What they’re saying about the Cardinals’ draft
Apr 30, 2012, 8:19 PM | Updated: 10:07 pm
Three days of selections, trades and speculation are now
in the history books.
Two-hundred-fifty-three players have now made the jump
from college football to the NFL following the 2012 draft.
The Arizona Cardinals selected a total of seven players
during the weekend, and locally, are getting a lot of
praise for what they accomplished.
But what are the national experts saying?
Having Michael Floyd in this lineup will help
Larry Fitzgerald and Kevin Kolb. If they can find a way to
pass block, Floyd’s presence should tell the Cardinals if
they have their QB of the future, or whether they need to
go back to the drawing board. But I’m not sure they can
protect. Bobby Massie is one of the better values of the
draft at No. 112 overall, and could provide an upgrade.
Grade: B-
The Cardinals need a No. 2 corner opposite Patrick
Peterson, so Fleming should have the opportunity to
compete for significant playing time. He has good size and
improved steadily during his time at Oklahoma. Fleming was
productive, has good instincts in zone coverage and the
potential to hold up in bump-and-run coverage as well.
Ranked 20th of 32 teams: We thought they’d support
QB Kevin Kolb (or is it John Skelton?) with an offensive
lineman in Round 1 after the team gave up 54 sacks a year
ago. Instead they assisted the quarterbacks by taking WR
Michael Floyd, a decision that looked really good when Ole
Miss T Bobby Massie fell to them in Round 4.
Chris Burke, Sports
Illustrated
Larry Fitzgerald badly needed some help at wide receiver,
and the Cardinals hope that Michael Floyd will provide it.
Not having a second-round pick hurt the final product, but
CB Jamell Fleming (No. 80 overall) is a decent fit and
Bobby Massie was a steal at 112. Adding offensive linemen
Senio Kelemte and Nate Potter late ought to help a shaky
unit. Grade: B
They wisely addressed receiver and the edge of their
offensive line. It sets up them for when they go after a
bona fide franchise QB in the near future. Grade: B
I didn’t like the Michael Floyd pick in the first round.
He doesn’t run well enough to warrant that pick. And they
had a lot of other needs. Grade: C+
Headlines will focus on receiver Michael Floyd, but
tackles Bobby Massie and Senio Kelemete could boost the
team’s chances at winning the NFC West.
This is a really good value draft. The Cardinals waited to
get Floyd at the perfect spot (No. 13 overall). Likewise,
they did a good job to get Fleming, Massie, Kelemete and
Lindley at least a round later (if not more) than a lot of
people projected them. The selection of Floyd makes
Arizona’s offense much more explosive because now defenses
won’t be able to focus on WR Larry Fitzgerald as much.
Plus, this helps make the job easier for QB Kevin Kolb,
who is entering a critical season after an inconsistent
2011. Grade: B+
They got great value with Notre Dame receiver Michael
Floyd, who should take a lot of pressure off Larry
Fitzgerald. Floyd has had past drinking problems, but he
also caught 37 touchdown passes and can be Plaxico
Burress-like in the red zone. … Oklahoma cornerback
Jamell Fleming was a steal as the 80th overall pick and
ideally fits the Cardinals’ blitz-scheme approach to
defense. Grade: B+
