We've covered the Arizona Cardinals rookies from the first four rounds (DRC, CC, Doucet, Kenny), but it's time to look at quite possibly the most popular 5th round rookie in history, Tim Hightower. The Cardinals surprised just about everyone when they called out Tim Hightower's name because most draft pundits had a 7th round or UDFA grade on him. He came from tiny Richmond college and wasn't even invited to the NFL combine. There were questions about his speed and ability to produce at the NFL level, but running backs coach Maurice Carthon saw something that he liked in Hightower and lobbied hard for him. Carthon and the rest of the staff compared him to Marion Barber immediately after the pick and the comparison's didn't stop there. Tom Marino, a pro scout with 35 years of NFL experience, compared him to Marcus Allen and said that Hightower was the best pick of the entire draft. Oh yea and all of this was before Tim Hightower would ever put on an Arizona Cardinals helmet. His post-draft hype cast a huge shadow but through six games of his NFL career, he's more than lived up to the hype.

Tim Hightower is off to a fast start considering that he's being limited to short yardage and goal line situations. He's also getting some snaps in third down situations which is a big step considering most rookies aren't trusted with protecting a quarterback. He's excelled in short yardage situations where he leads the NFL in 3rd-and-1 and 4th-and-1 carries and he's also converted every single one of those carries into first downs. He also leads the team in rushing touchdowns (5) and leads all Cardinals backs with 14 receptions for 121 yards. Time will tell when or if Tim is ready to take the starting job from Edgerrin James but for now his play would suggest, if not demand, that he gets more playing time.

It's impossible not to be encouraged ecstatic about Tim Hightower's first six games and he's already far exceeded the production and potential that I thought he possessed. Here's what I thought about our fifth round pick a couple days after the draft:

It’ll likely to a couple years before we have any idea what Hightower’s future role will be for the Cardinals. I’d imagine he’ll have to contribute on some special teams units to get on the field this season although he’ll probably get at least a look in some short yardage situations at some point.

It's pretty obvious how far off I was at the time, but I'm certainly glad that I was wrong. He won't be mentioned among other early running back picks like Darren McFadden, Matt Forte, Jonathan Stewart or even Felix Jones but he'll get his opportunity to shine by season's end. Even if Edge makes it through the entire season healthy, it would be pretty surprising if Hightower isn't splitting carries at least 50/50. Thoughts? Did anyone think that he could do this when they drafted him? What are your expectations for Tim Hightower for the remainder of the season?

The fourth round of the draft brought the Arizona Cardinals what some some considered a log jam at defensive end when they selected Kenny Iwebema. Iwebema was the second defensive end selected in the draft and gave the Cardinals two solid backups to Darnell Dockett and Antonio Smith. Some thought his selection was a bit of  reach in the fourth round but it made more sense once we learned that defensive line coach Ron Aiken recruited Iwebema to Iowa and was his position coach for a couple of seasons. Reportedly Aiken lobbied pretty hard for Iwebema and believed that he was much closer to the player that excelled as a sophomore (48 tackles & 7 sacks) than the kid who struggled (comparitively speaking) his junior and senior season (55 tackles & 6.5 sacks combined).

The scouting report on Iwebema was that he was very stout against the run but that he lacked premier pass rush skills. Al Johnson spoke during camp about Iwebema's strength and how hard he was to move off the ball. When the Cardinals were desperate for a nose tackle the first game of the season they turned to Iwebema, so his ability to hold his ground against the run would seem to ring true. He also flashed some of the pass rush skills that he was supposedly lacking when he recorded two sacks in the preseason. It's a good sign that he's has been active in every game this season considering that he could concievably have been inactive given the depth at defense end and nose tackle.

Overall his lack of measurable contributions are the result of what Dockett and Smith are doing instead of something that Iwebema hasn't done. He's looked impressive when he's been on the field and I can't remember seeing him get abused when he's seen the field. The depth across the defensive line works against him but he's a solid player who will help this team win in the future. Thoughts? What kind of player do you think Iwebema will be?

The Arizona Cardinals' draft was all about taking the best player available and in the 3rd round that guy was Early Doucet. Doucet had a solid career at LSU but his draft stock was hurt when groin injury plagued him his entire senior season. Doucet was billed as an Anquan Boldin-clone given their history (former quarterbacks), size (6'1 217 vs. 6'0 211), lack of speed and style of play. We even learned after the draft that Doucet contacted Boldin before his senior season because he thought Boldin was similar enough to give him some advice.

Doucet was in the running for the third receiver job with Steve Breaston but a hamstring injury kept him out of most of preseason. By the time Doucet returned for the third preseason game Steve Breaston had secured the job and Doucet had fallen all the way to fifth on the depth chart. He did finally get his chance to make an impact the past two games with Boldin on the sidelines though. Doucet had a pretty impressive first game with six receptions for 42 yards and he followed it up with a catch for three yards against the Cowboys. A positive for Doucet is that when he did play against the Bills and Cowboys, it looked like he was the fourth receiver over Jerheme Urban. Doucet will have to be more versatile on special teams if he wants to be active on game days once Boldin comes back. Urban has been active because he's able to play on several special teams units. To this point we've seen Doucet show that he's got good hands and that he can be a reliable possession receiver. You'd still like to see some run after the catch abilities but with such a small sample size, it's hard to come to any conclusions.

Time will tell if Early Doucet really has Boldin-like abilities but for now he's buried on the depth chart behind three very solid, if not down right amazing, receivers. His hamstring injury in training camp slowed his development but he's still a promising young player who should become a bigger part of the team as the season progresses. Thoughts? What were your expectations before the season and how have they changed through six weeks?

Since we've already looked Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie's season to date, the next guy in line is the Arizona Cardinals second round pick, Calais Cambell. Campbell was a value pick because many had a first round grade on him coming out of Miami. He's got very little pressure on him to push for playing time, much less a starting spot this season since Dockett and Antonio Smith are locks at defensive end. Campbell has seen playing time in the defensive line rotation and is playing on every special teams unit.

Campbell was an absolute physical specimen coming out of Miami and it's a rare sight to see a guy of his size (6'8 282) who is as athletic and fluid as this guy. We saw Campbell's play making ability several times during the preseason when he got considerable playing time. One thing that has really stood out through six games is Campbell's ability to move in space. He's very capable of covering kicks, punts and chasing ball carriers down the field. We haven't seen him in the regular defense a great deal yet, but that's mostly due to the outstanding play of Darnell Dockett and Antonio Smith. The original idea was for Campbell to be a part of the rotation at defensive end and move inside to tackle on passing downs, but the emergence of Travis LaBoy as an outstanding pass rusher has limited Campbell's time on passing downs. Most of the time when the Cardinals switch into a dime defense, the front three are LaBoy, Dockett and Smith. Campbell did lead the defensive line in tackles for the Miami game though and caused a fumble against the Cowboys.

Overall it's hard not to be impressed with Campbell through six games and overall the only disappointment is that he hasn't gotten more chances. That's a two-way street though considering that he's not getting those chances because the veterans ahead of him are playing very well. When he is on the field though he's holding his own at defensive end, which was a concern at draft time, especially against the run. I was hoping to see a bit more passing rushing prowess by now but that will come. Thoughts? Is Campbell impact what you expected so far?

The Arizona Cardinals rookie class has been heralded as a great class from very early in mini-camps. Most thought at the time that the Cards drafted based on talent rather than need for the first time in quite a while. Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie was the Cardinals first round pick at 16th overall and while he's gotten plenty of playing time through the first six games, grading his play depends on your expectations.

Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie: It's tough to grade DRC so early in his rookie year because we all know he'd have a steep learning curve coming from inferior competition at Tennessee State to the NFL. He hasn't made any highlight plays yet in the regular season, although his hit on New Orleans tight end Mark Campbell in the preseason was memorable. So how would I grade his first six games? First consider how I projected him back in June:

Rodgers-Cromartie most likely won't win any rookie of the year awards or lead the league in interceptions in 2008, but he's got the athletic ability and mental make-up to be a top flight corner for years to come. If I had to make a projection right now, I'd guess that he'll have some moments where he looks like he doesn't belong in the league early in the season, but by the end of the year he'll likely pick up a handful of starts and show some significant signs of becoming a top tier cornerback.

At least for now, I'd say DRC is on track. He's getting even more playing time than I orginally thought he would because Eric Green and Hood have had some bumps and bruises during games. Rodgers-Cromartie has certainly struggled in some big moments (the Lee Evans and Miles Austin TDs come to mind) but overall I can't say he's been disappointing. As long as he continues to progress and grow as a player, his rookie season can still be considered a success. Thoughts? What were your expectations for DRC heading into the season and what are they for the rest of the season?

After some research I found the details of each of the Cardinals draft picks that have signed. Each pick agreed to three year deals for the minimum amount per season: $295,000 (2008), $385,000 (2009) $470,000 (2010). I also found that Early Doucet got a $550,000 signing bonus but I can't find if any of of the other picks received a bonus upon signing.

There's also some promising note that the Redskins singed one of their second round picks, Malcolm Kelly. The significance of his signing is that he was drafted on spot behind the Cardinals second round pick, Calais Campbell. The Cardinals will likely use Kelly's contract as a starting point in the negotiations with Campbell. Kelly's contract is a four year deal for 3.36 million and includes $1.655 million in guarantees. The Cardinals have just over a week to finalize deals with both Campbell and Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie.

The Arizona Cardinals have now signed five of their seven draft picks, announcing today that Early Doucet has agreed to a three year deal. It's not a big surprise considering that most reports have mentioned that a deal was close to being finalized.

That leaves only first and second round picks, DRC and Calais Campbell unsigned and they're be more difficult considering the uncertainty surrounding the salary cap and the possibility of an uncapped year. It's also worth mentioning that Doucet's signing brings the Cardinals to 80 players under contract, which is the max roster size. So when DRC and CC do sign, someone will have to be cut as soon as each signing is announced.

The Cardinals did not waste any time after agreeing to terms with Brandon Keith
yesterday, as they added another pick to the fold today with Chris Harrington signing a three year contract. Harrington, a 23 year old former Aggie, is moving from defensive end to outside linebacker this season. Despite the depth and varied talent at outside linebacker, Harrington brings an unique set of traits and strong intagibles to the table. I'd look for him to contribute on special teams during his rookie season and move into a more expanded role next season or as injuries strike.

The only remaining rookies left to sign are Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, Calais Campbell and Early Doucet. Being that they are the first three picks, they'll be the toughest to ink to a deal. One thing to keep an eye on is that the next rookie to sign will fill out the roster at 82, meaning that the team will have to cut two players in order to sign all three remaining rookies. Any early guesses as to the first two players to go?