The Arizona Cardinals were the worst team in the NFL last season. This meant they had the honors of the first overall pick in the draft. Although they went the obvious route with their first pick, the Cardinals did have 10 more to go. As the Cardinals had the second-most picks in this year’s NFL draft, I look to give my opinion of each of their selections as well as grades, what each draftee will bring, and how I view the team outlook now that the draft has concluded.
Round 1, Pick #1: Kyler Murray, QB, Oklahoma
Kyler Murray was seen to many as the best pick in this year’s NFL Draft. When rumors swirled around this pick, it didn’t make sense considering Arizona drafted QB Josh Rosen just last year. But, when ex-Texas Tech coach Kliff Kingsbury was hired as HC in Arizona, everything started to make sense.
In an offensive that includes the ever-so productive WR Larry Fitzgerald and RB David Johnson, Murray seems like the only route the Cardinals could’ve gone. In a revamped offense designed by Kingsbury, it was only right to bring in the Heisman winner.
Strengths + Weaknesses
Murray’s ceiling is as high as prime Michael Vick or even current Seahawks’ QB Russell Wilson. At 5’10”, he comes into the league as one of the shortest quarterbacks in the league. Despite that, Murray displays a skill-set that should strike fear in opposing defenses. In terms of weaknesses for Murray, at Oklahoma, he was seen as a perennial rushing threat. Now that he’s at the next level, he must fight the urge to come out of the pocket and run out of his mind. As we’ll discuss, Murray has too good of a set of receivers to run outside of the pocket early and often.
With a strong arm, pinpoint accuracy, and a recognizable coach, Murray can reach his full potential with this squad. Of course, this now falls on the Cardinals front office to get the right pieces as a subpar offensive line led David Johnson to have a down year. You don’t want that for Murray. Being the most dynamic quarterback in the draft, this was the perfect pick for the coach and organization.
Grade: A+
Round 2, Pick #33: Byron Murphy, CB, Washington
For this pick, the Cardinals went the route of not picking the best player available but rather what they NEED. According to rumors, starting CB Patrick Peterson is said to still want out of Arizona. Perhaps this pick is setting the stage for a potential trade involving the 28-year-old. If that’s the case, then this pick was yet another smart one by the Cardinals’ front office.
Outside of his thin frame and lack of strength, Murphy brings a variety of skills to Arizona. None are more notable than his awareness and instincts. He’s another player who excels at reading the opposing offense and getting himself into a position to make a play. With his fast and precise reactions, he shows great poise when playing the ball in the air. His versatility with zone, off-man, or press coverage makes him someone I expect to have the most interceptions among rookies.
Grade: B
Round 2, Pick #62: Andy Isabella, WR, Massachusetts
As the NFL Draft went on for Arizona, this pick started to make more and more sense. We already understand that Kyler Murray was drafted, in part, because of his relationship with Coach Kingsbury. But what impressed me about this pick is what Kingsbury looks to do with Murray. Not only did he get the quarterback he wanted, but now he’s getting the weapons needed to maximize Murray’s success.
Isabella is a rather underrated WR from a not so notable school. He tallied 1,698 yards which were the most in the FBS. Isabella is a player that can often be used in the slot where creating space is one of his stronger abilities. He has great speed when he plays which was shown with the best 40-yard dash time among all receivers. Many even describe him as slippery. With that and his explosiveness, he should be a great receiver for Kyler Murray to use.
Grade: C+
Round 3, Pick #65: Zach Allen, DE, Boston College
In terms of how Vance Joseph runs his 3-4 base defense, Allen certainly serves as a good fit. Considering the Cardinals were the worst team in the NFL last season, their defensive line was certainly an area that had to be addressed.
Allen was a player I saw as NFL-ready when taking a look at his stats and film. In the pass-rush, he’s extremely efficient against opposing offenses to the point where he takes on blockers with ease. He excels in getting running backs down before they reach the second level but does have his downsides as well. It’s easy to force your way through offensive linemen and quickly get into the backfield. But, this is the NFL.
Allen’s heavy hands simply won’t be enough at the next level. He lacks the athleticism, speed, and pass-rush maneuvers that the great ones have in their skill-set. But, as I said before, the way Allen plays is for a 3-4 defense. Fortunately enough for him, that’s the defense ran by Vance Joesph.
Grade: D
Round 4, Pick #103: Hakeem Butler, WR, Iowa State
Kudos to Kliff Kingsbury and the rest of the Cardinals front office for snagging yet another weapon for Kyler Murray to utilize. With Butler basically being a power forward playing wide receiver, contested catches may be his biggest strength. His size obviously makes him a vertical passing threat and someone who’ll certainly flourish when it comes to yards after the catch.
However, you shouldn’t expect him to be an explosive player for the Cardinals. His hands can improve, as they were rather inconsistent during his college career. Once again, his size plays a big factor in both his strengths and weaknesses. This pick gives Murray a tall vertical threat but not someone who’ll be a critical route runner.
Grade: C
Round 5, Pick #174: KeeSean Johnson, WR, Fresno State
KeeSean Johnson is yet another WR who’s expected to be productive for Kyler Murray. In his time at Fresno State, Johnson was a very smooth and fluid route runner, to say the least. Watching him create separation between most of the defenders he was lined up against showed his NFL-ready skill. He’s a solid route-runner who has a strong IQ which helps in recognizing different coverages defenses have for him.
On the flip side, however, he’s not that power forward receiver that the previous pick was. He’s shown to be on the weaker side which makes me believe he shouldn’t be relied on for yards after the catch. Along with that, his small stature makes his catch-radius smaller than bigger receivers.
Grade: C+
Round 6, Pick #179: Lamont Gaillard, C, Georgia
This pick was needed after the atrocious season the Cardinals’ offensive line had this past season. RB David Johnson was considered the biggest bust in all of Fantasy Football after having a large decline in numbers in the 2017 & 2018 seasons. Picking up the Lamont Gaillard should help improve the line which needs fresh members.
Gaillard’s football IQ is what I’ll go to as his biggest strength. Watching Georgia football games all year really allowed me to see the type of player that Gaillard is. As a Bulldog, Gaillard was seen as the guy responsible for checking the line of scrimmage and recognizing any blitz/stunts.
He’s as tenacious as they come and plays with an aggressive style that Arizona needs. He’s another player on this list who lacks in athleticism though. As great as his football mind is, the Cardinals pick up a guy who can be overmatched greatly in one-on-one pass protection.
Grade: C+
Round 7, Pick #248: Joshua Miles, OT, Morgan State
Now unlike some of the previously mentioned names, Miles actually has great athleticism. At 6’5″ and 314 pounds, Miles is in great shape to be yet another tool for a revamped Cardinals’ offensive line. If Miles wants to play as much high-level football as possible, getting stronger and bulking up may just be the way. He’s shown us that increasing his strength turns him into a solid NFL left tackle. But, knowing his role on the team, Miles does have low-football IQ. This means that things such as twists and stunts will be fairly difficult.
Grade: C-
Round 7, Pick #249: Michael Dogbe, DE, Temple
The combination of Dogbe’s violent hands and length gives him the ability to stop the run efficiently. He’s a player that doesn’t win with strength but rather with his quickness. Surprisingly, he fell to the sixth round. This came as a shock to me because he was one of the most productive interior defensive linemen the draft. When rushing the passer, Dogbe needs to learn to have a plan of attack. He’s able to win off the snap. However, when faced with the challenge of being blocked, he has no alternative.
Grade: D+
Round 7, Pick #254: Caleb Wilson, TE, UCLA
The title of Mr. Irrelevant falls to Caleb Wilson of the UCLA Bruins. There’s not much to say about Wilson at this spot. His route running is rather inconsistent with good runs after the catch. His size serves to be another weakness, as he’s smaller than the average tight end. Don’t expect this man to block well for the Cardinals either.
Grade: F
This draft provided the Cardinals with a fresh 11 players. From Kyler Murray to Caleb Wilson, every draftee is expected to make an impact. The fact that Cardinals general manager Steve Keim drafted a large bunch of offensive players proves that it’ll be a Kliff Kingsbury re-designed offense.
Drafting a quarterback and three WRs only shows the weapons that Kingsbury is willing to surround his QB with. The most beneficial part of this draft is the fact that each WR will have the opportunity to learn from one of the greatest of all time in Larry Fitzgerald.
I don’t expect the Cardinals to be in the playoffs by any means, but any draft where your franchise quarterback is picked is a rather successful one. This is a stepping stone for the Cardinals and an overall pretty strong draft.
Overall Grade: B
What did you think of the Cardinals draft picks? Is Kyler Murray the right guy? Let me know!