FanPost

And The Band Played On


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First I would like to thank the Arizona Cardinals for drafting the way a team should. For a team without a second round pick we did very well. Here are my thoughts on our draft and where I think we will go from here. I still feel like ILB was a need to be addressed but as the season unfolds and we get into camps anything can happen. I am so glad we did not reach for an OL.

That leads into out first pick Michael Floyd. Lets face it, even if Kalil were on the board I feel Arizona would have still taken Floyd Here is why, he is just to close to the type of football player Larry Fitz was coming out of college.

Larry Fitzgerald
Rec: 92 Yards: 1672 TD: 22


Michael Floyd
Rec: 100 Yards: 1147 TD: 9

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Of course in college no one was catching TD's like Larry Fitz. The thing that stands out the most is the receptions, what this tells me is that Floyd is a target that can be found by minimal talent at QB. In terms of size and the amount of production guys are capable of Floyd is the type of WR we need opposite Larry Fitz. (please do not call these guys the F Troop, so silly) This is a guy who can come in and put up 65-80 catches.

Since we didn't not have a 2nd round pick (thanks Kevin Kolb.....its time to wake up) we had chose Jamell Fleming out of Oklahoma in the third. Fleming was first in the Big 12 with 5 picks in 2010. Although he had only 2 in 2011 he tallied 60 total tackles which include assist and recorded 12 pass break ups. This screams nickel or dime coverage. This is a slot guy who can blitz and plays well in zone coverage. At 5 fee 10 inches he is not too small to cover bigger receivers on passing downs in the slot. He has great instincts off his back pedal and explodes into the ball in coverage. I agree with Whiz when he said and has said you can never have too many DB's.

In the fourth round the Cards had a diamond in not so much rough fall to them in the pick of Bobbie Massie. I did not have the chance to watcyh him much. I am aware however of his climb over the last few weeks leading up to the draft on most peoples draft boards. According to SI..Massie is big and athletic blocker with a large upside. Displays quickness in his all-around game and rather easily adjusts to oncoming defenders. Anchors in pass protection, knocks pass rushers from their angle of attack and works to stay square and keep defenders in front of him. Makes good use of blocking angles. Works to bend his knees, displays good hand punch and keeps his head on a swivel.

The fact he fell to the Cards tells me that things are going to be alright on that O Line. Now many of you were grumbling about the Cards not taking an O Lineman early. There is no need when the guy you need is sittin there in the 4th round just waitibng. Word on the street is this guy could come in and start for most NFL teams right away. There may be a chip on his shoulder, I was reading an article on azcardinals.com and he was saying that he does not know why teams passed him and is eager to show what a mistake they made, I have a feeling he is going tobe a great pick for us

In the 6th round we nabbed Justin Bethel out of Presbyterian college. I love this pick because this guy has the skill sets and size to be a dominant safety in this league. we know A Wilson and even Kerry Rhodes could use help in that secondary. Adding this DB that will most likely be turned safety should add that help. I like Rashad Johnson but I think that his lack of athleticism keeps him out of plays when we go to a 3 safety sub set. Do not get me wrong, him and Richard "We don't need him anyway" Marshall played well in the long absence of Kerry Rhodes last year. But with Marshall leaving we needed to fill that gap. He is very aggressive and has no problems sticking his nose in the pile on running plays, and tackles exceptionally well in the open field. At 5 feet 10 he still has the size to cover larger recievers in man coverage. He has great play recognition and should be able to contribute on special teams.

In all I would give the Cardinals an A- for this draft. We filled the needs we needed to fill, we drafted 3 O Lineman and got a late first\second round talent at tackle in the 4th. Most say OLB was a need but I do not see it that way. I think the OLB's we have are perfect for the system Ray Horton likes to run. Mike Floyd was a one man army at Notre Dame and I cant wait to see him in action. We grabbed a DB that provides depth and youth to the position and a possible sleeper at safety.

<em>This is a FanPost and does not necessarily reflect the views of Revenge of the Birds' (ROTB) editors. It does reflect the views of this particular fan though, which is as important as the views of ROTB's editors.</em>