az1965
Love Games!
Arizona drops the ball
Cards trade down and fill needs, but reach for two players
By Andy Hanacek ([email protected])
April 26, 2003
The Cardinals could have had any one of a number of top-notch playmakers at No. 6 overall. Instead, they made a valiant move, trading the pick to the Saints for their two first-round picks, Nos. 17 and 18 overall. The trade was a little confusing to me to begin with, since Arizona basically moved down in the first and second rounds and gave up a fourth-round pick for an extra first-rounder.
Contrast that with the two extra picks the Bears secured for the No. 4 overall pick. It seems as though the Cardinals could have gotten more. They weren't hosed, until they made their picks at 17 and 18.
Needing a bazillion things to make their team competitive, the Cardinals decided to split the difference of their two picks, taking offense with one and defense with the other. That's a nice strategy, but poor draft execution followed. After two nice free-agent offseasons on paper (Duane Starks, Freddie Jones last season; Emmitt Smith, Jeff Blake this season), Arizona dropped the ball in the draft.
With the 17th pick, the Cardinals took Penn State WR Bryant Johnson. That's a nice pick for the Cardinals to make, particularly since their top wide receiver was expected to be Bryan Gilmore, a player who has done nothing but flash ability rather than put together a solid season. It's a nice pick, except here. Johnson was expected to last into the low first round, and the WR class is pretty deep at this point.
With the 18th pick, Arizona filled another need — defensive line. Wake Forest DE Calvin Pace should provide a fine all-around effort in place of Fred Wakefield on the outside, opposite a hopefully-more-durable Kyle Vanden Bosch. But again, Pace was taken too high here. He may have even been around far later if the Cardinals really wanted him.
The Cardinals were wise to move down and fill multiple needs — that I can't criticize. However, they went about it all wrong. I was willing to overlook the too-small treasure they received for the No. 6 pick if the Cardinals would have used the picks well. By selecting Johnson and Pace, they did an OK job by filling needs, but they really disappointed me by reaching on these players as much as they did.
Cards trade down and fill needs, but reach for two players
By Andy Hanacek ([email protected])
April 26, 2003
The Cardinals could have had any one of a number of top-notch playmakers at No. 6 overall. Instead, they made a valiant move, trading the pick to the Saints for their two first-round picks, Nos. 17 and 18 overall. The trade was a little confusing to me to begin with, since Arizona basically moved down in the first and second rounds and gave up a fourth-round pick for an extra first-rounder.
Contrast that with the two extra picks the Bears secured for the No. 4 overall pick. It seems as though the Cardinals could have gotten more. They weren't hosed, until they made their picks at 17 and 18.
Needing a bazillion things to make their team competitive, the Cardinals decided to split the difference of their two picks, taking offense with one and defense with the other. That's a nice strategy, but poor draft execution followed. After two nice free-agent offseasons on paper (Duane Starks, Freddie Jones last season; Emmitt Smith, Jeff Blake this season), Arizona dropped the ball in the draft.
With the 17th pick, the Cardinals took Penn State WR Bryant Johnson. That's a nice pick for the Cardinals to make, particularly since their top wide receiver was expected to be Bryan Gilmore, a player who has done nothing but flash ability rather than put together a solid season. It's a nice pick, except here. Johnson was expected to last into the low first round, and the WR class is pretty deep at this point.
With the 18th pick, Arizona filled another need — defensive line. Wake Forest DE Calvin Pace should provide a fine all-around effort in place of Fred Wakefield on the outside, opposite a hopefully-more-durable Kyle Vanden Bosch. But again, Pace was taken too high here. He may have even been around far later if the Cardinals really wanted him.
The Cardinals were wise to move down and fill multiple needs — that I can't criticize. However, they went about it all wrong. I was willing to overlook the too-small treasure they received for the No. 6 pick if the Cardinals would have used the picks well. By selecting Johnson and Pace, they did an OK job by filling needs, but they really disappointed me by reaching on these players as much as they did.
