Cardinals have options, here’s three I like

For as much as I love the movies, I’m surprised that I’ve
never used this space to tell you what my favorite movies
of all-time are. Movies, plural. If you were the demanding
sort and mandated I choose just one, I would. But realize
if you ask me in a week you might get a different answer.
So I have three:

Saving Private Ryan. Raiders of the Lost Ark. The Silence
of the Lambs. You may say I’m sitting on a fence; I like
to think of it as having options. I can go summer popcorn
action flick, a serious war/technically brilliant classic
or violent, extremely well-acted thriller. Depends on my
mood.

And, much like me and my movies, the Arizona Cardinals
will have options on draft day, three of which I’ll gladly
rubber stamp as THE RIGHT MOVE. I’m writing this under the
assumption that at least one of these three will be
available at #13 and that the Cardinals will take one of
these players. Should the Cardinals go off script and
draft someone outside of my top three, I reserve the right
to rip the pick or to view it as an unconsidered fourth
great option (much like I consider Shawshank Redemption as
my fourth-favorite movie).

Option 1: Michael Floyd, WR, Notre Dame

Full disclosure…of the three options the Cardinals have,
Floyd is the one I would estimate to be gone baby gone by
the time the Cardinals pick. Hearing Mark May describe his
abilities the other day was like listening to a scouting
report on Anquan Boldin. Big, tough, physical, uses his
body. He’s May’s choice. He’s Ron Jaworski’s pick. He’s
coveted by none other than fellow Minnesotan Larry
Fitzgerald. And that is good enough for me. Even though
he’s doesn’t address the offensive line concerns make no
mistake; it’s a need. No one will blame the Cardinals one
bit for drafting a stud WR to pair with their stud WR.

Option 2: Riley Reiff, OT, Iowa

Reiff was once thought to be a sure-fire top 10 pick, most
likely by the Buffalo Bills. But in the opinions of some,
he has slipped. Some think his arms are too short or he’s
not athletic enough. Some think the media love him but the
NFL scouts do not. And some believe the entire tackle
position is over-valued in a league that is moving to more
three-step drops and quick releases. Yet some compare him
to another former Iowa lineman, Bryan Bulaga, who slipped
in the draft and is now one of the better right tackles in
football with the Packers. He clearly fits a need for the
Cards which makes him the comfy pick. Given that he was
considered a top-ten guy just a few weeks ago, he strikes
me as the one tackle who wouldn’t be much of a reach at
#13. All the other tackles are and taking one of them is a
guaranteed rip job by yours truly.

Option 3: Melvin Ingram, DE, South Carolina

This is the bold move. High risk, high reward. Right now I
can hear a disgruntled voice in my head (and oddly it
sounds like Gambo’s) and it goes something like this: “We
don’t need another pass rusher. We have Acho. We have
Schofield. Fix what’s broken.” While it’s true the
Cardinals have more immediate needs than adding another
pass rusher, and certainly the lack of a second round pick
on augments that, in my world you can never, ever have
enough guys who can get to the quarterback. Ever. Pop
quiz: Who won the Super Bowl? The Giants. What do they
have a bunch of? Oh yeah…guys who can rush the
quarterback. What I’d hate to see is the regret that comes
with knowing you could have had an elite pass rusher but
took a pass. Terrell Suggs anyone?

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