2013 NFL Draft grades: Mel Kiper gives Arizona Cardinals an overall 'B'

Grading a recent draft class is really not about performance now. It is about players available, needs met and also the value of the picks taken. So while we clearly cannot give a performance grade, we can give some initial impressions about the value of what the Arizona Cardinals did.

ESPN's Mel Kiper did exactly that for each NFL team in his most recent Insider article.

Looking at the Cardinals, Kiper gave them a B- for the team needs, a B+ for value and a B overall.

Kiper recognized that drafting a guard in the top 10 of the draft is not particularly valuable, but he also noted that "there was no chance" he would have gotten past the ninth pick. He called Cooper "a future Pro Bowl" guard, and even noted that Cooepr could be a "stud" at center if the Cards wanted to go that route. North Carolina fans would disagree.

He called fourth round pick Earl Watford "a future starter" and Kevin Minter "very capable."

The Tyrann Mathieu selection was viewed positively, as he was taken by Arizona in the range that Kiper had him graded.

Kiper saw the Stepfan Taylor pick as solid for depth, but he had other players at the position rated higher.

Overall, he wrote that there was "nothing remarkable" for the team in the Draft, but that the addition of Cooper alone gives Carson Palmer a greater chance to succeed, and that the picks that the team made have "plenty of sleeper potential."

Based on initial impressions, a B is not a bad grade. He did give the Rams an A-, and the Seahawks and 49ers each also getting a B.

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