2011 NFL Draft Grades: Arizona Cardinals
by Jess Root on May 1, 2011 5:01 AM MDT
in NFL Draft/Combine
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PrintWith the 2011 NFL Draft complete, the most common thing to do now is to grade the teams and their draft. Honestly, it is way too early to do that. But even so, it's kind of a requirement with the draft. Now since I am a teacher by trade, I know a bit about grading (as the pile of Spanish essays sitting on the table next to me right now is calling my name), I will oblige the world out there.
But do note that all grades are more like a projected grade, based on the choices and studying. We don't really know exactly how this these players will turn out. Andre Wadsworth was once a "can't miss" pick, bu his knees betrayed him and he never became what he could have become. So here goes!
Patrick Peterson: A+
I love the pick. He was considered prospect number one in the entire draft by many. It was not necessarily a need, but he is undeniably the best pick that could have been made there. I was just happy that, with him available, they did not trade down.
Ryan Williams: B
This pick was a surprise. With several highly rated pass rushers available and also tight end Kyle Rudolph, we all thought that either one of these needs would have been addressed. Instead, they picked a top-15 rated talent, but a running back nonetheless. Williams could be a very special player, but he also has the "durability questions" label because of his final season at Virginia Tech. Also, the fumbles raise questions. You would think that between Hightoer and Wells, that the team has had its share of fumbles.
Robert Housler: A
No, he is not Kyle Rudolph, but the Cardinals addressed a need with a player that a few consider even a greater prospect than Rudolph. Housler reportedly has exceptional hands, is an adequate blocker and has blazing speed and size. In traditional three-wide offensive sets, it will be like having a fourth receiver.
Sam Acho: B
This grade is only a B because of the fact that first addressing of the pass rush came in the fourth round. Acho is supposedly a very polished player at outside linebacker. He will certainly be a rotation player this year and will likely be the reason either Joey Porter or Clark Haggans is shown the door.
Anthony Sherman: C
It is true that Sherman is a highly rated fullback who can catch the ball well and that he is one of the top two or three special teams players in the draft, but drafting a fullback seems weird because they have not used them much in their offense in the past.
Quan Sturdivant: A
Once you get to the sixth round, expectations are low. However, Sturdivant is not a sixth round player. I'll be honest. when I was working on one of the mock drafts I did, I had to make a second round selection. I looked at him that early. Yes, it would have been a reach, but it would have filled a knee. He offers the defense more speed and playmaking ability.
David Carter: B-
Again, this grade is tempered with the location in the draft. Picking up a guy to develop is always good. You can never have enough help on the defensive line.
DeMarco Sampson: B
In the late seventh round, you can't hope for much. But they get a tall, speedy receiver in Sampson. His scouting report says he has inconsistent hands. The Cardinals potentially could have a shortage at the receiver position.
Addressing needs: C
This is a hard grade to give because the strategy this year was apparently go for best player for each pick. Rod Graves even said that they "let their draft board dictate the picks." They did not address the offensive line or quarterback positions and they waited four rounds to add a pass rushers. However, they added a pass-catching tight end, pass rushers late and an inside linebacker, all that were team needs.
Value: A
In this draft, the Cardinals did not reach for anybody and they have three bona fide "steals" in their draft class. Peterson could have gone number one overall, Williams was a Top-15 talent that went at number 38 and Sturdivant coudl have been picked anywhere between the second and fourth rounds.
Overall grade: B
This was a draft for a thinking fan, not a reacting one. In terms of instant reaction, the Williams, Housler and Sherman picks, I was left wondering what the heck they were doing. But after hearing more about each player and how they rated at their position, the picks made more and more sense. there isn't a single one of them I dislike. The Williams pick is the riskiest. The only reason the grade is not an A is because not all the needs were addressed.
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I would've given Sam Acho at least an A
In many reports, he was gone in the 2nd or 3rd Round. He may become the steal of the Draft.
As for addressing needs, here’s a quote from Fitz:
“"If there’s an incredible athlete there, you take him, even if you don’t have a need. You find a place for him.”
You phrased it just right.
This was a thinking man’s draft. You had to dig a little deeper as to why some of these guys and positions were drafted. And from what I can tell whiz and graves did great. The OL will be addressed in FA and I think that a lot of our rookies from last year are going to be making a big impact.
Sorry folks, park's closed. Moose out front shoulda told ya.
by Ghettoboxx on May 1, 2011 7:32 AM MDT via mobile reply actions
u cant rely on FA to build an o-line!
why would a team let a great tackle or guard go?there are a few exceptions, but it rarely happens. You must get the majority of your line from the draft, expecially your tackles.
Agree...
and I would give an overall grade of A because 1) we got good value in all of our picks, 2) you can’t address all of your needs in the draft, and 3) BPA is the smart approach to the draft. I think Whiz and Graves did a great job this year.
you have to address a lot of your needs in the draft...
because usually free agents are not that good!
I just posted this in the Kiper draft grade post, but I’ll repost here.
1. Patrick Peterson – Same pick I would have made (after trying to trade down for extra picks and Quinn, if I would have gotten a deal like the Browns got I would have taken it)
2. Ryan Williams – Definitely a value over need pick. Was pretty annoyed at first, but after watching this video I’m pretty impressed with his speed, refusal to accept a tackle, and ability to find a hole in what could have been a no-gain play.
I probably would have gone Ayers (LB) or Franklin (OL)
3. Robert Housler – I understand TE was a need, but to me a very low priority when we can’t protect our passer (or get a passer for that matter) I guess the thought is we need a "Plan B" at TE for quick passes when the pocket is collapsing.
I probably would have gone Houston/Wilson (LB) or Moffitt/Boling (OL)
4. Sam Acho – This is where I sighed a sigh of relief, finally a pass rusher. Pleased.
5. Anthony Sherman – Immediately bummed again. FB over OL? C’mon man.
I would have gone Marcus Cannon (OL)
6. Quan Sturdivant – This one I am being told is a steal, that he was expected to go in the 3rd round. But after watching video on him I think he’s more of a project than I’d like to see at the ILB position.
7. Demarco Sampson – I thought it was very silly to go for a WR at this spot when we still had not drafting a single OL. I don’t know anyone this deep so I can’t really comment further on who I would have picked though.
Tom Coniam
Devoted Fan of Arizona Cardinals and ASU Sun Devils
But also a lover of the Steel Curtain.
Maintainer of the "Protect The Nest" Facebook community.
http://www.facebook.com/ProtectTheNest
by Pantology on May 1, 2011 8:21 AM MDT reply actions 1 recs
agree with this
the only problem is see with williams is his lack of durability he showed in his last year. we passed up some good players in spots that we actually needed to address.
Here’s something I had posted over in the Arizona Cardinals forums about my thoughts on Quan
Sturdivant definitely will need to work on his tackling technique (my primary concern from video) and coverage. (minor concern, seemed to wait and react a little later than I’d like to see)
This video increased my concerns of Quan
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LzNxwzRLWW4
Late round pick, obviously we expected he’d need some work though.
Tom Coniam
Devoted Fan of Arizona Cardinals and ASU Sun Devils
But also a lover of the Steel Curtain.
Maintainer of the "Protect The Nest" Facebook community.
http://www.facebook.com/ProtectTheNest
rec'd
In short, I like our TE pick, dislike our FB pick, would prefer OL over both of them, but good decisions overall. B.
This will be a forthcoming SBNAZ post, but here:
Overall, B+
Patrick Peterson: A+. I was very afraid that, with Gabbert falling to them at this spot, they would “run to the podium to grab him” as one mock draftist said. I was willing to deal with that, but I’m glad they chose to go with perhaps the most talented player in the entire draft. Looking forward to a PP/DRC backs tandem.
Ryan Williams: A-. I like the pick, and Williams is a good back. It’s just a little perplexing. Granted, neither Beanie nor Hightower produced much last season, but it was also Coach Whiz’s fault for not giving the run a chance. But given how this year’s draft went, one would think the Red Birds will be running like hell next season.
Robert Housler: B-. They need a tight end, especially one that can stretch the field with his receiving skills, but I would have preferred a pass rusher here.
Sam Acho: A. I really like this pick. I think Acho will end up being a very good value pick for the fourth round. This will be one of those typical later round gems the Cardinals find a way to pick every year.
Anthony Sherman: B. The Cardinals needed a fullback, I guess. They weren’t going to try to fill a huge need in the fifth round, so they got someone who’ll upgrade a position they would have liked to upgrade, but didn’t need to. Sherman is considered the best fullback in this draft, if that means anything.
Quan Sturdivant: A+. Another late round diamond in the rough for Arizona. On some draft boards, he was considered second-round talent and the Cards were able to get him in the sixth.
David Carter: N/A. He’ll be lucky if he makes the roster, so I don’t see this being a huge impact pick.
DeMarco Sampson: N/A. Maybe he’ll be a training camp surprise like Stephen Williams was last year, but I doubt it.
Bloggin' 'bout AZ sports ... SB Nation Arizona
Carter's a good pick
He fits nicely as a 3-4 DE and we learned last season our depth there is terrible.
GET IT RIGHT
1st, Ryan WIlliams never fumbled once in his two years of playing time at Virginia Tech… That’s about 400 carries without a fumble. Why are you saying he has a fumble problem?
2nd, Housler can’t block. At all. Every real scouting report and his own mouth admit that he can’t block. His speed is OK; he is basically a slow receiver getting thrown into a tight end position. Considering the Cards have blocking issues, he probably will never see a start. Waste of a pick. Should have got someone who would impact games like MASON FOSTER or MOFFITT
3rd, Most of the cardinal problems stem from poor blocking upfront. All those quarterbacks couldn’t get comfortable, Beanie and Tim had holes closing way too fast and it caused the defense to get super tired. This was not addressed. They have the worst tandem of tackles in the pros; they have a subpar center and barely adequate guards. I expect another dismal year.
We need real help on the o line.
No draft pick will improve our line. That’s why Graves said we will be extremely aggressive in free agency. And Housler is not a slow WR. He is a fast TE. 6’5", 250 and running a 4.41 is an absolute nightmare for LBs and safeties. Plus a good receiving TE is just what the dr ordered young QBs and new FA QBs as a safety valve. You can teach him to block.
If you don't have anything good to say about the Cards this season, you'd be correct.
by hevchv on May 1, 2011 9:46 AM MDT via mobile up reply actions
You can teach a TE how to block
But you can’t teach him speed. Also, the reports of Ryan Williams never fumbling are false. Found this for now and that was just at that time. ESPN is wrong as usual. I wouldn’t say it is a fumble problem though..
Follow me on Twitter @RedBirdRevival
by Tyler Nickel on May 1, 2011 10:56 AM MDT up reply actions
i agree, we should have addressed the o-line
but Ryan WIlliams fumbled at least twice in his first season, its just not on his stats for some reason. One of them was in the 4th quarter and led to the hokies losing. isnt it kind of alarming that whiz didnt know this???? shouldnt they do more research on a guy they spent a 2nd rounder on?
your right it isnt.
but still whiz’s facts were wrong, to me, thats alarming. Im not saying he will have fumbling problems in his career, i was just correcting the above post
Seriously?
Whiz may have misspoke I have highly doubt he didn’t know this. The scouts and coaches put an incredible amount of time into scouting.
by Jesse Reynolds on May 1, 2011 6:52 PM MDT up reply actions
My thoughts
It was surprising that the Cardinals were drafting so many players like Williams when they had other needs, but they were apparently going BPA over anything else for this entire draft, and they got a couple of guys like Acho and Quan who were projected to go much earlier in the draft. I’m pretty happy with how this turned out, and right now I’m hoping we can get Mark Herzlich as an UDFA.
Lifelong Arizona Cardinals/Phoenix Suns/Chicago Bears fan [I have always lived in Arizona, dad is from Chicago].
It also seems like the Cardinals are going to try to run the ball a lot more after last years offensive ineptitude.
Lifelong Arizona Cardinals/Phoenix Suns/Chicago Bears fan [I have always lived in Arizona, dad is from Chicago].
That is jumping to conclusions (again).
On the other hand it would be hard for them to run less. Everyone thought they would be more of a running team last season but inexplicably they stuck to the pass.
I would also add a poll to this asking everyone to grade the draft class from A to F
Since not everyone likes to comment, and it can help give us a better idea what the fans think.
Lifelong Arizona Cardinals/Phoenix Suns/Chicago Bears fan [I have always lived in Arizona, dad is from Chicago].
Not too impressed w/ the Cards draft...
Except for Peterson and maybe Acho, it seemed like they reached for players. Usually about a round too soon. I know what their saying, the BPA and all that… Blah, Blah, Blah… Just not impressed w/ it! And whats the deal w/ the OL? Its a major blackhole right now and they didn’t even address it!!! Nothing happens on offense if the OL isn’t doing its job and they have been a weakness for a long time. And they didn’t even find a single OL that they could develop? Makes NO sense whatsoever!
You've been Stroh'd™!!!
We've got plenty of lineman to develop.
We need starters and that won’t come from the draft. If we can’t find them in FA then I guess we are just screwed. Personally I just don’t see two bad years in a row so the Cards will get it figured out. I love our draft.
If you don't have anything good to say about the Cards this season, you'd be correct.
by hevchv on May 1, 2011 4:11 PM MDT via mobile up reply actions
who are these lineman u speak of?
and what makes u think the cards cant have two bad years in a row? they had 2 good years, that doesnt erase an entire history of being a bad organization. I hope that those two years are not a fluke, but idk
i thought we were talking about lineman?
not linebackers?
I'll give 'em an A, why not
I’m pretty disappointed that we didn’t add anything to OL, as others have mentioned. However, I think we came out of the draft with a very strong group of players, even if they don’t all fit with perceived needs, or address ‘lesser’ needs.
And, hey, I actually had 4 of the guys on my little board so that’s cool, too ;)
You can't expect the Cards
to fill every need in the draft. We drafted skilled players, which is hard to find in free agency. Hopefully we’ll add an O-Line in free agency, I’d love some maulers like Tyson Clabo, Colledge.
The other thing that makes me feel real good about this draft, I felt the 49ers had a sub- par draft. Aldon Smith could have a difficult time transitioning to the 34 and I hear Alex Smith will most likely be resigned.
Seahawks reached on a lot of their picks too
Some good players, but they probably could have picked up most of them later.
Rams had a great draft though from what I saw. They picked up a lot of nice weapons for Bradford.
Lifelong Arizona Cardinals/Phoenix Suns/Chicago Bears fan [I have always lived in Arizona, dad is from Chicago].
the one thing the seahawks did
is improve their interior line, that should help them a lot. i think the rams and hawks are still the favorites to win the division.
That they did
Just saying that a couple of the guys they got could have been had in the next round.
Lifelong Arizona Cardinals/Phoenix Suns/Chicago Bears fan [I have always lived in Arizona, dad is from Chicago].
They'll be the favorites
Because they were the closest to winning the division last year.
We’re always the underdogs. It’s not like it’s a new concept to the team.
pretty good right up but you are off on a few things...
For our 2nd round running back selection this guy has NO trouble hanging onto the ball. Some sources say he has logged zero fumbles and some as many as a combined 6 fumbles over his collegiate career. So you can’t compare him to our backs fumbling issues at the moment. Secondly his injury was a hamstring issue which is not a structural issue but a nagging injury that always eventually heals.
Your next incorrect writing is on the FB. This guy is an absolute beast and WILL fill a need because Jason Wright will not be back. He is a special teams ace. AND he will be performing a function that Wiz has been trying to create since he came here…opening holes for our RB!!! I believe he will be our diamond in the rough this season and once again a steal for another solid round 5 selection for Wiz and company.
I liked the draft a lot
I understand that we didn’t address what most of us consider pressing needs, but overall I thought our only reach was the TE in the 3rd. He is however one hell of an athlete.
Good BPA philosophy. Drafting like this though takes time, it isn’t a one year process. And I do not think our line was all that bad. We ran the ball well with both our backs having solid YPC’s. It was pass protection that was horrendous – which leads us back to the beaten topic of why the F Whiz passed so much last year…
If we seriously dedicate to the run and have a QB that can actually take advantage of the many 8 man boxes we saw last season, we could be in pretty good shape. Hopefully 8-8.
Our offensive line sucked.
Both in pass protection and opening holes. The backs made some good runs around the end but rarely did you see a hole open in the middle that led to a decent gain. A rookie lineman is not going to fix that right away. It would have been great to take one early but not worth a reach. As has been noted ad nauseum on this site we passed on Adrian Peterson for Levi Brown. What more case needs to be made there. We sure as hell weren’t passing up the best player in the draft for one. As for the keep Fitz happy crowd it should be even more imperative to get that offensive line help through free agency. It does all start up front. Lots of free agent linemen up for grabs this year (assuming there is a free agency period).
Build yes, patch no.
The best way to build a team is to take the best talent available, period. Every year. We can all debate whether or not that was done but Graves and Whis are claiming they stuck to their board and that was the only one that counted. A running back and tight end sure as hell wasn’t what I was hoping for in the 2nd and 3rd. Any lineman after that was not going to come in and start. Starters are what we need on the line now. There are gobs of free agent linemen that will be potentially available this year, presuming free agency happens. I will agree that it is kind of stunning that they haven’t taken an early offensive lineman in years. They have this strange philosophy that they can pick them up late and groom them but that has not proven out so far.
We appear to be stuck with our tackles
And our center. We could see Bridges & Hadnot starting at guard.
as for the AP thing
we had just signed Edge for like 32 mil, there was no way that the cardinals would pay huge money for another back. especially when their o-line was horrible.
Not sure - need to wait
I said this in another post.
We won’t know for a few years. All you need to do is look at past Whiz drafts and see how those guys have panned out and you may have an assessment of how this may turn out.
Drafting Williams was a mistake in my opinion. If they deal someone and we gain an need in return, then I may change my opinion. Its nothing against the kid. But when you already have 3 young RBs (all of whom Whiz drafted), you don’t need a 4th RB. I don’t care where he is on the board – especially when your O line sucks. My opinion on that will not change. We all know how horrible this line is.
While TE is a need, I’m going to quote someone else from another post – no o line, we don’t throw to the TE, no QB, and this guy is more of a receiver than a blocker?? I don’t get it!
We still have time when FA opens up and perhaps there are some potential trades out there. We’ll see if Michael is true to his word in FA and once the lock-out ends.
I love Peterson and the late round picks, but I’m not sure about 2 and 3.
Good Draft
The Peterson, Sturdivant and Housler picks look good, and I’m liking the Williams pick more and more. He is faster than Wells and Hightower, and he is still a similarly violent runner. It makes sense because Whiz wants to install a Steelers mentality and take pressure off the qb (Bulger?), and he needs a stable of backs.
With the pick of Peterson, LaRod Stephens-Howlings is not needed as much in the return game, allowing him to take a prominent role on offense as a third down receiving type back. (The Cards are high on him). This means that Hightower is no longer needed and Wells and Williams should be a formidable one two punch.
They also have incredible confidence in O’Brien Schofield’s pass rush ability and he should be healthy. That likely allowed them to make this pick more comfortably. Williams definately is the best back in the draft and with an offensive line upgrade in the near future, the Cardinals could have a running game (Finally)
I like this draft alot
The Whiz is building a WIN NOW team just add good veteran QB
1. Potential Superstar shutdown CB,
2. Quick, explosive, Pass Catching RB
3. Athletic Pass Catching TE
4. Pass rushing, solid against the run OLB So excited he fell to us in the 4th,
5. Run Blocking FB,
6A. Run stopping ILB
6B. Defensive Hog DE
7B. Tall, Pass catching WR
Drop in Donovan McNabb (or other free agent/traded QB who has a quick release and can make quick decisions) and you should have enough offensive and defensive firepower to win the NFC West. Also allowing John Skelton a chance to watch and learn from a solid Veteran QB.
Also allows coach Whiz to keep his job which is good because I like what he’s doing with the team.
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