The Kurt Warner era came to an end with a playoff loss against the Saints at the end of the 2009 season, and the uncertainty as to who would be the quarterback for 2010 led to a disappointing 5-11 record. Concerns as to who would be the leader on the field still linger, but the 5th Overall pick of the NFL Draft was one the Cardinals could not pass up.
Patrick Peterson was seen by many as the best player in the draft. A shutdown cornerback with exceptional size and speed, and one of the premier punt returners in the college game. Peterson has drawn comparisons to Rod Woodson, who was a dominant corner before moving to safety. Peterson could very easily follow the same career path, and if he turns out to be half as good as Woodson then the Cardinals would have picked one of the best players in the draft.
The offense got a boost in Round 2 with the selection of Ryan Williams, a running back from Virginia Tech. Williams is a strong back with a quick burst who can get through the line and make plays in the open field. But injuries limited his play in 2010, or he would have surely been a first round pick. But the position that did not get addressed was quarterback. The Cardinals go into 2011 with the same quarterback rotation that they finished last season with: Derek Anderson, Max Hall and John Skelton. Arizona seems content to proceed with these three signal callers, and it will be seen if not drafting Ryan Mallett in Round 3 will come back to haunt them in the long run.
A late round sleeper pick looks to be Sam Acho, a defensive end from Texas selected in Round 4. Acho reminds many of his former Longhorn teammate Brian Orakpo, and there was no prospect who could measure up to Acho off the field and in the classroom.
Draft Grade: B+
No comments:
Post a Comment