ARIZONA CARDINALS

Whisenhunt: Cardinals trusted draft board, saw it pay off

May 1, 2012, 9:38 PM | Updated: 11:38 pm

Never will you hear a coach talk badly about his draft.

So, it should come as no surprise that Arizona’s Ken
Whisenhunt told Arizona Sports 620’s Doug and Wolf he felt
good about what the team accomplished over the weekend.

“I think that the way the players came off the board, I
felt like we were very prepared and ready to do it
logically as well as what we thought was best for our
team,” he said.

In drafting Michael Floyd, Jamell Fleming, Bobby Massie,
Senio Kelemete, Justin Bethel, Ryan Lindley and Nate
Potter the Cardinals not only added some talented players,
but potentially filled some needs, too.

And, maybe in a departure from some past drafts,
Whisenhunt said he expects some of his rookies —
specifically first-rounder Floyd — to make an impact in
his first season.

“The ability to help from the standpoint of making those
big plays down the field, the chunks of yardage,” the
coach said of what they like about the Notre Dame star.
“He’s a physical player, brings a lot to the table from
that standpoint.”

Whisenhunt pointed to Floyd’s ability to go up and get the
ball in traffic, which is a trait shared by current
Cardinal Larry Fitzgerald.

The idea of pairing Floyd with the Pro Bowler and adding
him to an offense that features other weapons, too, is
something that Whisenhunt is excited about going forward.

But it’s not just the team’s first round pick that the
coach is optimistic about.

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