Why Last Year’s Draft Picks for the Arizona Cardinals are More Important Than This Year’s Draft Picks

The 2012 NFL Draft is now history.  And everyone is talking about whether the ArizonaCardinals did well in their choices.  And while it will be interesting to see whether Michael Floyd and Bobby Massie can crack into the starting lineup and have an immediate impact, I’m much more interested in last year’s draft picks for the Cardinals — and I think their play will have a much greater determination on how well the team will do this season.

Specifically…

• Will Ryan Williams be able to bounce back from his injury, and with Beanie Wells give the Cardinals a real 1-2 punch in their running game?
• Will Sam Acho get increased playing time, and continue to show some of the brilliance he demonstrated last year?
• Will David Carter be an effective pass rusher, and get a chance to show more of the talent that we saw in limited roles a year ago?
• And finally, will Patrick Peterson continue to be a major punt return threat, and improve on his occasionally brilliant but still raw pass coverage from a year ago?

Truthfully, I’m more interested in the answers to those questions, as opposed to how many passes Michael Floyd will catch this year and how it will affect Larry Fitzgerald‘s numbers.

And, of course, the biggest question of all — the quarterback question, and whether or not Kevin Kolb will be effective as the Cardinals starting quarterback, and will we will see John Skelton as a starter again.

Those are the things that will really have an impact on the Cardinals won-loss record this season.  Stay tuned…