NFL Draft 2012: Assessing The Selection Of Ryan Lindley In The Sixth Round

If things were not strange enough already, the Arizona Cardinals decided to boggle our minds even more by selecting a quarterback with the second of their two sixth round picks in this year's draft. This time, they went with Ryan Lindley, a tall, athletic, yet unpolished young player out of San Diego State.

Hit the jump for some reactions and his possible fit on the team.

As GreaZzy mentioned in his post, Lindley is not much unlike a player the Cardinals already have on their roster. At 6'4" and 229 pounds with a cannon for an arm, Lindley plays much like John Skelton, a quarterback the Cardinals selected two years ago out of Fordham.

As of now, Lindley was selected purely as a prospect. He is far too raw to even consider as a guy that could come in and start, mainly due to his accuracy issues. Although he can sling the ball with the best of them, he can also make poor decisions at times and get his team into trouble.

But the potential is there. Check out this game winning drive that Lindley put together in the New Orleans Bowl a year ago:

NFL.com describes Lindley as a potential future starter in the NFL, but lists his weaknesses in this way:

Lindley has been inaccurate at times and will take some time to develop at the next level. He will throw an NFL pass one play, and then come back to make a bad decision and put his team in trouble. He is athletic but can be a slow mover and take sacks from holding on to the ball too long. Most of his issues stem from his inconsistency throwing the ball in intermediate and deep routes.

In essence, Lindley will still have to battle for a roster spot in training camp. Just because he was a draft selection, that does not mean he is a lock to make the team. Kevin Kolb and John Skelton will battle for the #1 spot, while Lindley and Bartel will likely fight for the third slot on the depth chart.

I like this pick, but I am not sure there were not better options for the Cardinals to consider with their sixth rounder. I personally liked Ryan Davis, an outside linebacker, here, but apparently the Cards brass felt differently. Still, if Lindley can sit back for 3+ years and develop, he could turn out to be a very promising player.

What are your thoughts on the Cardinals' selection of Ryan Lindley? Do you like the choice? Tell us what you think and vote in the poll.

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