Cards’ roster revamp not helping in ESPN power rankings
Following a disappointing 2012 season, the Arizona Cardinals underwent a makeover that began with the hiring of head coach Bruce Arians and his staff.
In an effort to construct a roster more to their style of coaching, the team released players such as safety Adrian Wilson, quarterback Kevin Kolb, running back Beanie Wells and wide receiver Early Doucet, to name a few.
To fill in those holes, the team added quarterback Drew Stanton, cornerback Antoine Cason, running back Rashard Mendenhall and linebacker Jasper Brinkley, among others.
However, the changes for the Red Birds didn’t impress enough to earn a higher spot in ESPN.com’s NFL pre-draft Power Rankings.
The power rankings have Arizona slotted 29th out of the league’s 32 teams, only trailed by the Raiders, Jets and Jaguars.
ESPN.com’s NFC West blogger Mike Sando said, “Adding Drew Stanton made sense, but won’t generate buzz around the Cards.”
Two of Arizona’s division rivals, Seattle and San Francisco, hold the top spots in the power rankings.
Sando said the top-ranked Seahawks’, “High-risk, high-reward move for Percy Harvin got voters’ attention.”
The 49ers added wide receiver Anquan Boldin in a trade with Baltimore and have plenty of flexibility in the upcoming draft.
“Two-time defending NFC West champs can restock with 14 draft choices,” Sando said.
