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NFL Draft 2012: Seth Cox Gives His Thoughts On Which Offensive Linemen The Cardinals Should Avoid

By Tyler Nickel

The Sports Headquarters' Seth Cox thinks there are plenty of possible selections for the Cardinals to consider in the later rounds on draft day. Guys like Nate Potter, Brandon Mosley, or Matt McCants could all be on the board by the time the Cardinals select on day 3 and with some time, they could become solid starters for the team.

Now that we have looked at some of his favorite prospects, we will turn to some of the guys he is now all too thrilled about. After the jump, I will give you a couple of names, some scouting reports and then I will let you decide whether or not they would be fits in Arizona.

The first player we should look at is Andrew Datko, a tackle coming out of Florida State. Seth believes that Datko should be selected somewhere in round five, but he does not believe the Cardinals should be the team to pick him up.

At the Combine, Datko measured in at 6'6", 315 pounds and he has 33 7/8" arms. Again, this is not an ideal arm length for an NFL tackle. He ran a 5.22 second 40-yard dash, his 3 cone drill time clocked in at 7.71 seconds and he did not partake in the bench pressing exercises.

There may be a reason for Datko's absence from the Combine weight room, as evidenced by Seth's notes:

Andrew Datko, OT Florida St. (Rd 5)

  • Injury Concerns
  • Not a very strong player.
  • Too much finesse in his game.

A player with injury concerns is someone the Cardinals should take a long look at before making any rash decisions. He only played in four games during the 2011 season and according to NFL.com, he is a good run blocker, but needs to improve his pass protection skills. The Cardinals need a bookend that can keep the QB upright, in my opinion.


The next player we will examine is Matt Reynolds, a 5th or 6th round tackle prospect out of Brigham Young University. Seth is not enthused by the idea of the Cardinals selecting him, either. At the Combine, Reynolds did not record very impressive measurements. He is 6'5", 302 pounds and has short 33 1/4" arms. That is not the prototypical size for an NFL tackle.

Here are some of Seth's thoughts:

Matt Reynolds, OT BYU (Rd 5-6)

  • Older prospect who doesn't have much growth potential left
  • Not athletic enough to play left tackle
  • More of a catcher than an attacker who can get overwhelmed by bigger or more athletic defenders.
It seems that Reynolds not only doesn't have much of a ceiling, but that he is already pretty raw for his age as it is. His age does not bother me, but his lack of ability to play tackle and his inexperience on the interior part of the line does. I am with Seth on Reynolds; I just do not see him as a fit.

What do you think about Andrew Datko and Matt Reynolds? Would you like to see the Cardinals draft either of these two players?

Tell us what you think in the comments section below. To check out more of Seth's draft expertise, check out his website, The Sports Headquarters.

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