Interpretation of Kingsbury’s 4/7 Presser

Kliff Notes:

1. The Hopkins trade is a fait accompli: “ I have no doubts it will be done before the draft.”
2. Kingsbury offered high praise for A.Q. Shipley: “the way he led that (“college offense, if you will”) and bought into the tempo and different things we were doing, I couldn’t have been more impressed with him.” However, if the team had made re-signing him a priority, Shipley would have been signed by now. A guess is that the Cardinals want to wait until after the draft to, as Kingsbury said, “see where that (“work in progress”) goes.”
3. The Cardinals like what they have at tackle. Speaking of Justin Murray (“couldn’t be more impressed”) and Marcus Gilbert (“he was the best lineman we had as far as how he’d been playing”) Kingsbury concluded that Murray and Gilbert are “two guys that we feel good about, however it shakes out at right tackle.”
4. DT Jordan Phillips can play all three interior positions, NT, 3 tech and 5 tech.
5. LB De’Vondre Campbell is outstanding “covering tight ends down the seam.”
6. OLB Devon Kennard—-brings combination of leadership, run stopping toughness and pass rush ability.
7. While K2 admits he loves playing 10 personnel (4 WRs and 1 RB) saying “we’re not afraid to roll it out there,” his mantra of “adapting to our personnel” remains the team philosophy.
8. Kyler Murray will be able to adapt to a shortened off-season regimen: “I think he’s kind of figured out what he has to do.”
9. The Cardinals are looking to add a 3rd RB in the draft—-a player on a relative par with Kenyan Drake and Chase Edmonds: “we’d like to have three where we can roll through and not lose much.”
10. The Cardinals are in a prime position to draft the BPA at any position in the 1st round. “Steve Keim and his guys have done a tremendous job of really filling needs where we feel like we can line up today and be a much improved football team personnel-wise than where we sat last year at this time. It does set the draft up where we’re free to take the best available pick.”

Commentary:

1. While I believe that DeAndre Hopkins should be a superb fit with the Cardinals, I hope that the Cardinals wait one year before signing Hopkins to a new $20M a year contract—-providing he and David Johnson pass their physicals.
2. I believe that the Cardinals most important decision on the offensive line is not at tackle—-it’s at center. While A.Q. Shipley has been good leader, a more athletic center who can be an asset in leading the running game as well as in walling off the middle in pass pro would seem to be something in the team’s best interest.
3. I too like what the Cardinals have at tackle. Not just with re-signing Humphries, Murray and Gilbert, but with the potential of their developmental prospects Josh Miles and Brett Toth.
4. I equate Jordan Phillips with D.J. Humphries—-two superb talents whom the Cardinals paid handsomely as they head into their prime years after rocky starts to their career. Both came up big in their contract years—-which typically makes teams a little nervous.
5. If De’Vondre Campbell can be one of the team’s answers to covering TEs, then this could be the team’s best and most game-changing signing on defense.
6. Devon Kennard is a baller and a leader—-and a nifty fit at 34 SAM OLB. I am hoping that Haason Reddick will make a splash as an edge rusher in the nickel and am exciting to see what addition Steve Keim makes in the draft at OLB/DE. I would also like to see Dennis Gardeck used as nickel pass rusher—-the dude was a crazy good pass rusher in college, albeit in Division 2 at Sioux Falls. Plus, I’m anxious too to see more of Kylie Fitts.
7. if the Cardinals draft a speedy high impact WR in this draft—-then Kliff Kingsbury is pushing his chips into the middle of the table to prove to that his K-Raid can be the new rage of the NFL. The missing link right now is a WR who, as Steve Keim said, “can take the top off the defense.” Yes, Andy Isabella can help do that, but the defending champion Chiefs have two in Tyreek Hill and Mecole Hardman and that could become an NFL trend.
8. Kyler Murray is hard at work preparing for this season. Not that he gets too caught up in media hype, but one might imagine that Murray would get great satisfaction proving Mel Kiper wrong about Mel’s rating Joe Burrow and Tua Tagovailoa as better prospects.
9. The Cardinals may draft a RB as early as their 2nd pick, be it at #72 or earlier if Steve Keim makes a trade to add a 2nd rounder. The 3 RBs the Cardinals have met with, per reports, are Zack Moss (Utah), Jason Huntley (New Mexico St.) and Sewo Olonilua (TCU). Moss is a Day 2 prospect, while Huntley and Olonilua are 6th-7th rounders or priority UCFAs. Here’s a taste of what the Cardinals are seeing in these prospects.

10. I agree with Kliff Kingsbury that Steve Keim and his guys did a very good job of addressing the team needs in free agency to the point where the Cardinals can feel free to draft the highest rated player on their board. Obviously, much is likely to depend on which players are taken 1-7.

It wouldn’t seem like the Cardinals have enough draft capital (without a 2nd round pick) this year to move up—-but the GM has already said that he would like to trade down to add more picks, if he gets the right offer. I imagine that Keim has already had discussions with a few other GMs about trade scenarios and particulars, so that trades can be expedited in a flash if the scenarios present themselves.

Those are my thoughts—-what are yours?

BTW, guys, I very much appreciate the quality of our discussions on the board—-your passion and knowledge as fans makes this board a daily treasure trove of info and well supported opinions.