2011 NFL Draft: Arizona Cardinals Must Not Take a Quarterback in the First Round

The 2010 Cardinals season was a demonstration of the void that is created when a great quarterback, especially a future Hall-of-Famer like Kurt Warner, leaves a team. As hard as it was to watch the 2010 season, The Whiz and crew do not need to go all impulsive on us and look for a quick fix by drafting a quarterback. 

The top two quarterback prospects, Cam Newton and Blaine Gabbert (in no particular order), are still very raw and neither is ready to step in and make an impact at the NFL level.

I hear many Cardinals fans begging for a quarterback from the draft to step in and fill Warner’s shoes and everything will be back to 2008—but the reality is nobody can fill Warner’s shoes.

With Warner now gone, the issues with defense become even more glaring.

In 2010, the Cardinals defense was 30th in points allowed, 30th in rush yards allowed and 29th in total yards allowed. Granted, they were always on the field because the offense could get no first downs. 

But the reality is that the Cardinals have not had a noteworthy pass rush in years. Warner and Larry Fitzgerald were able to mask these defensive issues with incredible offensive production in past years, but the days of just covering up the bad defense with really good offense are over.

The knee-jerk reaction of drafting a quarterback this year will land the Cardinals right back where they were in 2010. Drafting Newton or Gabbert and throwing them into a game untested and not ready will be Max Hall and John Skelton all over again.

Coach Whisenhunt is a smart coach and I don’t believe will succumb to such impulsive actions on draft day, especially with his Pittsburgh history.

An elite pass rusher would make a world of difference for the Cardinals defense.

It would take pressure off of defensive backs knowing that someone is getting some pressure on the quarterback and they won’t have to try to cover a guy for days.

Darnell Dockett would not be double teamed so often and he and the defensive line would get even better production, and to have a quarterback worrying about an elite outside pass rusher AND Adrian Wilson is a pleasant thought. 

The safe pick here is Von Miller out of Texas A&M. He very well might be the best player in the draft and in my opinion, a steal at No. 5 overall.

Miller had a very impressive showing at the combine, is considered the top linebacker out of the draft, won the Butkus Award last year with the Aggies and will make an immediate impact for the Cards and a perfect fit for their 3-4 scheme. 

Another to consider, though, is Robert Quinn out of North Carolina. It seems many have forgot about Quinn since he missed last year, but this guy is a freak athlete and could make an immediate impact as well on the outside. 

The quarterback situation needs to be handled in due time by bringing in a veteran through trade or free agency, such as Kevin Kolb or Marc Bulger, to serve as a stopgap for a few years and bring quality play to the table while the younger guys are groomed. 

This is the way to bring the Cardinals back to winning the NFC West and competing in the playoffs.