Arizona Cardinals: Five players poised for increased roles in 2017
Robert Nkemdiche
Defensive tackle Robert Nkemdiche is the most obvious name on this list. When you are a first round pick, who was one of the top players in your recruiting class, expectations are understandably high.
When you parlay these expectations into a rookie season stat line of one assisted tackle and one pass defended, fans start attaching the word “bust” to your name. While his rookie season was rather disappointing, leveler heads will preach patience – for now.
Nkemdiche is not the first rookie in Coach Arians’ tenure to essentially red shirt his rookie year. Tackle D.J. Humphries followed a similarly invisible rookie campaign, by earning a starting role and performing well in his second season.
Even star running back David Johnson spent the first eleven games of his rookie season as a change-of-pace back – and he might have spent the entire season in that role had Chris Johnson not been injured late in the season. The point is that Coach Arians has historically been hesitant to play rookies if he feels they are not up to speed on the playbook – regardless of how talented they might be.
There has never been a question about his talent. Nkemdiche has a prototypical frame for his position, and has been described as a stronger, faster version of Darnell Dockett. Yikes.
Nkemdiche is just a different dude. He is existential, cerebral, and artistic. He is cut from the same cloth as former NFL players Ricky Williams and Rashard Mendenhall – both of whom were known for their Bohemian tendencies.
The questions with Nkemdiche have always been more about consistency of effort, and off the field concerns. He has admitted that he took plays off at Ole Miss, and this lack of effort is further evidenced by college production that did not match his immense natural talent.
His off the field concerns are not your garden variety character issues – aside from the possession of marijuana charge stemming from an incident involving a fall out of an Atlanta hotel window.
Nkemdiche is just a different dude. He is existential, cerebral, and artistic. He is cut from the same cloth as former NFL players Ricky Williams and Rashard Mendenhall – both of whom were known for their Bohemian tendencies.
With Calais Campbell likely on his way out and Frostee Rucker’s play declining, a starting job appears ripe for the taking.
Prediction: Nkemdiche enters the regular season as a starter. His play is sometimes inconsistent, but he also has flashes that demonstrate how devastatingly disruptive he can be to opposing offenses.