Arizona Cardinals get a QB in undrafted class

Many Cardinals fans pondered, “What gives? No quarterbacks? No trades? This year is extremely boring.” I tend to agree, but for today, look for some positives. The main reason we shouldn’t be pouting at the media-related “grades” or “evaluations” is simple, because it’s not the first time.

The Arizona Cardinals have yet to perfect the craft, but the organization seems a far way off from 2013. That year, the Cardinals drafted potentially only one starter, Jonathan Cooper from North Carolina. It went “Eh, it’s alright I guess, nothing spectacular”. But the pick of Tyrann Mathieu is the one that made the difference instead.

Look for big Rob Nkemdiche to be a lot better, maybe not as injury prone as Jonathan Cooper. That’s not why we started this article. I want fans to look past Nkemdiche, even past the lucky third round selection of Brandon Williams. I want fans to look to what the Arizona Cardinals did in free agency, when the draft was done.

Why Jake Coker went undrafted:

Jake Coker started his college career at Florida State, where he began bellied up on the depth chart behind such studs as E.J. Manuel (was a first round selection for Buffalo, remember?) and Jameis Winston (number one, all that needs to be said). Once he arrived, he became a backup to Blake Sims, you started thinking “Wow, this guy can’t beat anybody”. To say he seized the job would be an understatement, as he connected a lot of the Bama offense.

263 of 393, which is 66.9 percent of his passes, 3,110 yards, 21 touchdowns compared to 8 interceptions. A lot of scouts knock him down a little bit because of his lack of experience, but if Cardale Jones (undefeated record) can make it in the NFL, why not Coker? Remember, Coker went 14-0 without being benched, while Jones was benched halfway through the season. I assure you, I like Jones, but I have been a bigger believer of Coker.

Don’t forget that the Cardinals will have a couple rookie (and veterans) tryouts, some names have been put out there as far as those tryouts go. As far as quarterbacks go, Stephen Rivers (Philip Rivers bro) is rumored to be on the tryout list. If he can get a deal, this could be a very competitive quarterback room.

Here’s a list of other undrafted free agents the Cardinals have signed:

1. Jared Baker – RB – Arizona
2. Jeff Bethard – WR – Appalachian State
3. Elie Bouka – CB – Calgary
4. Kameron Canaday – LS – Portland State
5. Amir Carlisle – WR – Notre Dame
6. Jake Coker – QB – Alabama
7. Clay DeBord – OT – Eastern Washington
8. Daniel Dillon – LS – Campbell
9. Matthias Farley – FS – Notre Dame
10. Trevon Hartfield – CB – Southwestern Oklahoma State)
11. Chris King – WR – Duquesne
12. Lamar Louis – ILB – Louisiana State
13. Givens Price – OT – Nebraska
14. Garrett Swanson – P – Fresno State
15. Hakeem Valles – TE – Monmouth
16. Ronald Zamort – CB – Western Michigan

Some players have been released, Kevin White and Valerian Ume-Ezeoke. Anyways, I’ll be posting an article around rookie camp to see what I like about these young fellas. Keep your eyes peeled.