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The Arizona Cardinals have not had much success in the NFL Draft, with over half of Steve Keim’s picks no longer with the team.
Of the 42 draft picks the Arizona Cardinals have made since Steve Keim took over as general manager in 2013, a total 24 are no longer in the organization.
— Bob McManaman (@azbobbymac) September 2, 2018
Let’s take a look at the status of all of Steve Keim’s draft picks:
2013:
Round 1 (7): Jonathan Cooper - OG (Cut by 49ers, Free Agent)
Round 2 (45): Kevin Minter - ILB (Cut by Jets, Free Agent)
Round 3 (69): Tyrann Mathieu - DB (Signed 1yr $7M w/ Texans) - Starter
Round 4 (103): Alex Okafor - LB (Re-signed to 2yr $10M w/ Saints) - Starter
Round 4 (116): Earl Watford - G (Backup guard w/ Browns)
Round 5 (140): Stepfan Taylor - RB (Out of NFL since 2016, Free Agent)
Round 6 (174): Ryan Swope - WR (Retired during rookie year due to concussions)
Round 6 (187): Andre Ellington - RB (Free Agent)
Round 7 (219): D.C. Jefferson - TE (Out of NFL since 2014)
2014:
Round 1 (27): Deone Bucannon - SS (Cardinals exercised his fifth-year option) -Starting OLB
Round 2 (52): Troy Niklas - TE (Cut by Patriots, Free Agent)
Round 3 (84): Kareem Martin - DE (Signed 3yr $15M w/ Giants) - Starting OLB
Round 3 (91): John Brown - WR (Signed 1yr $5M w/ Ravens) - Starter
Round 4 (120): Logan Thomas - QB (Converted third-string TE w/ Bills)
Round 5 (160): Ed Stinson - DT (Waived by Jets in 2017, Free Agent)
Round 6 (196): Walter Powell - WR (Waived by Bills in 2017, Free Agent)
2015:
Round 1 (24): D.J. Humphries - OT (Starting LT on fourth year of contract)
Round 2 (58): Markus Golden - DE (Starting DE on final year of contract)
Round 3 (86): David Johnson - RB (Starting RB received three-year $39M extension)
Round 4 (116): Rodney Gunter - DT (Fourth-string DT in final year of contract)
Round 5 (158): Shaq Riddick - DE (Out of NFL since 2017, Free Agent)
Round 5 (159): J.J. Nelson - WR (Fourth-string WR in final year of contract)
Round 7 (256): Gerald Christian - TE (Out of NFL since 2017, Free Agent)
2016:
Round 1 (29): Robert Nkemdiche - DT (Starting DT on third year of contract)
Round 3 (92): Brandon Williams - CB (fourth-string CB in third year of contract)
Round 4 (128): Evan Boehm - C (Cut by AZ, on Rams’ practice squad)
Round 5 (167): Marqui Christian - DB (Backup safety w/ Rams)
Round 5 (170): Cole Toner - OT (Backup center w/ Chargers)
Round 6 (205): Harlan Miller- DB (Cut by AZ, Free Agent)
2017:
Round 1 (13): Haason Reddick - LB (Starting SLB on second year of contract)
Round 2 (36): Budda Baker - S (Starting S on second year of contract)
Round 3 (98): Chad Williams - WR (Starting WR on second year of contract)
Round 4 (115): Dorian Johnson - OG (On Panthers’ practice squad)
Round 5 (157): Will Holden - OT (Cut by AZ, on Colts’ practice squad)
Round 5 (179): T.J. Logan - RB (Third-string RB & primary KR on second year of contract)
Round 6 (208): Rudy Ford- DB (Backup S on second year of contract)
The only draft pick released from the Cardinals’ 2018 draft class is Chris Campbell. He has not landed on a practice squad. Josh Rosen, Christian Kirk, Mason Cole, Chase Edmonds, and Korey Cunningham are all on the first year of their rookie contracts.
Out of Steve Keim’s 42 draft picks, 13 of them are currently free agents or out of the NFL. Four of his draft picks that are not currently with the Cardinals are starters on another team (John Brown, Kareem Martin, Tyrann Mathieu, Alex Okafor). In the 2016 and 2017 draft years, six of his 13 picks during that time are not with the Cardinals anymore.
The Cardinals had a phenomenal 2015 season that led to an NFC Championship appearance. Coincidentally, that was also their best draft class. It is difficult to build for the future when so many of the players that Steve Keim drafted don’t live up to expectations. The 2018 draft class looks really good but they still have a lot to prove.
What are your thoughts when seeing Keim’s draft history?
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