Gandhi mock draft

[Chopper0080]

I'm going to say that while I don't agree with taking Freeling so high, I do like to see DIFFERENT, unique opinions outside of the group think that you see everywhere else. It's much more stimulating than seeing people take the same players over and over again.

Maybe. Freeling might be the best LT prospect in this draft but the Cardinals are not in the market for a LT. I struggle with the idea of drafting a player at 3 only to move him to another position. And if the idea is to draft Freeling to be a RT, he isn't the best RT in this draft. Mauigoa is and potentially Fano as well. Mauigoa as a RT is more polished and one year younger than Freeling. Freeling is two inches taller and has 1 inch longer arms. He is also leaner.

I know everyone talks about BPA but ultimately, teams draft based on need more often than not.

 

[Gandhi]

I don't either. You're moving the goalposts here, though. You think Freeling is our best pick. You're not just saying you think it's what the Cards will do. I agree, the Cards will reach in the 1st round, or take a trade down. I don't think Freeling is worth the #3 pick in the draft. I'm not alone in that and you're rather alone in thinking he is. If your opinion was merely that it's something the Cards think would make sense, we're in accord. That's not what you've been saying, though.

Well, I kind of think he is worth the #3 pick because he is the best OT in the draft. I would have liked to sell the pick, but I couldn’t, and I don’t think anyone else was worthy of that pick. I personally only see Reese – on pure talent – giving the required value to that spot (yeah, I know we disagree). But whoever is going to play quarterback obviously needs protection, and that is worth a lot, so that was my thinking.

 

[Gandhi]

I agree. It's giving us this healthy debate. I love the content @Gandhi brings. I don't always agree with it--see this thread--but I love it.

The feeling is mutual, Stout. Nothing but love, as the young people say.

 

[Gandhi]

And if the idea is to draft Freeling to be a RT, he isn't the best RT in this draft. Mauigoa is and potentially Fano as well. Mauigoa as a RT is more polished and one year younger than Freeling. Freeling is two inches taller and has 1 inch longer arms. He is also leaner.

I think this summarizes the issue well. Krang and I explained it in earlier posts, that context matter. What the overall media rankings say is not necessarily the same as what makes the most sense to the Cardinals. And if you take a Cardinals perspective, it doesn’t matter what you think about Freeling, Mauigoa or Fano on a general level, because if Mauigoa and Fano doesn’t fit what you need and want, who cares what the 31 other teams think?

Context matter, and you need to have a draft strategy. That’s why Kiper’s, Jeremiah’s, Yates’ rankings cannot be used on a specific team – which I have heard themselves say several times over the years, by the way.

 

[Krangodnzr]

Maybe. Freeling might be the best LT prospect in this draft but the Cardinals are not in the market for a LT. I struggle with the idea of drafting a player at 3 only to move him to another position. And if the idea is to draft Freeling to be a RT, he isn't the best RT in this draft. Mauigoa is and potentially Fano as well. Mauigoa as a RT is more polished and one year younger than Freeling. Freeling is two inches taller and has 1 inch longer arms. He is also leaner.

I know everyone talks about BPA but ultimately, teams draft based on need more often than not.

Agreed. BPA is a Mel Kiper fantasy. I've said for years, its more BPA at a position of need. It's rare that a team takes a true luxury pick.

 

[Gandhi]

No offense, I know why Freeling is being elevated in the first round but it is not to do the quality of his play. His tape is very up and down, and he is a huge work in progress. He is being elevated due to his combine, his potential, and the fact that neither Mauigoa nor Fano are deemed LTs.

I saw this yesterday, so I thought I would post another input to the discussion.

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[Chopper0080]

I saw this yesterday, so I thought I would post another input to the discussion.

xc_hide_links_from_guests_guests_error_hide_media

We can disagree on the validity of PFFs offensive line analysis. They had Josh Jones as a 1st round OT when the Cardinals drafted him in the 3rd round.

 

[Goldfield]

Well, oak...when a man and a woman meet and fall in love, they do something....umm...together...umm...and then they have a baby. The End
Hope that helps....LOL

Or she had a wine cooler

 

[Goldfield]

W

I thought I would start by showing you a quote from former offensive lineman Ross Tucker:

"How do you know someone doesn’t really know what they’re talking about when it comes to the NFL these days?

When they talk about the difference between left tackles and right tackles or describe an offensive lineman as a “right tackle only,” that’s how.

The truth is, anybody who has been paying close attention to the league the last few years realizes (or at least should) that there is no longer a distinction between the two positions on the edges of a team’s offensive line."
(https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/10...ction-between-left-tackles-and-right-tackles/)

I am sure you will argue that you know a lot more about the NFL and offensive line-play than Ross Tucker, but then you should take a really quick Google search, just to find many other statements to confirm that you are wrong.

Also, I guess you didn’t look at the list of the highest paid offensive tackles, so I will tell you about it. Of the 10 highest paid, four of them are right tackles. Since 2023, five OT have been drafted in the top 10 to play right tackle.

I mean, it’s cool to think that LT is the more important, but it is not what the NFL tells us.

While I agree you don’t want a weak spot at any position. And the pass rush comes from everywhere in today’s NFL. I’d still value the blind side of my QB more.

 

[Goldfield]

The feeling is mutual, Stout. Nothing but love, as the young people say.

So now you want Love @ 3 haha

 

[Gandhi]

We can disagree on the validity of PFFs offensive line analysis. They had Josh Jones as a 1st round OT when the Cardinals drafted him in the 3rd round.

No, we cannot disagree on that. I also don't think their rankings are necessarily the purest truth. They could be better than both you and me, though, and it's just another input. That's it.

 

[Chopper0080]

No, we cannot disagree on that. I also don't think their rankings are necessarily the purest truth. They could be better than both you and me, though, and it's just another input. That's it.

If I don't believe their composite data is significantly better than something that you or I could create, and you do, that is where we would agree to disagree.

 

[Gandhi]

(Original post updated)

Second round

When my selection came up at #61, I was a little worried that there would be nobody that I considered a very good value pick – especially when three targets went in the three selections before that (EDGE Keyron Crawford, OT Caleb Tiernan, DT Lee Hunter).

However, I didn’t want to sell the pick again. I don’t think the Cardinals need more depth from the bottom half of the roster. They need top players.

I considered:

Jadarian Price, runningback, Notre Dame

I like Price, and I think he would be a good complement to Allgeier and whatever is left of Connor. I don’t really consider Benson a big part of the plans. Afterall, though, you often draft for needs, and there are bigger holes in the roster than runningback.

Keith Abney, defensive back, Arizona State

Several of you are probably familiar with Abney. I obviously hope that Williams comes back at full strength, but I don’t know what to think after yet another horrible long-time injury. I think he would be a great scheme fit as a nickelback. Maybe some of you know if Abney could potentially be used on the outside too?

With the 61. pick the Arizona Cardinals select

Jaishawn Barham, edge rusher, Michigan

Staying true to my strategy, Barham is uber-talented, and still has a lot of untapped potential, because he is relatively new to the position. Just last season he was an outside linebacker. He is very explosive, agile, built like an edge rusher (although slightly underweight), and surprisingly strong as an edge-setter.

Those qualities make him a great fit in Rallis’ scheme, because he can be deployed on all four downs in different ways – both on the line of scrimmage and as a linebacker – which makes him ideal for all their simulated pressure in multiple different schemes and fronts, as well as in their many zone coverages.

I actually think they have a better roster than most do, and I highly blame the previous coaching staff for not being able to develop the players properly. The current coaching staff is the most promising since B.A.’s, and maybe even before that as well, and I have a lot more confidence that they can develop the squad than I had with the previous. Players like B.J. Ojulari, Jordan Burch, and even Browning, for that matter, must have more talent than what they have shown, and I pray that Pete Kwiatkowski and Teryl Austin can help get it out of them.

Having said that, you can never have enough pass rushers, and Barham is too talented to pass up late in the second round.

By the way, it might be a bit far-fetched but remember that Mike LaFleur and Ossenfort brought in Wink Martindale as a DC candidate. Well, maybe they had seen something they liked from his Michigan defenses – where Barham was a star.

 

[Mainstreet]

Agreed. BPA is a Mel Kiper fantasy. I've said for years, its more BPA at a position of need. It's rare that a team takes a true luxury pick.

Yeah, there are 53 players on an NFL football team, not 15 like the NBA unless there is an exceptional talent available.

There are those rare players, where BPA rules in the NFL, but the overall draft is shaped by need unless a team is absolutely loaded with talent. The Cardinals are not that team.

 

[Mainstreet]

Now if we were talking NBA, BPA always rules.

 

[Gandhi]

(Original post updated)

Third round

With the 64. pick the Arizona Cardinals select

Carson Beck, quarterback, Miami

Well, why did I not select Abney or Price, now that I considered them at #61, and they were still available? Because I made this selection a while ago in my mind. And while it is stupid to not take my QB at the first possible chance (so #61), it was just a mental thing that I wanted Beck in the third round. I know it is silly, and I would not at all be surprised if he is not available this late, but I just find it hard to select him as high as the second round. Again, it was just a silly mental thing.

Anyway, If we believe that LaFleur will take a lot from McVay’s and Shanahan’s offenses, Beck could be a great scheme fit. Some of the stables of those offenses are play-action, throwing a lot of intermediate distance passes, getting the ball out quickly and playing within structure and in rhythm. Well, last season, Beck had the fastest release among all 67 qualifying P4 quarterbacks, had a nearly 80% completion percentage on play-action passes and were clearly most comfortable making intermediate distance throws. And you can easily see that he is at his best when he plays in rhythm as a game manager. Stylistically, outside of Ty Simpson, Beck is the best QB fit for LaFleur’s expected offense (and that includes Mendoza).

Furthermore, I have seen multiple respectable analysts compare Carson Beck to Matt Schaub. Well, who would be his QB coach with the Cards?

And I get it – we all want to punch Beck. He is arrogant, smug and looks like he could not care any less about anything else than himself. He hangs his teammates out to dry in the media and has body language like everything is against him. However, they loved him in Miami. I don’t know why, but they did. The Cardinals just hired Miami’s runningback coach last season, so they have very close insider knowledge about who Beck is and how to treat him. And if you gave me the option of assembling the perfect quarterback room (and I could choose among any active quarterback in the world) for Carson Beck to come into, it would be him with Jacoby Brissett and Gardner Minshew.

I mentioned it in the write-up about my last pick. I don’t think the Cardinals are that far away. Sure, four or five division losses seem realistic, but against most other teams I do think they have a chance. And putting the missing quarterback into an offense with two bookend OT’s, three promising pass catchers, and potentially a powerful running game, that’s doesn’t seem like a sadistic plan.

I highly doubt that Beck is a long-term solution. I actually think that the upside with him is zero. He either plays to the same level as last season, or it gets worse. But what’s the alternative if they don’t get Simpson? And even then, Simpson will almost undoubtedly take some time to acclimate to the NFL, whereas Beck could likely step in and execute the offense the day after he was drafted. He is pro ready and he is a proven winner. He could probably get them through next season at around 0.500 or so (I know that is not the actual number, but you get my point), and then they can re-evaluate the QB position again next offseason or the year after. I simply don’t see better options in this situation - if you want to win something this season, that is.

 

[Cardiac]

Sorry Gandhi, I hate this pick for many of the reasons you picked as positives.
Already had your mind made up.
The best he will be is his college play.
He throws his teammates under the bus.
Maybe he gets us to .500 wins.
Many college QBs are proven winners...in college. Most of those aren't in the NFL.
I get that it's a 3rd rd pick and most of them aren't great NFL players but you stated you don't believe he ever will be.

I'm looking forward to the next round.

 

[Gandhi]

Sorry Gandhi, I hate this pick for many of the reasons you picked as positives.
Already had your mind made up.
The best he will be is his college play.
He throws his teammates under the bus.
Maybe he gets us to .500 wins.
Many college QBs are proven winners...in college. Most of those aren't in the NFL.
I get that it's a 3rd rd pick and most of them aren't great NFL players but you stated you don't believe he ever will be.

I'm looking forward to the next round.

I perfectly understand your skepticism, Cardiac. To me, one of the most significant reasons is simply what else? Of course, if you believe Brissett or Minshew can lead them to any wins, that’s perfectly fair, and then this pick makes no sense. I don’t, and since I want to win this season – and don’t believe in thinking that next year will be QB-paradise – I spent quite a lot of time researching about the available quarterbacks. In the end, I feel confident that Beck is the best option. He fits the system, he has a ton of experience, and he cannot be a terrible person since they loved him at Miami. He must have some QB qualities. By all accounts, he has also done very well in the interview process leading up to this draft. That was why I had made up my mind. I think it is fair to approach the quarterback-position that way (just like if they want Simpson, but don’t want to use #3), even if it is a bad strategy for the rest of the draft.

Another reason to dislike the pick, I assume, is that you don’t want to be .500. I obviously don’t either, but again, what QB-option can realistic lead them to more than that? I would argue that none of them - barring someone significantly outplaying his draft status as a rookie. I will accept an okay quarterback rather than a bad one, even if the upside is not that big.

And yes, most drafted quarterbacks are proven winners, but nowhere close to Beck. He is much more battle-tested than any of the other. I believe that he could step in as a game manager right away and execute LaFleur’s offense. In a way, I see it as LaFleur being the solution for the offense, much more than whoever is the quarterback. That LaFleur needs a game manager who doesn’t screw up too much, which I believe that Brissett will.

Sure, you could take a flyer on some late round quarterback and hope for the best. It’s just very unlikely that he would do anything good.

 

[Cardiac]

I perfectly understand your skepticism, Cardiac. To me, one of the most significant reasons is simply what else? Of course, if you believe Brissett or Minshew can lead them to any wins, that’s perfectly fair, and then this pick makes no sense. I don’t, and since I want to win this season – and don’t believe in thinking that next year will be QB-paradise – I spent quite a lot of time researching about the available quarterbacks. In the end, I feel confident that Beck is the best option. He fits the system, he has a ton of experience, and he cannot be a terrible person since they loved him at Miami. He must have some QB qualities. By all accounts, he has also done very well in the interview process leading up to this draft. That was why I had made up my mind. I think it is fair to approach the quarterback-position that way (just like if they want Simpson, but don’t want to use #3), even if it is a bad strategy for the rest of the draft.

Another reason to dislike the pick, I assume, is that you don’t want to be .500. I obviously don’t either, but again, what QB-option can realistic lead them to more than that? I would argue that none of them - barring someone significantly outplaying his draft status as a rookie. I will accept an okay quarterback rather than a bad one, even if the upside is not that big.

And yes, most drafted quarterbacks are proven winners, but nowhere close to Beck. He is much more battle-tested than any of the other. I believe that he could step in as a game manager right away and execute LaFleur’s offense. In a way, I see it as LaFleur being the solution for the offense, much more than whoever is the quarterback. That LaFleur needs a game manager who doesn’t screw up too much, which I believe that Brissett will.

Sure, you could take a flyer on some late round quarterback and hope for the best. It’s just very unlikely that he would do anything good.

Appreciate the response, I just don't think a rookie 3rd round pick is better than JB.
I get the desire for fans wanting so more wins this year but that can't be the #1 reason for drafting someone. Imo this draft needs to be about foundational pieces not quickies.

 

[Gandhi]

(Original post updated)

We are still in the third round.

This was the most difficult selection so far, because I had several players ranked almost identical, and they would all be good value pick at this spot. I tried to sell the pick, but I had no buyers, so I had to make a decision. Likely I will get another one of them when I pick again in about 10 spots.

The options were:

Daylen Everette, cornerback, Georgia

He has all the talent in the world but hasn’t been able to put it all together for longer stretches. However, being a three-year starter for Kirby Smart is a big achievement.

Kaleb Proctor, defensive tackle, Southeastern Louisiana

He is an unusual DT in that he weighs a lot less than the typical one, and that shows a lot in a lack of anchor and power. However, he is a great pass rusher, and he would be a great fit in Rallis’ defense (again, if he runs the same as Gannon). As we saw last season, he prefers to only rush four, so it is essential that the defensive tackles can penetrate and pass rush. Proctor had a monster game against LSU last season and then was among the best players at the East-West Shrine bowl.

Emmett Johnson, runningback, Wisconsin

He is neither the biggest, fastest, nor most dynamic RB in this class, but he is the best fit for LaFleur’s system (other than Love. He is the best fit for any offense). I don’t know what to think about Connor and Benson, so RB could potentially be a need.

Brian Parker, offensive lineman, Duke

I have written “offensive lineman” because he has only played tackle (mostly right side) at Duke, but his future in the NFL is almost certainly inside at guard or center. He is close to a perfect fit for an outside zone scheme, as LaFleur is expected to install. It might be a little too easy of a comparison, but he reminds me a lot of his former teammate Graham Barton, who the Bucs selected in the first round some years ago.

Caden Curry, edge rusher, Ohio State

Curry easily has good enough tape to warrant a much higher selection than this, but then there are the measurables. When do you dare to draft someone with freakishly short arms? Curry’s arms are as long as Cashius Howell’s, and Howell is expected to go in the first round, so what is the problem? Well, first of all, I would not take Howell, and second, Howell is extremely dynamic. He wins with speed, whereas Curry wins with technique and by using his arms a lot. I think there is one NFL defensive lineman with under 76” arms who have become a success in the last many, many years. And then there is the option of moving Curry inside, since he has also been very effective that way, but I read somewhere that in the last 15 years or so, there are two DT’s with that arm length who have played more than 500 snaps. Curry’s wingspan is quite normal, though, so I cannot figure out when to take the chance.

In the end it came down to need. Emmett Johnson might be a need, but neither Parker, Proctor nor Curry is. Each of those three position groups could certainly be upgraded, but I do think there are acceptable pieces in place already. Another aspect was that there is a major drop-off at CB after this pick, whereas there are other capable options at those other positions, if I want to address them later.

With the 93rd pick the Arizona Cardinals select

Daylen Everette, cornerback, Georgia

I actually think it is fair to expect that the new coaching staff can get more out of Ossenfort’s many DB-picks than the previous could. It’s four draft pick that are not contributing anything (Melton, Elijah Jones, Kei’Trel Clark, Jaden Davis) on defense, and I don’t believe it is only because they are not good enough. Teryl Austin has had a ton of success with defensive backs, so hopefully he can help the rest of the staff develop the group to become contributors.

Having said that, do we believe that those players step up? I mean, hopefully, but certainly not all of them will. Starling Thomas is not exactly great, Murphy-Bunting should not be on the team, and Will Johnson disappeared toward the end of last season, so who knows if he will take two steps forward? And finally, it’s anyone’s guess when Garrett Williams will be back, and at what level.

Enter Everette. He has prototypical measurements, and at times have looked like the star he was projected to be when he enrolled at Georgia as a five-star recruit. He has big-time potential, but he is obviously only available at this point because he has not lived up to expectations. If Teryl Austin, Zac Etheridge and Nick Rallis can bring out the best in Everette, they have a surefire starting cornerback.

My hope is that I can sell my next pick, so that I can hopefully get a few of the players I mentioned.

 

[Gandhi]

(Original post updated)

Fourth round

I did manage to sell the pick. The Lions contacted me and offered #118 and #181 for #104. As I mentioned, there were several very good options at #104, so I decided to play the draft game and trade back with the hope of getting a couple of those options. I felt good that at least two or three of them would still be available since they might be highly ranked on the Cards board, but that obviously doesn’t mean that they are high on any other teams’ board. For the same reason, I don’t consider it unrealistic at all that a couple of the players I am considering at #118 could still be available at #143 when I picked the first time in round five.

Anyway, I did lose a couple of the targets between #104 and #118 (OT Brian Parker, OT Austin Barber), but I still had several good targets:

Zxavian Harris, defensive tackle, Ole Miss

Sure, they have upgraded the defensive line through free agency, but last season scares me a lot. We are not that far away from watching Zacariah Carter and P.J. Mustipher getting very meaningful snaps. The case against Harris is that they usually draft smaller defensive linemen and sign the biggest guys in free agency.

Bishop Fitzgerald, safety, USC

This is probably “my guy” in the draft. I am very excited about him, and if I considered safety a need, I would have drafted Fitzgerald in the third round without hesitation. He sucked at the scouting combine - which I assume is the only reason he is still on the board – but he is so instinctive, good at diagnosing and quick that it doesn’t matter. He still plays super-fast. At some point, the value in picking him becomes too big, but is it know?

Kadyn Proctor, defensive tackle, Southeastern Louisiana

I am still considering him like at last pick. The problem is that he is super scheme-dependent, and his production has mainly been against lesser competition other than a few games and a very good East-West Shrine Bowl week. Very interesting fit, but they kind of have smaller, quicker DTs already.

Mason Reiger, Wisconsin

Another of my favorites. Fantastic East-West Shrine week and have had a great season with Wisconsin. The first problem is that he has not produced before this past season, and the bigger problem is that he had multiple knee surgeries (six!) that wiped out his entire 2024 season. His tape is easily good enough to be drafted higher than this, but obviously the worry is real.

Deontae Lawson, Alabama

A little bit the same as with Fitzgerald. Lawson is a great player, but MLB is even less of a need than safety.

I did actually consider seeking another trade down, but I also need to draft some players, obviously, and I did not want to lose all of these. Again, as I mentioned, I do think that some of them could be available for a while, but they are all in the top 40 in the rankings, so it would be sad to miss out on all of them.

With the #118. pick the Arizona Cardinals select

Zxavian Harris, defensive tackle, Ole Miss

It’s kind of ironic that Harris lost his starting spot last year to Walter Nolen, when Nolen came over from Texas A&M.

Harris is a seriously big dude (6’8, 330) that cannot be moved against his will, and for that reason is a big asset against any running game. However, he is also surprisingly agile and move his feet fast – two things that are requirements in Rallis’ scheme (and in both Teryl Austin’s and Pete Kwiatkowski’s philosophies too, by the way), and potentially also allow him to stay on the field for all three downs. He has massive upside, even though he needs to be coached up technique-wise before making much of a contribution. Last year I drafted Deone Walker in the fourth round, so this is pretty much an exact copy of that choice.

Usually, Ossenfort drafts the smaller defensive linemen and sign the bigger guys in free agency, but we have seen what those signings have led to. I doubt that Roy Lopez and Andrew Billings will suddenly turn into All-Pro’s, and right now Calais Campbell is not on the roster, so I don’t see why they would not use a draft pick at the position. Last season showed with absolute clarity how important depth is.

 

[Gandhi]

(Original post updated)

Fifth round

At #143, Fitzgerald and Reiger were left of the ones I mentioned at the previous pick, and that made the selection easy since I am still in need-mode.

With the #143 pick the Arizona Cardinals select

Mason Reiger, edge rusher, Wisconsin

Reiger had three years at Louisville where he gradually became better and better, though not to any elite-level. Then came the injury that I noted, so the risk is very obvious. But he was very good this past season, and probably the best defender at the East-West Shrine Bowl, so I think it is okay to take a chance on him in the fifth round.

He actually has a lot of characteristics of a great edge rusher with explosiveness, being dynamic, bendy, electric first step, but then there are the shortcomings with not being powerful enough and missing way too many tackles. Those last two things raise serious questions about his fit in a Rallis defense, but again, this is the fifth round, so you are not going to find a perfect fit anyway. Also, it is nice in all systems to have different types of players, and none of the edge rushers on the roster is like Reiger. There is a spot for him, and with time and patience to get bigger and stronger, he has the potential to contribute a lot.

Like I wrote in the explanation for picking Harris, the pieces on the defensive line – both edge and inside – are actually there. For whatever reason it just hasn’t developed as expected, but it could become better pretty fast. But last season scares me, so I think it is important to keep adding talent and simply hope for the best. Throwing darts.

 

[Gandhi]

(Original post updated)

Fifth round

As #181 approached, I got more and more worried since now was the time where value trumped need, so I would finally get my favorite, Bishop Fitzgerald. Last year, Denzel Burke was “my guy” leading up to the draft, and fortunately the Cards chose him. This year it is Fitzgerald that I would fight for, if I were in the war room.

I had other targets, but only because I pick again at #183. I did not consider selling any of the two picks, and I will get into them at the write-up for that next pick.

With pick #181 the Arizona Cardinals select

Bishop Fitzgerald, safety, USC

As I wrote earlier, Fitzgerald sucked at the scouting combine, and that is probably why he is still on the board. I would actually not be surprised if he were not even drafted, just as I would not be surprised if he was drafted on day two. He is so good at reading the game and react so quick that he still plays very fast, even though he does not run the fastest 40. He can cover, he can tackle, he can play in the box.

I am not sure where there is an obvious space for him. I would guess that Taylor-Demerson moves to Jalen Thompson’s role, and that Wingard takes over Taylor-Demerson’s. My sense is that they really like Kitan Crawford, and Joey Blunt is probably not going anywhere because of his special team-skills. Obviously, Garrett Williams is out for most of the season, so there is a spot at nickel cornerback, and even though Starling Thomas comes back from injury, he is more of an outside guy. And so is Deylon Everette. I guess that would be Fitzgerald’s role.

 

[Gandhi]

(Original post updated)

Sixth round

As I mentioned, I knew what I would do at #181, but I did have other players in mind, and they obviously became relevant at #183. I didn’t want to sell the pick because Cards certainly need good players, so when I had the chance to select one of them, I did not want to risk it.

My targets were:

J.C. Davis, offensive tackle, Illinois

I am actually a bit surprised that I have not selected more offensive linemen throughout this draft, but the value has not been correct. It is now, and since Ossenfort obviously liked Isaiah Adams as a scheme fit, maybe he also thinks that of Davis. Not that the scheme will be the same as when he picked Adams, but Illinois’ coaching staff is the same, so Davis and Adams have at least been coached by the same people. Maybe Ossenfort appreciates what they are taught. Based on the tape, I was not that impressed with Davis at OT, but then he was impressive at OG at the Senior Bowl.

Micah Morris, offensive guard, Georgia

I doubt that Morris will be available in the fifth round in the real draft, but he is a first-year starter as a fifth-year senior, and he does have technical issues, so I guess you never know. I think there are also some questions about conditioning. However, based on testing, he might be the most athletic offensive lineman in the entire draft, and like it or not, Ossenfort cares a lot about RAS score. But he is not just an athlete. In all the playing time he has gotten the last three years (close to 800 snaps), he has given up zero sacks and 11 pressures, and at the Senior Bowl he showed that he can certainly play. His ceiling is starting OG, and this late in the draft I am fine with taking a chance on that. I could see him being this year’s version of Jon Gaines (an extreme athlete that needs a lot of training), and it surely doesn’t hurt that he has played on the same offensive line as Freeling.

Trey Moore, edge rusher, Texas

Obviously, I don’t need more edge rushers from this draft, but I cannot help myself. I am a “defense rocks!”- guy. However, I also considered Moore because I think he can become a stud special teamer, and in best case scenario develop into a defensive contributor. After all, he is one of Pete Kwiatkowski’s favorites from his time as DC at Texas.

That said, even I understand that I should not go edge rusher here.

Aaron Anderson, wide receiver, LSU

I like Anderson in LaFleur’s scheme. He is short but thick, so he is not small. He is a slot receiver only. He is a great route runner and good at finding space over the middle and getting yards after catch. Great at the Senior Bowl. He brings an element that they don’t currently have on the roster.

In the end, I went with fifth guy.

With the 184. pick the Arizona Cardinals select

Riley Nowakowski, H-back, Indiana.

Did you see Nowakowski throughout Indiana’s run? I thought he did very well. Assuming that LaFleur will integrate a lot of both Shanahan’s system and McVay’s system, Nowakowski is a wonderful scheme fit, kind of in the mold of Kyle Juszczyk and Colby Parkinson (no, I am not saying that he is at the same level. Come on.) LaFleur might be the best thing that has ever happened to Tip Reiman, but do we still believe in him? I am highly skeptical.

At this point in the draft, I would not be surprised to see some of my targets still on the board at #207, just because the Cards board obviously not necessarily make sense to other teams. And no matter what, there are still several players ranked in the top 70 on the board, so I have no plans of selling the pick.

 

[Gandhi]

(Original post updated)

Sixth round

At #207, only Trey Moore was left of my targets at #184, and I was still not thrilled with going after primarily a special teams-contributor (at least in the beginning). So, I went to the next couple of players on the board.

Eli Heidenreich, runningback, Navy

Nobody knows if he is a runningback or wide receiver, but at least everyone can agree that he is a great offensive weapon.

Tristan Leigh, offensive tackle, Clemson

Massive potential, but very up-and-down. Is he a better developmental project than Jon Gaines, Christian Jones, Hayden Connor and Josh Fryar?

Fernando Carmona, offensive guard, Arkansas

Call me crazy, but I actually think that Carmona could start as a rookie, but I just also think that his developmental potential is limited. Seumalo is obviously going to start, and I think that Adams will at least get the chance to prove that he belongs. And then we are back to question if Carmona is a better project than especially Gaines and Connor?

With the #207 pick the Arizona Cardinals select

Eli Heidenreich, runningback, Navy

For most teams it will likely be an issue to project where Heidenreich will fit into their schemes, because the position he has played in Navy’s Mickey Mouse-offense doesn’t really exist in any NFL offense. Fortunately, that is not much of a problem in LaFleur’s scheme, as long as he integrates some of the most important elements from Shanahan and McVay.

I went to look for some video and information about Heidenreich, after I had fallen for him at the East-West Shrine Bowl, and what I found was that I am pretty confident that what has made him a star on the Navy team can translate to the NFL. His powerful runningstyle, great balance and receiving skills can make him a very useful role player in an offense that value misdirection and disguising playcalls. I see him as a third-down back because of his abilities in both the run- and pass game.

I pick again in ten spots, so I hope to get one of my other targets. However, I said the same thing after #184, so let’s see if they also get selected before I have the chance.