Round 3 - CB Jamell Fleming
Round 4 - OT Bobby Massie
Round 5 - OG Senio Kelemete
Round 6 - S Justin Bethal
- QB Ryan Lindley
Round 7 - OT Nate Potter
The Cardinals addressed their needs this year in the draft and were able to find value, especially in the later rounds. Starting with Michael Floyd, the big wide receiver out of Notre Dame, they added another threat across from Larry Fitzgerald. While lacking in elite speed, Floyd gains separation with good route running and a physical style of play. Not a one trick pony, he can make plays all over the field, being an excellent deep threat and a surprisingly good YAC gainer. However, he comes with some baggage off the field with three alcohol-related offenses from his collegiate career.
Next, they continued to make the cornerback position a strength by drafting Jamell Fleming from Oklahoma. Though not overly physical or quick, his cover skills can eventually propel him to a starting job across from Patrick Peterson. Again, not a fast guy but one whose experience and technique compensate for the lack of an elite skill set.
An absolute steal in the fourth round, Bobby Massie was projected by some to go as early as the late first. Although strictly a right tackle prospect, Massie brings nice size and athleticism to the table and could be ready to compete this year.
Again trying to shore up their offensive line, Arizona next went with a very good guard prospect at a great spot in the fifth round. Still learning the nuances of playing on the offensive line after converting from playing defense, he possesses nice upside.
With Justin Bethal, the Cards have a versatile player who can play corner or move to safety. Even though he played his ball at a small school, he could develop and emerge as a good backup and core special teamer fairly quickly.
Taking shots with late round quarterbacks has gained popularity much more since Tom Brady broke out to become the future Hall of Famer he is. Ryan Lindley has a fantastic arm, and that might be about it. After seriously regressing in his senior year, Lindley saw his stock drop drastically. If he can gain back some of that shine from his first three years starting maybe they have something.
Their final pick, Nate Potter is a nice flier pick for the last round. He's a good athlete who needs to spend some time in the weight room to gain strength.
They went into the draft needing to upgrade their offensive line, and although they waited till the fourth round, they were successful by nabbing talent that had fallen for various reasons. Floyd was a bit of a luxury pick in the first because they have talented young receivers with Andre Roberts and Early Doucet who can do a good job taking advantage of the single coverage that Fitzgerald provides. Finally, by adding two young talents in the secondary, they might have found an eventual replacement for Kerry Rhodes in Bethal and a future starter in Fleming. The one position that that they should have looked at was inside linebacker. While Daryl Washington is excellent, Paris Lenon is aging and Stewart Bradley is injury-prone. Overall, the Cardinals did a admirable job with the picks they had.
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