Report: Cardinals GM Keim never wanted Levi Brown in the first place
Oct 2, 2013, 5:12 PM | Updated: 5:12 pm
Back in April 2007, the Arizona Cardinals were faced with a choice.
More than six years later, it appears they chose wrong.
The Cardinals decide to take Penn State tackle Levi Brown with the fifth pick in the draft, passing on Oklahoma running back Adrian Peterson. The move was met with disappointment from many, and the way the respective players’ careers have gone has not helped the lineman’s cause.
At his best, Brown has been solid. At his best, Peterson has been a Hall of Famer.
Brown was traded to the Pittsburgh Steelers Wednesday, ending his tenure in the desert.
It is said hindsight is 20/20, and no one could have predicted exactly how things would have turned out. However, apparently new Cardinals general manager Steve Keim, who was with the team in 2007 but not in a decision-making role, was not a fan of their pick.
The Cardinals took Levi Brown over Adrian Peterson. Then personnel director Steve Keim had to restrain himself in the war room. He's now GM.
— Michael Silver (@MikeSilver) October 2, 2013
Rod Graves and Ken Whisenhunt wanted a tackle (Brown) & the team had signed Edgerrin James a year earlier. Keim wanted Peterson in worst way
— Michael Silver (@MikeSilver) October 2, 2013
I know this because I talked to Keim extensively before the draft… and many in the organization before and after…
— Michael Silver (@MikeSilver) October 2, 2013
It would be easy for Keim to come in after the fact and say he always wanted Peterson given that his name was not attached to the Brown selection and saying he wasn’t on board makes him look good.
However, if Silver’s report is accurate and Keim was, in fact, stumping for Peterson, then perhaps Cardinals fans can feel pretty good about the man who is now in charge of putting the roster together.
