The Arizona Cardinals have four players listed on the Scouts, Inc. top 200 NFL player list. The first was Larry Fitzgerald, arguably the best player at his position in the entire NFL. You should not be surprised to learn that three of the defense's main leaders and important players. Obviously, collectively, the Arizona defense was lackluster at best, but Darnell Dockett, who missed out on making the Top 100 players in the NFL based on players voting, managed to crack that top 100 overall, coming in at 97.
Dockett's blurb on the site says this:
Dockett is equally adept at rushing the passer and defending the run. He has prototypical dimensions for the position, along with very good initial quickness and agility on the inside.
He lacks great acceleration off the edge, but knows how to leverage angles and has developed a nice set of counter moves to work his way to the pocket. He feels pressure and will leverage blocks to squeeze the play down and is quick to locate the level of the ball. He can recognize blocking schemes and does a good job of using his hands to keep blockers at bay and himself free.
Who is above him on the list? Green Bay's B.J. Raji is listed number 84. Dockett would be the first to say that it is out of line. Obviously that means he needs to put together overall this season to be considered by even his peers one of the league's elite.
Probably the biggest laugh of the ranking is the fact that former Cardinal Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie is ranked higher than Dockett at 83. As for potential, yes, perhaps. But DRC did not even reach the status at corner to be avoided by corners. He was targeted slightly less than Greg Toler last season. Opposing offenses scheme for Dockett; they do not yet do that consistently for DRC.
Where do you stand on DD's ranking? Should he be higher? He certainly would say he should.