Arizona Cardinals 2015 Draft: Aggregating Report Card Grades from Around the Web

The 2015 NFL draft is in the rearview mirror now, and experts have spoken. Although the disclaimer is clear from experts that drafts cannot be fairly judged for years, the instant reaction is still valuable. It’s important to see how well the Arizona Cardinals valued the talent they selected.

Teams that get instant gratification from their draft tend to be less talented because there are more snaps available. For the Cardinals, it was clear the focus of this class is the future more so than 2015.

Looking at major media outlets, Arizona scored fairly well across the board. We compiled all of the grades so you don’t have to search all over the Web for reviews.

CBS Sports

Grade: A

Pete Prisco of CBS Sports broke down each team’s draft into four categories. According to Prisco, Arizona’s best pick was third-round running back David Johnson. He also liked fifth-round selection Shaquille Riddick, who can help the Cardinals’ pass rush.

The most questionable move Arizona made was second-round pick Markus Golden. Prisco likes how Golden plays hard but questions his ability to be special. That mirrors our take on Golden, who is an energy rusher instead of havoc creator.

His overall grade for the Cardinals seems high for his review of the class. A second-round pick shouldn’t be the most questionable move for an A grade. An A grade should be for a home run draft with multiple impact players in Year 1.

Arizona did not clearly accomplish that.

ESPN

John Raoux/Associated Press

Grade: C+

ESPN draft guru Mel Kiper Jr. wasn’t completely sold on Arizona’s draft class. He identified their top needs as linebacker, running back, center and cornerback. Since Arizona ignored the latter two, he gave Arizona a C+ for their effort.

Kiper had this to say of the Cardinals:

"

The Cardinals were a team many of us saw taking Melvin Gordon if the Wisconsin RB were available at No. 24, in part because the roster really doesn't have any gaping holes in spots you typically target with premium picks. Turns out, it was never even close with Gordon. D.J. Humphries was a bit of a reach on my board, but I can understand the pick as they look for competition at right tackle. General manager Steve Keim has made improving the O-line a priority from Day 1, and he wants to continue improving there. They needed to add a pass-rusher, and they got Markus Golden in Round 2, then Shaq Riddick in Round 5. I don't see quite the same ability in Golden, but the need there was certainly addressed. David Johnson has a chance to help them right away at running back. He has good size and also offers good hands. I wouldn't be at all surprised if he breaks out in one of the next two seasons. J.J. Nelson is a miniature burner and could be someone to watch in the return game -- he'll run under 4.3, which he needs to since he's under 160 pounds. It was going to be hard to add a player who was sure to be an immediate starter, which is a credit to the state of the roster, but I didn't like the value too much with either of the top two picks. 

"

Kiper’s criticism is well explained, and his overall talent evaluations seem spot on as always. As with other evaluators, it seems the second-round selection of Markus Golden is a negative for Arizona in terms of value.

SB Nation

Julio Cortez/Associated Press

Grade: B

Arizona Cardinals correspondent Jess Root for SB Nation gave a solid but unspectacular grade for the team. He broke down every pick in depth, with David Johnson and Shaq Riddick earning A marks.

Root’s two least favorite picks were Markus Golden and Rodney Gunter, which shouldn’t be surprising. Golden earned a C, while Gunter was an ungradable pick because there is such little information on him available.

In summary, Root said this of the class:

"

This was not really an exciting draft at all. I loved the Johnson and Riddick picks. I don't hate any of the selections. None of them really move the dial in terms of excitement. But they all have high upside.

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We disagree that all of the Cardinals’ picks have high upside. Athletically, Golden, Gunter and Gerald Christian are all about average or worse. His outlook on the class in general is a little more optimistic than ours.

Rotoworld

Wesley Hitt/Getty Images

Grade: D

Rotoworld's Evan Silva was not a fan of the Arizona Cardinals’ class. Silva pulled no punches, giving the class the lowest grade of all, a D. His biggest concern was the decision to trade up for Rodney Gunter.

Here are Silva’s comments on the class:

"

GM Steve Keim has done an outstanding job of turning the Cardinals into an annually competitive team, and coach Bruce Arians has shown a propensity for maximizing his roster. Cardinals’ brass deserves a lot of respect. I did not like their 2015 draft. Perhaps the biggest head scratcher was a day-three trade that cost Arizona pick Nos. 123, 198, and 241 in exchange for No. 116, where Keim selected small-school project Gunter. Humphries is an excellent prospect with a questionable fit at right tackle in Arizona.

Golden produced in college, but lacks the athletic ability required to become an impact NFL pass rusher. Johnson is the opposite, offering elite measurables but sub-baseline running ability. He projects best to H-back in the pros. Nelson is a kick returner only. Riddick and Christian were the only Cardinals draft picks I liked. Arizona failed to fill its needs at running back, nose tackle, and cornerback.

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Silva gave the lowest grade of any media outlet. Although I do not agree with his overall grade because there are some good role players in this class, his evaluations are spot on. Taking a pure punt returner and a tackle when Bobby Massie is present doesn't make a ton of sense. 

Bleacher Report

Grade: B+

NFL Lead Writer Ty Schalter graded every general manager’s ability to identify value, talent and fill needs. His grade was a solid, above-average score that any general manager would be proud of.

In Schalter’s summary, he says this of the Cardinals’ performance:

"

The Arizona Cardinals have needed to rebuild the offensive line for years on end, and they've been trying to since the moment head coach Bruce Arians took over. Taking a tackle this low in the first round usually means rolling the dice, but the presence of left tackle Jared Veldheer and free-agent addition of guard Mike Iupati means Humphries should be able to step in on the right.

Golden isn't a flashy player, but he fits in perfectly with the Cardinals' lunch-bucket defense. Riddick fits the profile too. David Johnson stuck out in the evaluation cycle as a small-school back with old-school size and should add a missing between-the-tackles rushing element.

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Schalter does a good job of giving a quick thought on the picks. He did skim over some of the late-round picks, and the Gunter selection must be at least a questionable decision. Moving extra picks for a small-school prospect with only decent athleticism could end up costly in the future.

Final Grades

Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images

The experts are torn on the Arizona Cardinals’ draft performance. It is clear that draft specialists are much less optimistic on this class than media members. That makes sense, as some media members do not dig nearly as deep as draftniks.

I lean closer to Mel Kiper Jr.’s grade more than anyone else. Arizona’s second- and fourth-round picks were very poor values and overall upside picks for a team that doesn’t need low-impact players.

The Cardinals did add some solid talent in D.J. Humphries, David Johnson and Shaq Riddick. That alone should help in the next two or three years. But this team did not greatly improve for 2015, which also matters.

Grade: C+