Arizona Cardinals 2010 Draft Grades: Meaningless But Entertaining
by Andrew602 on Apr 25, 2010 10:40 PM MDT
in NFL Draft/Combine
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PrintThe 2010 NFL draft proved to be one of the most exciting drafts in recent NFL history, with drama leading up to the first day and multiple moves that were enough to make a sane man go crazy. The NFL's change to primetime was a complete success, and now we're left to analyze the draft picks for the next three months until training camp. One of the most popoluar post draft segments are the infamous "draft grades". Sure they're fun, but how much can you put into the draft when none of the picks have played a snap in the NFL?
In the fun of the offseason, Revenge of the Birds will dish out grades for all seven draft picks and come to a conclusion on the final grade. Jacksonville Jaguars blog, www.bigcatcountry.com used a very good format to grade the picks, and we'll adopt it here at ROTB. The picks will be evaluated based on their potential, expectancy to start, value based on round, need filled, and fan approval(based on polls posted after picks were made). Each category will earn a grade, and the average of the grades will go to that player. All seven grades will be added together and the average will be the Cardinals overall grade.
Dan Williams | NT | Tennessee - Overall Grade: A
| Grades | A | B | C | D | F | Thoughts |
| Player potential |  |
After a very dominant Senior year, Williams has the potential to be a breakout nose tackle in the NFL. With some guidance by an NFL coach, we may see what else he has to offer at the next level. | ||||
| Starting chances | |
Current nose tackle Gabe Watson is nursing an injured knee and hasn't started a game in two seasons. Williams will likely win over the starting job in training camp. | ||||
| Fills need | |
Other then linebacker, nose tackle was an extremely large need. | ||||
| Value | |
At the 26th pick, he was definitely a steal considering most boards had him landing in the top ten. | ||||
| Fan approval | |
Williams finished with a 97% fan approval rating. |
Daryl Washington | LB | TCU - Overall Grade: A
| Grades | A | B | C | D | F | Thoughts |
| Player potential | |
Washington is another player with tons of potential. He broke out during is Senior year and improved as time went on. If he can add some bulk, he'll be successful in the NFL. | ||||
| Starting chances | |
He should make the move to the inside, and the Cardinals are already thin at the position. Washington will likely start but it may not be until after the first four to five games. | ||||
| Fills need | |
Inside linebacker was an extremely thin position heading into the draft. The Cardinals did a great job grabbing Washington to shore up the need. | ||||
| Value | |
Washington was a great value-pick to land in the second round after getting Williams in the first. A "B" is given for the fact that the Cardinals gave up one of their third round picks to move up to take Washington. | ||||
| Fan approval | |
He earned a 96% fan approval rating, easily scoring an "A" here. |
Andre Roberts | WR | Citadel - Overall Grade: C
| Grades | A | B | C | D | F | Thoughts |
| Player potential | |
Roberts will get the opportunity to learn behind Larry Fitzgerald and Steve Breaston to start his NFL career. If he can add some muscle mass and fine tune is receiving skills, he has the potential to be a dangerous receiver after the catch. | ||||
| Starting chances | |
At this point it is very unlikely that he'll start. | ||||
| Fills need | |
Although most fans won't agree, wide receiver was a fairly large need. After Fitzgerald, Breaston, and Early Doucet, the Cardinals had no other options at receiver. | ||||
| Value | |
Roberts was not a reach at this point in the draft. Wwide receivers were falling off the board on day two, and the Cardinals moved fast to find their man. | ||||
| Fan approval | |
Roberts earned a 65% fan approval rating. |
O'Brien Schofield | OLB | Wisconsin - Overall Grade: B
| Grades | A | B | C | D | F | Thoughts |
| Player potential | |
Before he tore a knee ligament at the Senior Bowl, Schofield was considered a very interesting prospect entering the draft. He caught on during his last two seasons of college and some believe we've only scratched the surface with Schofield. | ||||
| Starting chances | |
He's projected to miss the first three to four months of the regular season, vastly limiting his starting chances. | ||||
| Fills need | |
Outside linebacker was the third-biggest needed heading into the draft. If Schofield can heal successfully, he filled an enormous need. | ||||
| Value | |
Before the knee injury, many thought Schofield could even be a first round draft pick. Drafting him in the fourth round was a great value pick. | ||||
| Fan approval | |
Schofield earned a 77% fan approval rating. |
John Skelton | QB | Fordham - Overall Grade: B
| Grades | A | B | C | D | F | Thoughts |
| Player potential | |
Skelton was a popular name entering the draft and most believe he's still fairly raw. He'll get the chance to learn on the sidelines and develop under the tutelage of quarterback's coach Chris Miller. | ||||
| Starting chances | |
He's immediately the third string quarterback but given the unknown of Matt Leinart and Derek Anderson leading the team, Skelton could see playing time. | ||||
| Fills need | |
With only two quarterbacks signed to the roster, Skelton filled a need. | ||||
| Value | |
He wasn't a reach nor a steal in the fifth round. The Cardinals were lucky to land him in that spot however. |
||||
| Fan approval | |
Sketon earned a 79% fan approval rating. |
Jorrick Calvin | CB | Troy - Overall Grade: D
| Grades | A | B | C | D | F | Thoughts |
| Player potential | |
The Cardinals have a history of drafting corners with potential(Greg Toler, Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie). After not playing the 2009 season and showing little as a corner in 2008, Calvin may have more to give as a defensive back. | ||||
| Starting chances | |
Even though cornerback is very shallow, Calvin will help out on special teams, but won't start. | ||||
| Fills need | |
Cornerback was a very large need, especially after trading starter Bryant McFadden the round before. | ||||
| Value | |
Most mock drafts didn't even have Calvin being drafted. Since the Cardinals waited so long to draft a corner, he may have been a reach in the sixth round. |
||||
| Fan approval | |
Calvin earned a 68% fan approval rating. |
Jim Dray | TE | Stanford - Overall Grade: C
| Grades | A | B | C | D | F | Thoughts |
| Player potential | |
Dray missed most of the 2008 season with a knee injury and showed very little in the receiving department last season. He will be able to learn under the coaching staff and develop before he sees any NFL action. | ||||
| Starting chances | |
Dray is currently the fifth string tight end. He won't start in 2010. | ||||
| Fills need | |
Tight end was a need before the draft took place. The Cardinals believe Dray was the answer. | ||||
| Value | |
The Cardinals didn't reach for Dray and successfully waited until the seventh round to draft him. |
||||
| Fan approval | |
Dray earned a 74% fan approval rating. |
Arizona Cardinals 2010 Early NFL Draft Grade: B
A "B" was to be expected considering the Cardinals found two very good picks in the first two rounds, but waited to address needs till the end of the draft. Considering I highly believe grades shouldn't be given the Monday after the draft, I'll stand behind the method and except the B. I also want to hear what you think - what grade did you give the Arizona Cardinals 2010 NFL draft and why?
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just curious but who gave the cards an A grade? and what are your thoughts behind your thinking?
i can see where that could be but i am curious to the thoughts behind such a grade.
That was me
I personally think the Cardinals deserve an A on the Draft this year, because they filled all the things they needed.
Of course, no one can say for sure if any of the Draftees will do good or not in their NFL careers, but you can of course guess, and I’m going to guess that most of the Cardinals choices, if not all, do good, or better.
I gave an A too.
I really like the first two choices. A+ on those. Schofield, if he comes back, is definitly first round value. Skelton is a terrific prospect to replace BSP. Calvin, I’m taking on faith seeing how well the FO has done evaluating CBs from small schools in the past. Dray in the 7th is my only real question mark. We already have four TEs. I think I would have gone for another corner.
by Birdman from Mesa on Apr 26, 2010 11:35 AM MDT up reply actions
I did, too
We filled needs 1-3 and did so with high quality players. We took a potentially first round talent in the 4th round on a gamble. We grabbed a 5th round small school gem who has a cannon arm. I’ve come around on Calvin a bit and believe he will be a good asset on special teams and depth. We finished up with a bruising, blocking TE who can spend the year on the practice squad before making the regular roster in 2011.
That’s an A in my book.
When I get sad, I stop being sad and be awesome again. True story.
-Barney Stinson
his poor fan approval and chances of starting killed his grade
What? I didn't break it, I was just testing its durability, and then I placed it in the woods becuase it's made out of wood and I just thought he should be with his family.
Revenge of the Birds
Overall I'm very happy with this draft but grading it seems silly.
It’s possible that this draft solidified the defense for years to come but who knows. Shofield could be a huge steal in the 4th but we won’t know for a long time. Williams and Washington should be tremendous for us but anything can happen. Maybe in a year or two, or three, we’ll have the perspective to see what Whis and Graves have really accomplished with these selections.
+1 This draft has "special" written all over it with the projects that have been selected
I think we’ll see in time what comes from the developmental projects though. I do have to add my two cents that players who were picked thinking that there careers were over will certainly give 100% to prove they were worth the pick. Some would say they’ll play even harder to prove that it was worth the time and effort invested in them.
Section 102, Row 18
Just looking at all of the Cardinals picks, I realized almost all of them have something to prove
and have tons of potential.
What? I didn't break it, I was just testing its durability, and then I placed it in the woods becuase it's made out of wood and I just thought he should be with his family.
Revenge of the Birds
Roberts
He was the least expect but grown to be my favorite pick. I watch his highlights and wow he is POTENTIAL. But he seem kind of small for a WR
we are now in the 4th season behind whiz
Let’s do a fan thread on his first draft or even the last 3 to date they says u can’t grade till 3 or 4 seasons but I read somewhere that out of the 20 drafted players from the whiz era 17 are still with the team
The Devil Birds just got cha
by DaCards on Apr 26, 2010 12:29 AM MDT via mobile reply actions
Harrington is it?.
Life's too short. Be a fan. Orlando Magic, Arizona Cardinals,Tampa Bay Rays and of course "the U"! What a winning combo.
by hevchv on Apr 26, 2010 4:18 AM MDT via mobile up reply actions
I think the Bengals signed him to their active roster.
Life's too short. Be a fan. Orlando Magic, Arizona Cardinals,Tampa Bay Rays and of course "the U"! What a winning combo.
I wouldn't call WR a "very large need"
Especially considering that we did and still do have legitimate holes at the OT/TE positions, as well as depth issues all over our defense. Assuming we’re moving to a more run-oriented attack next year, having three quality wide receivers is fine – it’s more than what of teams have, and though Roberts will probably be aces for us once Breaston/Doucet move on, that won’t change the fact that we should’ve gone a different direction, in my opinion.
Whis has been saying all along that the offense won't change much.
Perhaps picking Roberts is an indicator that he’s not blowing smoke.
Or not picking any offensive lineman
What? I didn't break it, I was just testing its durability, and then I placed it in the woods becuase it's made out of wood and I just thought he should be with his family.
Revenge of the Birds
I mostly concur
WR was a need, but I’m not sure it was a 3rd-round need. I saw other holes as being more important, like you said. I think I like the player, but I would have been happier waiting a little longer to grab someone. The main thing I’m concerned with at WR is injury — if one of our top three goes down, which they have all been prone to doing (’cept Fitz) it may have gotten a little rough.
I gave it an A
Because I am biased.
I would have liked to add another CB, but what can you do? I think our front seven will be able to provide a lot of pressure which should help cover up our lack of depth in the secondary. Also, we have Ware in passing situations, someone I had looked over, who really contributed for us. DRC, Toler, A-Dub, Rhodes, Ware, and ???
They are who we thought they were!
we are now in the 4th season behind whiz
Let’s do a fan thread on his first draft or even the last 3 to date they says u can’t grade till 3 or 4 seasons but I read somewhere that out of the 20 drafted players from the whiz era 17 are still with the team
The Devil Birds just got cha
by DaCards on Apr 26, 2010 6:01 AM MDT via mobile reply actions
player potential
I think Roberts and Skelton should both have an A for player potential. Roberts has the athleticism to make his mark in short order, with this 4.4 speed and big play ability. I am thinking a poor man’s DeSean Jackson.
I also think Roberts should get an A for starting chances since he will probably be the starting punt returner in Week 1.
But I graded a B since I don’t like that they waited so long for a CB and a TE. All in all I am very happy and this draft has the potential to be an A a few years from now.
http://undrafteds.com/
Skelton an A?
If he had A potential, he would have gone higher. Look at Josh Freeman last year — he has a lot of work to do, but teams saw huge potential there, so a needy team went for it early anyway. I’ll be happy with Skelton if he turns into a reliable back-up. And, on the off-chance he blows the doors off the thing, well, that’s great, too…
Yes...A for potential
I think Skelton certainly has the potential to turn into a starter, and for that I would give him an A for sure. Derek Anderson was drafted in the sixth round. Same kind of player, Skelton is 6’6", huge arm, put up 300 yards most games including 4 (?) 400 yard games, good accuracy, not a sitting duck can actually run a little bit. Think of where DA was drafted and then had a Pro Bowl year, you’d have to give an A for that yeah?
http://undrafteds.com/
I think he has potential regardless
What? I didn't break it, I was just testing its durability, and then I placed it in the woods becuase it's made out of wood and I just thought he should be with his family.
Revenge of the Birds
Well, I don't really want to fire up the ol' DA Bashing Machine again
So I’m just going to say, “Ni.”
remember tom brady was a 7 th round pick
The Devil Birds just got cha
by DaCards on Apr 27, 2010 6:01 AM MDT via mobile up reply actions
It's possible, it happens
Just not very often. Sorry for raining on the hope parade, gentlemen. As a sign of good-faith, I have prepared this here ten-gallon tub o’ Kool-Aid…
Uhhh, that one guy that one time...
They are who we thought they were!
by Jesse Reynolds on Apr 27, 2010 9:24 AM MDT up reply actions
grades on mocking the draft fan post they gave us an a+
http://mobile.mockingthedraft.com/2010/4/24/1442176/montells-2010-draft-grades
The Devil Birds just got cha
by DaCards on Apr 26, 2010 11:25 AM MDT via mobile reply actions
great draft but...
realistically you can’t grade a draft until three years out…
I agree
Lets just say that Draft grades are highly searched on google right after the draft takes place.
What? I didn't break it, I was just testing its durability, and then I placed it in the woods becuase it's made out of wood and I just thought he should be with his family.
Revenge of the Birds
Skelton's value should have been lower
It probably looks like I’m hating on him now, but we did give up our 2nd CB to get him.
I think McFadden was gone regardless
He was losing his starting job and set to make almost 5 mil. I like Skelton replacing BSP. Lot more potential to develop into a starter.
by Birdman from Mesa on Apr 26, 2010 2:08 PM MDT up reply actions
I think they went in with an eye toward trading him.
He was set to make a bundle as a backup for a year, then his contract was over. Even after Toler came into the Saints game they continued to target McFadden, and burn him. Leaves us soft in the CB dept for now but I don’t see McFadden as so hard to replace.
I heard a Steeler fan on Sirius Radio say that BMac was better then all of the CBs coming out of the draft
And they got one of the top cornerbacks back. I just shook my head.
What? I didn't break it, I was just testing its durability, and then I placed it in the woods becuase it's made out of wood and I just thought he should be with his family.
Revenge of the Birds
He must have missed the playoffs...
They are who we thought they were!
by Jesse Reynolds on Apr 27, 2010 9:25 AM MDT up reply actions
I'm with you guys here
I just think, we traded up for Washington and his value got a knock, so Skelton should too.
F = haters
What? I didn't break it, I was just testing its durability, and then I placed it in the woods becuase it's made out of wood and I just thought he should be with his family.
Revenge of the Birds
49ers and Seahawks fans
Lifelong Arizona Cardinals/Chicago Bears fan.
I can't stand fair-weather/bandwagon fans, stick with your team, throughout the good and the bad.
A
Lifelong Arizona Cardinals/Chicago Bears fan.
I can't stand fair-weather/bandwagon fans, stick with your team, throughout the good and the bad.
I gave an A
I love what they did to address their defensive needs in the first two rounds. Just thinking about a D-line of Dockett, Campbell, and Williams gives me the willies in a good way. Roberts, Schofield, and Skelton are all great “upside” picks. Their late-round picks aren’t blowing me away, but what else is a team supposed to do with a late-round pick besides shore up depth?
Cardinal fan since 1970
As a life long (suffering ) Cardinal fan I am absolutely ecstatic with what Wizz and Graves have done this and every year they have worked together. The quality and depth of their drafts have never before been so consistently strong. For the first time since the Terry Metcalfe era and I was a naive 10 year old kid who believed in the Cardinals : I believe in what this franchise has done and in this regime to bring a long ,long long suffering fan to an era of prosperity never before witnessed in my 40 years.
I hope I’m not asking too much but there are still nightmares about Kelly Stouffer; Neil O’Donnell on MNF; any Thanksgiving Day game; Bud Wilkinson……you get the point.
Someone else remembers....
That MNF game vs NYG. How many GW kicks did Neil O’D miss that game 2 or 3?
B+ Swap the 3rd and 6th rounds
I like the draft and especially rounds 1&2, but would have preferred to take a corner in round 3 and a WR in round 6.
But none of this matters and we won’t know for sure the value of this draft for several years.
And the last time I checked, it didn’t say “Director of Arizona Cardinals Operations” on my desk (if I had one) so I’m comfortable with their decisions.
But it sure makes all of this discussion a lot of fun!!!!!
it didn’t say "Director of Arizona Cardinals Operations" on my desk
Mine does. I just finished writing it on an index card, although I think I misspelled my own name.
Life's too short. Be a fan. Orlando Magic, Arizona Cardinals,Tampa Bay Rays and of course "the U"! What a winning combo.
That's awesome
What? I didn't break it, I was just testing its durability, and then I placed it in the woods becuase it's made out of wood and I just thought he should be with his family.
Revenge of the Birds
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