the Cardinals added a small-school prospect with average athleticism.

We’ll see how Gunter works out, and we certainly wish the best to him. Right now, though, this looks like a major reach.

Ian Wharton is an NFL Draft Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report. 

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