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Arizona Cardinals 2022 NFL Draft/UDFA recap

May 9, 2022 DraftNasty Staff Reports Leave a comment

The Cardinals felt that former Ravens WR Marquise Brown was worth the 23rd overall pick in the first round. He reunites with former college quarterback Kyler Murray. What should be noted is the move may have created more value within the draft. They picked up a second third-round pick as part of the trade, Cincinnati’s Myjai Sanders, and he could challenge for a starting job in a two-year period. In 2021 Mountain West Conference Defensive Player of the Year, Cameron Thomas, the team secured a player quite capable of playing inside on third downs, if necessary.

Cameron Thomas DE Arizona Cardinals — Cameron Thomas won the MWC Defensive Player of the Year award in 2021.

Arizona may have also improved the depth of its interior offensive line late in the process. Two guards, Lecitus Smith and Marquis Hayes, were both still on the board in the seventh stanza. Can they provide competition for the team’s backup positions and add depth?

Arizona Cardinals
Round, Selection,	Player	School	DN Big Board Rank/ Grade	‘Nasty’ Take:
2 (55)	Trey McBride	TE/Colorado State	46/2nd Round	The John Mackey Award winner brings an advanced understanding of the position to the Cardinals. He can threaten defenses vertically or horizontally. Can he become a factor in the Red Zone?
3 (87)	Cameron Thomas	DE/San Diego State	100/3rd Round	Thomas, the Mountain West Conference Defensive Player of the Year, could bring a multi-faceted aspect to DC Vance Joseph's third down packages. Don't be surprised if he finds a way to create mismatches with Thomas.
3 (100)	Myjai Sanders	OLB/Cincinnati	81/2nd Round	Did Sanders take the next step in school? Perhaps. But even if he didn't there is the possibility that the best is yet to come. The offsides penalties have to become a thing of the past.
6 (201)	Keaontay Ingram	RB/USC, Texas	328/5th Round	Ingram not so quietly averaged nearly six yards per carry (5.8 YPC) in 2021. This included a 138-yard effort against Notre Dame in late October.
6 (215)	Lecitus Smith	OG/Virginia Tech	148/3rd Round	The 6-foot-3, 320-pounder moves well enough and simply has to watch stay square in pass protection. There is an ability to create forward movement with leverage as a run blocker.
7 (244)	Christian Matthew	CB/Valdosta State, Samford, Georgia Southern	N/A	Matthew certainly moved around quite a bit in school, but he found a rhythm for the Division II national runner-ups. The 6-toot-2 corner broke up three or more passes in three different contests. He contains OT-type length for the cornerback spot.
7 (256)	Jesse Luketa	LB/Penn State	282/4th Round	Luketa's move to pass rusher full-time ended with a strong performance in the postseason. His quick speed combines with upper body power to frustrate tackles and overcomes average natural bend.
7 (257)	Marquis Hayes	OG/Oklahoma	212/4th Round	Hayes was accurate as a puller on the move from the left guard spot in the plethora of gap-schemed runs the team used during his time in school. Size gives him a chance to earn at the least a practice squad spot.
2022 UDFA signings
Rank	Player	Positions	School	Grade	Round	‘Nasty’ Take
276	Darrell Baker, Jr.	CB-S-Nickel	Georgia Southern	5.42	4th Round	Not many players are available after the draft with the combination of speed and size that Baker has in his tool kit. Gaining a feel outside at CB will be necessary, but he has also played safety effectively.
490	Chandler Wooten	LB	Auburn	4.72	5th Round	Wooten’s final year in school flashed improved instincts and feel for the exchange LB spot. He possesses solid blitz capability with length.
156	Ronnie Rivers	RB	Fresno State	5.72	3rd Round	Rivers was banged on for a lack of height and undesirable measurements. He excels as an option route runner and flashes unique vision as a runner.
552	Manny Jones	DE-DT	Colorado State	4.491	6th Round	Jones was largely ignored during the postseason after finishing his career with 33 tackles for losses. Why? It may have been due to playing out of position inside for the better portion of a two-year period. He brings some redeemable qualities in terms of one-gap potential.
451	Javonta Payton	All-Purpose (Gunner-WR)	Tennessee, Mississippi State	4.85	5th Round	We felt that Payton’s all-purpose potential as a gunner made sense for some team late. He finished with 20 special teams tackles despite not playing them much as a senior at Tennessee. He flashed big play potential during that final year with 4.4 speed out wide (6 TDs).
369	Chris Pierce	WR/H-back	Vanderbilt	5.11	5th Round	Pierce largely operated outside the numbers in school and had some contests (i.e. Florida in 2020, Colorado State ’21) where he looked like a draft pick. The team’s inconsistent passing game did him no favors.
705	Jontre Kirklin	All-Purpose (WR-Ret)	LSU	3.56	7th Round	He’s played quarterback, WR and stood out on special teams in school. The explosive athlete could find his way if he impresses on special teams in camp.
428	Kekaula Kaniho	Nickel	Boise State	4.95	5th Round	The nickel back’s instincts, change of direction and ball skills have never been the issue. The weight (181 pounds) contributed to him not getting picked late in the draft.
	Cole Bentley	OC	Louisville	N/A	N/A	Versatile. He has started at OC, RG, RT and LG while in school. He can stay frontal in pass protection but gave ground as a run blocker.
	LaRon Stokes	DT	Oklahoma	N/A	N/A	Stokes largely went quiet the last two seasons from a statistical standpoint, but offers potential as a DE in three-man fronts at 280 pounds.
	Stephon Robinson	WR	Northwestern, Kansas	N/A	N/A	Could Robinson ever match his 2019 production at Kansas? During a dominant two-game stretch in that season, he posted six touchdowns.
	Will Miles	DE	Central Methodist	N/A	N/A	Miles’ size certainly translates to the next level and could land him an opportunity on the practice squad. The two-sport athlete has upside as a pass rusher with 36-inch arms.
	Changa Hodge	WR	Virginia Tech, Villanova	N/A	N/A	Hodge’s 2019 season still reverberates with teams. At Villanova, he went for 13 TDs during that season. Two season-ending injuries hurt his overall standing.

Overall, the fabric of the team’s roster only added pieces that complement what was already in place. The strategy seemed to be finding multi-year starters on the collegiate level to aid a roster full of burgeoning talent.

Hence the undrafted free agent signings of Darrell Baker, Jr., Ronnie Rivers and Kekaula Kaniho. Many of these may or may not make the team’s roster, but could add depth to its practice squad.

For a team that has endured depth issues in the second halves of seasons, it may prove to be a wise strategy.

NFC West, NFL, Articles, NFL Draft Recap, DraftNasty Throwbacks (Videos, Photos, Articles), 2019, 2019

2019 NFL Draft recap, pick-by-pick: NFC West

May 1, 2019 Neverthere Leave a comment

Murray (No. 1 pictured) was often tasked with finding passing lanes behind a mammoth offensive line in school.

Arizona Cardinals	Notable Picks: Two-time executive of the year Steve Keim let the draft come to the team patiently. It is a big reason he picked up a center who we felt was one of the best overall players in the draft in Gaillard. He may be able to battle for a backup spot. Miles was an underrated athlete and collegiate left tackle with a legitimate six-inch punch. The trade of 2018 first-round pick Josh Rosen to the Miami Dolphins netted the team its second round pick (62nd overall), UMass WR Andy Isabella, and a fifth-round pick in 2020. Allen is a heck of a football player and may have to provide a presence as an interior pass rusher after the team didn’t pick up a true outside rusher in the draft.
Round, Selection,	Player	School	DN Big Board Rank/ Grade	‘Nasty’ Take:
1 (1)	Kyler Murray	QB/ Oklahoma	17/1st Round	Murray’s disciplined pocket approach is complemented by an ability to create once the pocket breaks down. Whether or not the team did enough to address its offensive line is to debate, but it could be argued that its starting five is already in place.
2 (33)	Byron Murphy	CB/ Washington	24/2nd Round	DraftNasty’s top-ranked corner has all of the tools to develop into a frontline starter. For this to be a value pick, he has to develop into at least an immediate starting nickel.
2 (62) Acquired from Miami in the Josh Rosen trade	Andy Isabella	WR/UMass	137/3rd Round	For better or worse, Isabella’s name will always be associated with Josh Rosen’s in terms of who got the better end of the deal. In an offense where slot wide receivers have had large degrees of success on fade routes from the slot, Isabella’s speed will put pressure on defenses. He has been inconsistent tracking the ball down the field.
3 (65)	Zach Allen	DE/Boston College	190/3rd Round	Allen gets as many points for batting down footballs as he does putting the quarterback on the ground. In school he notched 14 pass break-ups, but he also tallied 40.5 tackles for losses. He is a feisty defensive end who excels at playing to half a man.
5 (139)	Deionte Thompson	S/Alabama	66/2nd Round	Although he is somewhat of a shoulder-block tackler, the 195-pound Thompson rarely runs away from contact. Injuries clouded his postseason and left scouts wondering about his durability.
6 (174)	KeeSean Johnson	WR/Fresno State	175/3rd Round	One of the draft’s best route runners, Johnson plays a game that doesn’t rely completely on long speed. He is adept at changing his speeds to achieve separation at the top of routes. His ball skills are above average.
6 (179)	Lamont Gaillard	OL/Georgia	51/2nd Round	We were bullish on Gaillard’s stock and certainly ranked him higher than most teams. We like the fact that the former four-star recruit has experience at both OG and OC. He has finishing DNA as a football player.
7 (248)	Joshua Miles	OL/Morgan State	227/4th Round	Not many 314-pounders notch 36-inch vertical jumps. This is a mere additive for the former Morgan State left tackle. He became the first player from the school drafted since Visanthe Shiancoe in 2003 and just the second since 1982.
7 (249)	Michael Dogbe	DL/Temple	235/4th Round	Dogbe translates perfectly as a four-technique DE for the Cardinals and his quick, slippery nature could get him looks at a three-technique position in Bear fronts. He can play a number of spots in obvious pass rush situations, but he is sound defending the run versus reach or angle blocks.
7 (254)	Caleb Wilson	TE/UCLA	207/4th Round	Mr. Irrelevant has 4.56 speed but limited thump as a point of attack blocker. He became more willing in this regard as a cross-blocker when at the fullback or U-off position, but he is at his best after the catch or when working the seams of the field.

Collier (No. 91 pictured) had 14.5 quarterback sacks and 20.5 tackles for losses in 42 career games.

Seattle Seahawks	Notable Picks: Fair or unfair, this draft may very well come down to a comparison between the team’s first-round pick L.J. Collier and the departed Frank Clark (Chiefs). It shouldn’t. GM John Schneider used the trade to pick up a 2020 second-round pick, swapped a third-rounder in 2019, and then traded its own first-rounder (21st overall) to the Green Bay Packers for its 30th pick in the first round and then picked up the 114th overall pick (4th round) and 118th overall pick (4th round). After that, the ‘Hawks traded the 30th overall pick in the first round to the New York Giants for the 37th overall pick (2nd Round), a fourth-round pick (132nd overall) and a fifth-rounder (142nd overall). They used that fifth-round pick to select Washington LB Ben Burr-Kirven. What did they do with the 37th overall pick? They traded it to the Panthers to get the 47th overall pick (Marquise Blair) and the 77th overall pick (3rd Rounder). They used their other draft capital to trade back up into the third round with the Vikings to select Barton 88th overall while receiving the 209th overall pick (Christmas). There were other trades and moves that allowed a team with limited selections to end up grabbing 11 players, but you get the point.
Round, Selection,	Player	School	DN Big Board Rank/ Grade	‘Nasty’ Take:
1(29)	L.J. Collier	DE/TCU	125/3rd Round	Collier was always a flex player for the Horned Frogs, but he arguably turned in his best season in 2018. His improved play defending the run complemented an improvement when it came to setting up his pass rush moves. He had two sacks, two tackles for loss and a forced fumble in the 2019 Senior Bowl.
2 (47)	Marquise Blair	S/Utah	58/2nd Round	It would not at all be a surprise to see Blair employed as a potential cornerback. We felt as if his fluidity could work at the position, much like the safety the Seahawks took a season ago in Tre Flowers. Blair, however, is unique in his skill at translating speed-to-power on contact as a tackler. Will his frame hold up with his violent playing style?
2 (64)	D.K. Metcalf	WR/Ole Miss	37/2nd Round	Metcalf’s lack of production can be attributed to a lack of repetitions due to injuries, some of them fairly major in nature. When healthy, the former Rebel has demonstrated range, power and tracking skill down the field. Can he put it all together as a route runner?
3 (88)	Cody Barton	LB/Utah	177/3rd Round	Although Barton presents a tad bit of stiffness, he often corrects his angles of pursuit. Barton projects as a Will linebacker. The former high school DB has awareness in coverage and can contribute in sub-packages.
4 (120)	Gary Jennings	WR/West Virginia	116/3rd Round	The Seahawks continue to load up on wideouts with the uncertain status of WR Doug Baldwin. Jennings impressed outside the numbers in the postseason after winning for most of his career in the slot with toughness and 4.4 speed.
4 (124)	Phil Haynes	OL/Wake Forest	165/3rd Round	Haynes competed well at the guard spot after initially playing the right tackle position earlier in his career. His length will serve him well as a backup at both guard spots initially, but he has starting potential.
4 (132)	Ugo Amadi	All-Purpose/Oregon	271/4th Round	Amadi’s ability to return punts is supplemented with an ability to cover the slot, contribute off the hash and as an eighth man in the box.
5 (142)	Ben Burr-Kirven	LB/ Washington	200/4th Round	The former high school track & field runner was often a blur running by his teammates on his way to an FBS-best 176 tackles. His segmented nature, however, does result in some misses in space. The former Husky reads the eyes of the QB well in zone coverage.
6 (204)	Travis Homer	RB/Miami (Fla.)	170/3rd Round	The team values special teams production and it doesn’t get much better than Homer’s 22 career tackles. In-between running down at the gunner spot or on kickoff coverage, Homer used his 4.4 speed to rush for over 900 yards in back-to-back seasons.
6 (209) Compensatory pick acquired via Minnesota	Demarcus Christmas	DL/Florida State	254/4th Round	There is still a place for Christmas on an NFL roster. While most point to his lack of sack production, it is worth noting that he broke up 13 passes in his career.
7 (236) Acquired from Jacksonville via Baltimore	John Ursua	WR/Hawaii	413/5th Round	Ursua finished his career with 189 receptions and 24 TDs while averaging over 14 yards per catch. He has been an effective slot receiver and could add a different element of quickness in the slot. His injury history is a concern at just 178 pounds.

Bosa, pictured, did 29 reps at 225 pounds at the 2019 NFL Combine and recorded a 4.14 20-yard short shuttle.

San Francisco 49ers	Notable Pick: Over the last three years GM John Lynch has put together a talented roster. His draft picks from this year continue to indicate he is intent on building it through the draft. Samuel and Bosa are the headliners, but both have extensive injury histories. They need to stay healthy. If he has as much success with his 2019 third round pick (Hurd) as he had with his 2018 selection (Fred Warner), this draft could land high marks in a couple of years.
Round, Selection,	Player	School	DN Big Board Rank/ Grade	‘Nasty’ Take:
1 (2)	Nick Bosa	Ohio State	3/1st Round	Bosa has all of the tools to become a potent bookend at the DE spot opposite Dee Ford. We think he will provide matchup problems if aligned on the left side versus the tackles of the Rams, Seahawks and Cardinals. Can he stay healthy?
2 (36)	Deebo Samuel	All-Purpose/ South Carolina	69/2nd Round	In 30 career games, Samuel scored 32 touchdowns. There was a marked difference when we viewed him early in the season as opposed to the postseason (due to past injury issues). He has had injury scrapes in each of his seasons on campus. If not, he may have been a Top 15 pick.
3 (67)	Jalen Hurd	WR/Baylor, Tennessee	97/3rd Round	Hurd could have made an impact at the 2019 Senior Bowl, but was unable to participate due to injury. After starring as a running back early in his career at Tennessee, he impressed with his work in the slot at Baylor in 2018. The big question he faces is whether he can be as effective outside the numbers.
4 (110) Acquired from Cincinnati	Mitch Wishnowsky	P/Utah	451/5th Round	Wishnowsky has a wide repertoire of punts. From the running rugby-style (which he won’t use) version, he’s executed the now popular hook punt. We think he can perfect this and some of his other punts from a traditional punting platform, which he executed from on occasion with success. His highest hang times got up into the high 4-second range, but he was generally capable in the 4.6-range depending on the style of kick. He can also kickoff.
5 (148) Acquired from Denver	Dre Greenlaw	LB/Arkansas	186/3rd Round	The operative thinking is that Greenlaw will just provide depth as a fourth or fifth LB who could see time in sub-packages. However, we think he could challenge Malcolm Smith in due time.
6 (176)	Kaden Smith	TE/Stanford	241/4th Round	Smith was one of the best tight ends in this year’s draft at making contested catches on seam passes. If he can overcome his pedestrian speed to earn a roster spot, he could allow Kyle Shanahan to incorporate some two tight end receiving sets.
6 (183) Acquired from Cincinnati	Justin Skule	OT/Vanderbilt	389/5th Round	Skule will have every opportunity to grab the third tackle spot behind Staley and McGlinchey. He’s probably best suited to backup McGlinchey, who he is nearly identical to in terms of size and quickness. He played LT as a senior at Vanderbilt, but he did start at RT in school.
6 (198) Acquired from Cincinnati via Dallas	Tim Harris	CB/Virginia	226/4th Round	Harris is a developmental draft pick in the mold of former third-rounders Tarvarius Moore and Ahkeilo Witherspoon. Moore started two games in 2018 and Witherspoon has quietly started 21 games in two seasons. Harris’ durability question marks overshadowed 4.4 speed and decent foot quickness.

Henderson (No. 8 pictured) averaged 8.9 yards per carry for the Tigers in 2018 and scored 25 touchdowns.

Los Angeles Rams	Notable Picks: Despite not having a first-round pick, many would argue that the Rams got better value than each of their picks in the first three rounds. We had Rapp ranked lower than some teams and Long earned a second-round grade from us. Grabbing Gaines in the third round had to feel like a coup for the team. The pick of Scott in the seventh round was the classic ode to special teams coordinator John Fassel, a future NFL head coach. Scott was Penn State’s best special teams player in each of the last two seasons.
Round, Selection,	Player	School	DN Big Board Rank/ Grade	‘Nasty’ Take:
2 (61)	Taylor Rapp	S/ Washington	94/3rd Round	Rapp had a chance to go even higher had he put together a better 40-yard dash time (4.7), but he excelled in short area change of direction drills (3.99 20-yd SS, 6.82 3-cone). On the field, he is a player who carries his pads. He needs a lot of work timing his breaks when working off the hash marks.
3 (70)	Darrell Henderson	RB/ Memphis	154/3rd Round	We spotlighted the explosive Henderson early in the year when he was averaging an insane amount of yards per carry. In years past, the Rams have had bigger runners backing up Todd Gurley but this is a departure from that philosophy. Henderson is an underrated receiver out of the backfield (15.5 YPR in 2018).
3 (79)	David Long	CB/Michigan	79/2nd Round	The former high school wideout and U.S. Army All-American displays outstanding competitiveness in man coverage. He didn’t play quite as big as he measured in at during the postseason, but his flexibility is above average.
4 (134) Acquired from New England	Greg Gaines	DT/ Washington	106/3rd Round	The nimble Gaines can translate speed-to-power when pushing the pocket and is underrated as a two-gapping force. Gaines has even stood up to rush from the edge.
5 (169)	David Edwards	OT/ Wisconsin	288/4th Round	Edwards has some technique flaws but his hip flexibility and footwork are both adequate. The light-footed former TE battled through injury in 2018. He needs to play lower to earn a roster spot.
7 (243)	Nick Scott	S/Penn State	438/5th Round	The pick of Scott in the seventh round was the classic ode to special teams coordinator John Fassel, a future NFL head coach. Scott was Penn State’s best special teams player in each of the last two seasons. In 2018, he began to find another gear in pass coverage as well.
7 (251)	Dakota Allen	LB/Texas Tech	218/4th Round	Allen trusts his eyes and delivers on contact at a violent clip. The two-time team captain overcame off the field troubles to become one of the Red Raiders team leaders. His short area change of direction rivals that of many of the class’ top defensive backs.

2018, Team previews, NCAA FB, 2018, Articles

2018 Season Preview: Oklahoma Sooners

August 12, 2018 Troy Jefferson Leave a comment

Season outlook

Lincoln Riley will enter his second year as the Sooners head coach with a new quarterback under center. Junior quarterback Kyler Murray (5’10, 195) threw three touchdowns and zero interceptions behind Baker Mayfield last season and will assume the responsibilities as the new signal-caller in Norman. Around Murray is running back Rodney Anderson (6’1, 220) and wide receivers CeeDee Lamb (6’2, 189) and Marquise Brown (5’10, 168). All three have made their respective position groups’ preseason watch lists. On defense, junior linebacker Caleb Kelly (6’3, 231) moves to the inside linebacker position and will be asked to quarterback the defense.

DC Mike Stoops’ unit allowed opponents a 38-percent conversion rate on third downs in 2017 (fourth in the Big 12).

Defensive coordinator Mike Stoops’ unit has to replace Ogbonnia Okoronkwo on the edge as well as five other starters. The defense’s new faces could very well decide the fate of the Sooners in a conference that features some of the best offenses in all of college football.

Troy’s player to watch

72 Ben Powers OG 6’4 313

Powers, a senior interior offensive lineman, has experience at both the left guard and right guard positions. Powers has started 22 games over the last two seasons and was named to the All-Big 12 second team by conference coaches in 2017. With the exception of Kansas State’s Dalton Risner, the other four linemen, who were named first team All-Big 12, have graduated on to the pros. Look for Powers to take the next step and lead the Sooners linemen in 2018.

Game of the season

November 23rd at West Virginia

Oklahoma will face its stiffest competition during the last week of the regular season. West Virginia and Oklahoma are both favorites to win the Big 12 and their meeting in Morgantown could decide the conference’s champion. Oklahoma defeated West Virginia last season in Norman 59-31. The Mountaineers haven’t defeated the Sooners since 2008 and the last few contests haven’t been close.

DraftNasty’s Prospect Watch

75 Dru Samia 6’5 303 RG-Senior

Samia came to Oklahoma as a highly-regarded recruit and has lived up to the billing for the most part. The Academic All-Big 12 selection has started 34 games at three different positions (RG, LG, RT) in his first three years on campus. He’s capable of finding color on the move when the team runs its plethora of power run game concepts. For him to take his game to another level, he needs to become more consistent handling inside movement by defensive ends (in pass protection). In addition, he has to stand his ground better when fighting pressure in 2018. The former River City Raiders (Calif.) product should once again challenge for all-conference honors in his final year in Norman.

Prediction: 10-2

According to Draftnasty’s Troy Jefferson, Oklahoma will fall twice against two rivals in 2018. Texas will defeat the Sooners in the Red River Showdown and West Virginia will end Oklahoma’s regular season with another loss. The Sooners always replace talent with talent. While Jefferson is predicting a 10-win season, he is not forecasting a College Football Playoff Appearance.

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