Sharing selected teams with the RX Forum, my preview prior to the draft.
NOTE: Various colors did not show up in transfer, so just know that in the '17 draft grid below the final sentence for each player was the part added this March.
The 2018 NFL Team and Draft Preview – April 5[SUP]th[/SUP], 2018
Arizona Cardinals - Season Summary
Arizona entered the bye week at 3-4, but everyone knew their season was now over. Sitting at 3-3, the Cards not only lost 33-0 to the improved LA Rams, they also lost Carson Palmer for the season. That was just icing on the cake, as injuries took away stud RB David Johnson in week #1, and during the course of the season, four of their five starting OL. Arizona will enter ’18 with a new QB and a brand new staff. Was ’17 a one year setback or are the Cardinals rebuilding?
What went right: Not much on offense. The only positive was Larry Fitzgerald’s 109 receptions and 6 TD’s. He remains elite. Defensively, the run D was a stout 3.5-89.6 in yards allowed, and the pass defense remained above average at 60.8%. At the bye week the Cardinals were 24[SUP]th[/SUP] defensively. The defense tried their best to keep Arizona in games, finishing 6[SUP]th[/SUP] overall! Yes, Arizona was just 8-8, but achieving that record was somewhat of a solid accomplishment with who was left to play QB.
What went wrong: In ’17 I wrote that QB Palmer had a history of not getting sacked much (quick release) so taking 41 sacks was unusually high. He was sacked 22 times playing in just 6+ games last season. His replacements were worse, leading to a very high 52 sacks allowed. Without RB Johnson, yards-per-carry fell drastically, down to 3.4 per carry. ’17 1[SUP]st[/SUP] round pick Robert Nikemdiche looks like a bust after collecting a mere 11 tackles (zero starts and zero sacks). The punt return ratio was not good. This is at least the 2[SUP]nd[/SUP] season in a row that the Cardinals fielded a below average punt return unit on offense.
2017 draft recap: The surprising amount of QB’s and WR’s taken in the 1[SUP]st[/SUP] 12 picks worked to Arizona’s favor. The Cards took a top 15 talent in Reddick and came back for a solidly rated safety. The theme of this draft was versatility as a large number of draftees can play two positions. NOTE: The grid below lists each draft pick, plus any notable players signed after the draft (UDFA). Arizona signed three. One made the team and is included in the discussion below. For each team I will put my 2017 post draft chart in this spot. The position rank is MINE from last season. The notes are also from May, 2017, along with how they performed as a rookie (in brown color).
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</tbody>Trade Tracker: Arizona moved up nine spots to secure Budda Baker in a position of need. He would have been gone so this was a good deal. Later, they moved down 21 spots and in that trade got Chad Williams and Dorian Johnson. Far better WR’s were available at 98. They moved up with their final trade to secure Jonathan Ford, adding DB depth.
Early outlook for 2018 (4/5): Many changes are already underway for ’18. My Sam Bradford commentary is below. How much will Arizona miss former defensive coordinator James Bettcher? Last year the Cardinals entered the season with a plus point ratio but injuries derailed their playoff chances. Unfortunately, they enter ’18 with a minus point ratio. For those new to my reports, let me explain. Arizona finished 8-8, but allowed 66 more points than they scored. A -66 point ratio is more like finishing 6-10. Even with better health the Cardinals may need to upgrade just to stay within range of another 8-8 record.
FREE AGENCY ANALYSIS AND STAFF NOTES (Short Version): The big news is that Carson Palmer retired. He’s being replaced by Sam Bradford and Mike Glennon. Most people I spoke with hate the Bradford move, but I think it’s great! I realize he’s an injury risk but when on the field he’s deadly accurate. Both WR’s named Brown (John and Jaron) left. WR Brice Butler comes over from Dallas. Backup TE Troy Niklas left. There’s a net gain of one along the OL with the signings of Justin Pugh and Andre Smith and the departure of Jared Veldheer. Arizona is short two DL and a reserve LB but the secondary was the hardest hit area, losing starters Tramon Williams and Tyrann Mathieu and back-up Justin Bethel. Bene Beniware and Jeremy Cash have been added but the net loss is significant. The new Head Coach is Steve Wilks. He spent the last six years with Carolina, but just one as a coordinator. Wilks likes to bring pressure defensively, which seems a good fit as Arizona has been bringing pressure for a few year in a row. Well-traveled Mike McCoy is the new offensive coordinator. Former Carolina LB coach Al Homcomb is the new defensive coordinator.
2018 DRAFT NEEDS: (As always, bolded needs are the most critical for each team).
1-2 WR’s, 2 DL, 1-2 OL, CB, long term QB solution, TE, DB depth, RB depth, ILB. There is no proven WR other than ageless Larry Fitzgerald. Brice Butler signed but is he a legit #2 option? Mauro left and Nkemdiche might end up a draft bust. I see very little DL talent or depth on this roster. It’s an even bigger need if they move to a 4-3 scheme. Carson Palmer had a quick trigger, making it easier to pass block for him. Despite recent additions more OL help is necessary. I don’t really see a solid starting CB to place opposite elite Patrick Peterson. I like Bradford more than most, but obviously he can’t be counted on as the long term answer. TE is less of a need unless Jermaine Gresham can’t come back from injury and Ricky Seal-Jones does not progress. Additional DB depth is a must, as might be RB depth and an ILB to challenge and eventually replace 36 year old Carlos Dansby.
RECENT DRAFT HISTORY AND TENDENCIES FOR 2018: Arizona’s history has been to stay where they are, drafting when they are on the clock. They are generally conservative on draft day, although in ’13 they took a chance on CB Mathieu, which paid dividends. Past drafts have been above average but usually drop off after the early rounds. Arizona tends to get their pick up to the podium very quickly. The GM remains, but the philosophy could change just bit with a brand new staff.
DRAFT PICK OVERVIEW: Picks in 1[SUP]st[/SUP] 3 rounds: 15, 47, 97. Arizona has eight picks. Pick #192 was received in their trade of OL Vehldeer.
ROUND ONE PREVIEW: Coming 4/25
2017 NOTES: This is what I wrote a year ago: I’m not alone in thinking CB is the top need, but WR or LB seems to be the consensus among those who know. CB Humphrey is my 1[SUP]st[/SUP] choice for Arizona, with OL or DL the look if he’s gone.
REST OF THE DRAFT: Coming 4/25
NOTE: Various colors did not show up in transfer, so just know that in the '17 draft grid below the final sentence for each player was the part added this March.
The 2018 NFL Team and Draft Preview – April 5[SUP]th[/SUP], 2018
Arizona Cardinals - Season Summary
Arizona entered the bye week at 3-4, but everyone knew their season was now over. Sitting at 3-3, the Cards not only lost 33-0 to the improved LA Rams, they also lost Carson Palmer for the season. That was just icing on the cake, as injuries took away stud RB David Johnson in week #1, and during the course of the season, four of their five starting OL. Arizona will enter ’18 with a new QB and a brand new staff. Was ’17 a one year setback or are the Cardinals rebuilding?
What went right: Not much on offense. The only positive was Larry Fitzgerald’s 109 receptions and 6 TD’s. He remains elite. Defensively, the run D was a stout 3.5-89.6 in yards allowed, and the pass defense remained above average at 60.8%. At the bye week the Cardinals were 24[SUP]th[/SUP] defensively. The defense tried their best to keep Arizona in games, finishing 6[SUP]th[/SUP] overall! Yes, Arizona was just 8-8, but achieving that record was somewhat of a solid accomplishment with who was left to play QB.
What went wrong: In ’17 I wrote that QB Palmer had a history of not getting sacked much (quick release) so taking 41 sacks was unusually high. He was sacked 22 times playing in just 6+ games last season. His replacements were worse, leading to a very high 52 sacks allowed. Without RB Johnson, yards-per-carry fell drastically, down to 3.4 per carry. ’17 1[SUP]st[/SUP] round pick Robert Nikemdiche looks like a bust after collecting a mere 11 tackles (zero starts and zero sacks). The punt return ratio was not good. This is at least the 2[SUP]nd[/SUP] season in a row that the Cardinals fielded a below average punt return unit on offense.
2017 draft recap: The surprising amount of QB’s and WR’s taken in the 1[SUP]st[/SUP] 12 picks worked to Arizona’s favor. The Cards took a top 15 talent in Reddick and came back for a solidly rated safety. The theme of this draft was versatility as a large number of draftees can play two positions. NOTE: The grid below lists each draft pick, plus any notable players signed after the draft (UDFA). Arizona signed three. One made the team and is included in the discussion below. For each team I will put my 2017 post draft chart in this spot. The position rank is MINE from last season. The notes are also from May, 2017, along with how they performed as a rookie (in brown color).
| Round | Name | Pos-RANK | School | Comments |
| 1-13 | Haason Reddick | LB – 1 | Temple | Upside and downside without a true position? Making a move to LB. Projection pick based on his strength and his athleticism. 36 tackles and gradually got better as season went along. |
| 2-36 | Budda Baker | Safety – 4 | Washington | Productive but small. Active vs. the run. Has had dropped passes. Ready for bigger role after tallying 74 tackles. Solid on special teams. |
| 3-98 | Chad Williams | WR - * | Grambling | Fast and strong, but a low 5[SUP]th[/SUP], high 6[SUP]th[/SUP] draft grade. 3 rookie catches. |
| 4-115 | Dorian Johnson | OG – 3 | Pittsburgh | Phone booth attributes with long arms. Power scheme preferred. 40 career starts. Right now a better run blocker. May lack quickness. Claimed off practice squad by Carolina. |
| 5-157 | Will Holden | OT - * | Vanderbilt | Lacks athleticism and must stay at OT but has sufficient strength and understands positional assignments. 5 starts due to injuries. |
| 5-179 | T.J. Logan | RB/KR – 19 | North Carolina | Fast, change of pace guy who should win KR job. IR in August |
| 6-208 | Jonathan Ford | Safety - * | Auburn | Strong and versatile, also with solid production. Former RB likely to find niche on special team unit. DID contribute on special team unit. |
| UDFA | Ricky Seals-Jones | TE - * | A&M | WR at A&M. Has to work on reducing # of dropped passes. Transitioned to tight end and made a rookie contribution. |
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Early outlook for 2018 (4/5): Many changes are already underway for ’18. My Sam Bradford commentary is below. How much will Arizona miss former defensive coordinator James Bettcher? Last year the Cardinals entered the season with a plus point ratio but injuries derailed their playoff chances. Unfortunately, they enter ’18 with a minus point ratio. For those new to my reports, let me explain. Arizona finished 8-8, but allowed 66 more points than they scored. A -66 point ratio is more like finishing 6-10. Even with better health the Cardinals may need to upgrade just to stay within range of another 8-8 record.
FREE AGENCY ANALYSIS AND STAFF NOTES (Short Version): The big news is that Carson Palmer retired. He’s being replaced by Sam Bradford and Mike Glennon. Most people I spoke with hate the Bradford move, but I think it’s great! I realize he’s an injury risk but when on the field he’s deadly accurate. Both WR’s named Brown (John and Jaron) left. WR Brice Butler comes over from Dallas. Backup TE Troy Niklas left. There’s a net gain of one along the OL with the signings of Justin Pugh and Andre Smith and the departure of Jared Veldheer. Arizona is short two DL and a reserve LB but the secondary was the hardest hit area, losing starters Tramon Williams and Tyrann Mathieu and back-up Justin Bethel. Bene Beniware and Jeremy Cash have been added but the net loss is significant. The new Head Coach is Steve Wilks. He spent the last six years with Carolina, but just one as a coordinator. Wilks likes to bring pressure defensively, which seems a good fit as Arizona has been bringing pressure for a few year in a row. Well-traveled Mike McCoy is the new offensive coordinator. Former Carolina LB coach Al Homcomb is the new defensive coordinator.
2018 DRAFT NEEDS: (As always, bolded needs are the most critical for each team).
1-2 WR’s, 2 DL, 1-2 OL, CB, long term QB solution, TE, DB depth, RB depth, ILB. There is no proven WR other than ageless Larry Fitzgerald. Brice Butler signed but is he a legit #2 option? Mauro left and Nkemdiche might end up a draft bust. I see very little DL talent or depth on this roster. It’s an even bigger need if they move to a 4-3 scheme. Carson Palmer had a quick trigger, making it easier to pass block for him. Despite recent additions more OL help is necessary. I don’t really see a solid starting CB to place opposite elite Patrick Peterson. I like Bradford more than most, but obviously he can’t be counted on as the long term answer. TE is less of a need unless Jermaine Gresham can’t come back from injury and Ricky Seal-Jones does not progress. Additional DB depth is a must, as might be RB depth and an ILB to challenge and eventually replace 36 year old Carlos Dansby.
RECENT DRAFT HISTORY AND TENDENCIES FOR 2018: Arizona’s history has been to stay where they are, drafting when they are on the clock. They are generally conservative on draft day, although in ’13 they took a chance on CB Mathieu, which paid dividends. Past drafts have been above average but usually drop off after the early rounds. Arizona tends to get their pick up to the podium very quickly. The GM remains, but the philosophy could change just bit with a brand new staff.
DRAFT PICK OVERVIEW: Picks in 1[SUP]st[/SUP] 3 rounds: 15, 47, 97. Arizona has eight picks. Pick #192 was received in their trade of OL Vehldeer.
ROUND ONE PREVIEW: Coming 4/25
2017 NOTES: This is what I wrote a year ago: I’m not alone in thinking CB is the top need, but WR or LB seems to be the consensus among those who know. CB Humphrey is my 1[SUP]st[/SUP] choice for Arizona, with OL or DL the look if he’s gone.
REST OF THE DRAFT: Coming 4/25
