What if the Arizona Cardinals had drafted my top player in each draft

Let’s play a little game.

Since 2012 I have been writing about the Arizona Cardinals and the NFL Draft.

In that time I have tried and failed a number of times to predict and project the best fits for the Arizona Cardinals.

It rarely goes well.

So, with SB Nation taking a look at a number of “What if” scenarios, I decided to take a look at my own “What if”.

What if the Arizona Cardinals had taken the best player on my board in each draft?

Let’s take a look.

2012: David DeCastro, OG, Stanford - The best non-quarterback ever to me. Thought this was a no-brainer, but we know the aversion of talented offensive linemen this organization has seemed to have had over the years.

2013: Star Lotulelei, DL, Utah - I thought that Chance Warmack was the best player for the Cardinals and was wrong, but Star was the best player in the draft to me... I was wrong on that as well, but Star would have been a nice fit, and definitely would have out produced Jonathan Cooper.

2014: Teddy Bridgewater, QB, Louisville - Again, I liked Bridgewater and seemed to have been wrong. His knee explosion aside, he was seemingly a nice quarterback, but not the elite player I expected.

2015: Preston Smith, LB, Mississippi State - This was the pick Jess and I wanted so bad for the Cardinals and when the Cardinals passed for D.J. Humphries, we both wept.

2016: Chris Jones, DT, Mississippi State - Man, I liked that Bulldogs defense. Full disclosure, I was onboard with Nkemdiche, but I liked Jones more.

2017: Malik Hooker, S, Ohio State - I like Hooker, but he’s struggled with injuries, so I am not sure what would be the right answer. Trade up for Deshaun Watson, the best player in the draft.

2018: Lamar Jackson, QB, Louisville - At this point, I just assume the Cardinals will never draft my top player. I think we are at a good 50/50 split at this point too about who is right and who is not.

2019: Nick Bosa, Edge, Ohio State - I think Kyler Murray is going to be a star. A game changer and a potential franchise altering pick. I also never really dove into him as a player because no matter how many people that told me it was happening, I couldn’t wrap my head around it and... I didn’t want to buy-in. The logistics didn’t make sense. Is Bosa better than Murray? Probably not, but Murray was never going to be my top player because I never saw it coming (even though I knew it was happening).