Trading Up Nets Fordham QB

The Arizona Cardinals did draft a quarterback to groom for the future after all.  However, it was one that wasn’t on many people’s radar, at least from my vantage point.  Quarterback John Skelton from Fordham was the Cards fifth round pick, a pick the Cards had to trade up to get to.

The Cards traded CB Bryant McFadden back to the Pittsburgh Steelers, the team he played with prior to coming to Arizona last season.  It is somewhat of a surprise the Cardinals moved up to get Skelton, however that tells me they really liked what they saw in him and felt it was alright to move their starting cornerback, a position the Cardinals now seem to be extremely thin at.

I wouldn’t go as far as to call McFadden a bust, however I wouldn’t also go out of my way to praise the job he did here either.  He was inconsistent.  What he did have though was experience as a veteran and losing him now means the Cards have a lot of work to do in order to strengthen the position.

Another surprise was the Cards fourth round pick, O’Brien Schofield, OLB from Wisconsin, who injured himself in the Senior Bowl and could miss some time in training camp and the regular season.  He believes, as do the Cardinals, he can get on the field sometimes in 2010.  Picking someone with an injury, who could miss considerable time in his first season, says a lot both about the player and character of that player, but also the risks the Cards are willing to take to make their team better.  Bravo Cards!

Scott Allen