Arizona Cardinals GM Keim: With selection of tackle D.J. Humphries, ‘I don’t see many glaring weaknesses’ on O-line

Two years ago, Arizona Cardinals general manager Steve Keim and head coach Bruce Arians were new to their respective jobs, looking to turn around an offensive line that was among the worst in the NFL.

BY ADAM GREEN

May 1, 2015, 4:45 AM Updated: 4:55 pm

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TEMPE, Ariz. — Two years ago, Arizona Cardinals general manager Steve Keim and head coach Bruce Arians were new to their respective jobs, looking to turn around an offensive line that was among the worst in the NFL.

Arizona had allowed a league-high 58 sacks in 2012, and were 32nd out of 32 teams in rushing yards.

It was not an ideal situation.

The duo started the revamping process in their first draft together by taking guards Jonathan Cooper (first round, seventh overall, out of North Carolina) and Earl Watford (fourth round, 116th overall, out of James Madison) in 2013. The following offseason they signed tackle Jared Veldheer to a free agent contract, and then the year after that added guard Mike Iupati and center A.Q. Shipley on free agent deals, believing those moves would get them even closer to their goal.

Thursday, they hope to have completed their task, by selecting Florida tackle D.J. Humphries with their first round pick in the 2015 NFL Draft, 24th overall.

“Just like we talked about last week, stuck with our plan and got the player we wanted,” Keim said. “It was a fluid first round, and a lot of good players came off the board. Fortunately for us, one of the players we coveted was there at 24, which we did not anticipate.”

Keim said the 6-foot-5, 307-pound Humphries was the 13th-ranked player on their top-120 board, and choosing him was simply a matter of taking the best player they could.

The third-year GM called Humphries a “tremendous talent” who can play both left and right tackle, though he is expected to compete with incumbent Bobby Massie for the job on the right side. According to NFL.com, he plays with a “nasty demeanor” and with “legitimate toughness,” traits Keim and Cardinals saw and are pleased to have added to their roster.