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AP: 34a02255-8785-40ae-9ff9-31d66c3c1efc
Arizona Cardinals first-round NFL football draft pick Michael Floyd holds his jersey during a news conference, Friday, April 27, 2012, at the team's training facility in Tempe, Ariz. (AP Photo/Matt York)
It's hard not to like what the Cardinals did in the NFL draft.

Michael Floyd was a need and a necessity as the Cardinals have struggled with finding a #2 receiver ever since they decided not to pay Anquan Boldin the money he wanted and shipped him to Baltimore.

Steve Breaston and Early Doucet both failed to produce the way a second receiver should, and while you may think that some of that is on the quarterback, all you need to do is look at Larry Fitzgerald's production to realize that good receivers find ways to make plays. So getting a solid physical receiver in Floyd was crucial for the Cardinals offense.

Not having a second-round pick hurt initially, especially when you saw the run on offensive tackles in that round, but one tackle expected to go in that round fell to the Cardinals in the fourth round and that was Bobby Massie of Mississippi.

It's hard not to love this pick, as Massie could start at right tackle immediately. Massie was highly productive in a conference that is dominated by pass rushers and defensive line play -- the SEC. I was actually hoping they were going to draft him in the third round.

I also like third-round pick Jamell Fleming of Oklahoma, especially when you figure he went up against great receivers in the Big 12 and practiced against wideout Ryan Broyles -- who went to the Detroit Lions in the second round -- on a regular basis. Some of you may remember Fleming returing a pick for an interception in the Fiesta Bowl vs UConn last year. Arizona may have found the compliment to Patrick Peterson at the other cornerback spot, or at least someone to push Greg Toler, who missed all of last season due to injury.

I wasn't in favor of getting a guard early, especially with all the talk of David DeCastro of Stanford in the first round because Arizona spent free agent money on Darryn Colledge and Adam Snyder in the past two years. But nabbing depth with Senio Kelemente of Washington in the 5th round was a nice get. Kelemente is versatile like Snyder because he can play guard and tackle.

I'm not the only one to not know much about 6th round pick Justin Bethel out of Presbyterian, but all you need to do is look at the YouTube video of him box jumping 60 inches and you can tell the kid is a freak athlete that may be worth developing as a safety. Nothing wrong with grabbing San Diego State quarterback Ryan Lindley with their second sixth round pick, as he had a lot of success in the Mountain West Conference and heck, someone needs to hold the clipboard. Boise State tackle Nate Potter in the seventh round just adds more depth and competition on the offensive line, and we all know that is just what they needed.

So in a nutshell three offensive lineman were drafted, as well as a dominant wide receiver, two secondary players and a quarterback. To win in this league you need to build through the draft and on paper this looks like a solid draft.

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    thjt23 wrote...
    Great article Gambo!
    They did a great job adding depth in the places most needed with a lot of value. It also tells us what positions the Cards believe in heading towards the 2012 season. Cant wait to see all these cornerbacks next year!
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    Kreedos wrote...
    nice article
    I agree very solid draft. The lack of a second rounder really hurt though. I'm not sure either Kolb or Skelton will ever be the answer. The thing is, the team is talented enough to go 8-8 or 9-7 consistently, which would keep them out of the running for a solid franchise QB. Its almost like they are in the same situation as the Suns...! Hoping for a playoff appearance in *12!!
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    flantastic4 wrote...
    Solid Draft
    Passing on Massie in Round 3 and having the confidence that he'd be there in the 4th was either brilliant or lucky or both. Who cares. Those are the kind of picks that translate into winning football. 1st/2nd round talent in the 4th round. WOW.
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    LiveForSports wrote...
    Keys to Season
    Massie, Floyd and a confident Kolb are the keys to the Cards returning to the playoffs, assuming the D Unit picks up where it left off last season.
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    Michael R. wrote...
    Come on Gambo!!
    Bring back Ash!!!!!!
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