The NFL Draft doesn't always go as team plan. Teams trade up and trade down. Players get selected earlier than expected and sometimes later. Take last year for the Arizona Cardinals. They reportedly had their sights on pass rushers Bud Dupree or Shane Ray. Both were drafted ahead of Arizona.
So what would the dream scenario be for the Cardinals this year?
ESPN's Dan Graziano put together an article giving the dream scenario for the first round for every team. You might be surprised as to what he thinks the Cardinals' best case scenario.
His take? The Cardinals don't really care.
Like the Bengals, the Cardinals last year drafted an offensive lineman they didn't plan to use as a rookie. Their roster is so deep, they can actually do the thing all these other teams lie and say they do: Take the best player available. Could they use a cornerback or an offensive lineman at some point? Sure. But whatever. They're cool. If Lynch slips here and they think he's the truth, why not take him and groom him as a Carson Palmer replacement? The teams picking down here are, generally, in real good spots in the big picture.
While this makes sense, Seth Cox reminded me of what would really be their dream scenario -- if Carson Wentz were to fall to No. 29. Head coach Bruce Arians loves him. He compares him to Blake Bortles, who is a promising young quarterback for the Jaguars and who also was a guy Arians loved. The Cardinals even were considering trading up to get him in that draft.
That is not going to happen, so it probably was taken off the table. It would probably be the dream scenario for almost every team. But the Cardinals are in an enviable spot. They have a championship-caliber roster already. They have no glaring holes. They can pick anyone and be all right.
It feels different, doesn't it?