Arizona Cardinals’ 2018 Draft Class

With the NFL draft now over, here is my evaluation of the players the Arizona Cardinals drafted.

The Cardinals slapped a Band-aid on the big hole in the quarterback position by signing Sam Bradford and Mike Glennon. The two quarterbacks have each been on three different teams in four years. Bradford played lights-out in Minnesota, but went down with yet another season-ending injury. The Cardinals offered him a one-year contract worth up to 20-million if he can stay healthy and on the field. Glennon is a good backup and a good locker room presence, but is not franchise material.

The bottom line here was, they needed another quarterback, but the next one cannot be a bridge player. They needed a franchise signal-caller, which is precisely what they did in the draft with acquiring Josh Rosen at tenth overall. The UCLA quarterback was considered one of the best quarterbacks in the class and was supposed to be selected in the top 5. At the tenth slot, he was a steal for Arizona. Rosen is the most pro-ready, he is extremely smart and wants to have a full understanding of the game. One thing that can go either way with Rosen is he brings a new attitude of arrogance to the locker room. He talks a lot, which can either rally the locker room and raise them up because he believes they are the best or it can divide the locker room and guys will want him to be quiet and do his job.

The next gaping hole on the roster was the receiver core. They lost both John and Jaron Brown to free agency and Larry Fitzgerald only has one more year left before he retires. They were able to add Brice Butler from Dallas, but he was not enough to help Arizona get through the season. With their second-round pick, they took WR Christian Kirk from Texas A&M. Not only is Kirk versatile enough to play both inside and outside of the ball, but he is also a tremendous special teams returner. He will be lined up across from one of the greatest receivers the game has ever seen in Larry Fitzgerald so he has the opportunity to learn a lot.

Last year, the Cardinals’ offensive line gave up 52 sacks, which is the most since 2012 when they gave up 58. They had a deep need for a new lineman, which is why they drafted Mason Cole from Michigan. He was a four-year starter where he played both left tackle and center, which is something the Cardinals can really utilize.

Running back Chase Edmunds from Fordham was selected in the fourth round. He was very productive in college, and will have a chance to learn a lot from David Johnson. Edmunds was brought in to provide depth to the running back group. After Johnson went down with a season-ending wrist injury last year, the running game was stalled, which made the passing game struggle.

Everyone knows the Cardinals really struggled to find a corner to play opposite of Patrick Peterson. Even with drafting Chris Campbell in the sixth-round, it is a long shot he will see the field of play. Prior to the draft, Arizona signed Marcus Williams, who will probably line up in the two-slot. This is a big hole and will continue to be a hole going into the season.

Arizona’s final pick came in the form of Korey Cunningham the offensive tackle from Cincinnati. He will need significant refinement and help before he sees the field, but he has potential to become a good backup. He is big and looks the part. He will have plenty of good coopetition in practice going against some great defensive ends such as Chandler Jones and Markus Golden.

If I were to give an overall rating for the Cardinals’ draft, I would grade it a B+. They made great strides in the quarterback and receiver position. Their offensive line was also improved, but there are still skeptics about Mason Coles’ production. The last few picks in the draft were decent in college, but those skills translating to the NFL could be a longshot.