Draft-day blunders have impeded Arizona Cardinals progress

GLENDALE, AZ - OCTOBER 28: General manager Steve Keim of the Arizona Cardinals during the NFL game against the San Francisco 49ers at State Farm Stadium on October 28, 2018 in Glendale, Arizona. The Cardinals defeated the 49ers 18-15. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
GLENDALE, AZ - OCTOBER 28: General manager Steve Keim of the Arizona Cardinals during the NFL game against the San Francisco 49ers at State Farm Stadium on October 28, 2018 in Glendale, Arizona. The Cardinals defeated the 49ers 18-15. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) /
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General manager Steve Keim’s substandard drafting over the past few years has had a debilitating effect on the Arizona Cardinals

Steve Keim of the Arizona Cardinals should be thanking his lucky stars. The general manager has managed to hold onto his job, despite the fact that his last several drafts have been downright inadequate. The Cards have not had a winning record since 2015, and Keim’s misfires with too many of his recent draft selections could be the main reason for the drought.

Back in 2016, the Cardinals had six draft picks to work with. Incredibly, just three years later, none of those choices are still playing football in the desert. Technically, cornerback Brandon Williams is on the squad’s 2019 injured-reserve list, but it’s almost a certainty that the third-round flop will never play another down for Arizona.

Out of the seven prospects that the Cards drafted in 2017, only two remain on the current roster. In fairness to Keim, both Haason Reddick and Budda Baker are extremely productive players. Even so, having only 28% of your selections remaining from a draft that took place just two years ago is completely unacceptable.

Exactly half of the Cardinals draft class from 2018 has already been dismissed. Of the team’s six choices, only Christian Kirk, Mason Cole and Chase Edmonds are still with the franchise. What’s most disturbing about that group is that Arizona basically wasted the 10th-overall pick by selecting the now-departed Josh Rosen.

Obviously, it’s much too early to judge Keim on what he did this past April. It’s hard to make a complete evaluation on any player after just three professional appearances. But why has Keim been given a pass on the many failed draft selections he’s accrued since ’16?

It could be that team President Michael Bidwill has made the one mistake that the owner of an NFL club can ill afford to make. Keim and his boss appear to be very good friends. Is the relationship that has developed between the two preventing Bidwill from pulling the plug on his buddy?

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There’s no doubt that Keim’s deficiency in the Cards war room has diminished the team’s talent level. Relying on free agency to stock your roster is not a recipe for success. If Keim can’t do the job, then maybe Bidwill should go out and find someone who can.