Arizona Cardinals Go With DE Kareem Martin at 84

Nov 16, 2013; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Panthers quarterback Tom Savage (7) is sacked by North Carolina Tar Heels defensive end Kareem Martin (95) during the first quarter at Heinz Field. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

The Arizona Cardinals selected Kareem Martin, defensive end from North Carolina, with the 84th overall pick in the 2014 NFL Draft.  The Cards went after the defensive end as many of us thought they would.

Martin is known as strong and long and is quick off the snap of the ball. One of the knocks on Martin is his consistent ability to turn corners, something most defensive ends need to have to be successful for a long time in the NFL.  He had 20 tackles for a loss and 11 sacks in 2013.  However he had two very unproductive years previously.  He ran a 4.68 40-yard  and had a vertical jump of 35 1/2 at the NFL Scouting Combine back in February.

The consistency of his performance has been questioned after a strong senior year but he has the numbers internally to be a good defensive end in the NFL.  He had a good Senior Bowl so he’s certainly a guy to be high on right now.  Let’s see how it pans out once camps start.