Arizona Cardinals: Keim follows his heart, not his head with eighth pick

The Arizona Cardinals made a good and safe choice with the No. 8 pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, leaving some talent on the board for everyone else.

The Arizona Cardinals made a solid pick in the 2020 NFL Draft. With the No. 8 pick, General Manager Steve Keim selected Clemson linebacker, Isaiah Simmons. It’s a good pick. A solid pick. It’s the kind of pick fans will agree with, but wonder, “what if?”

Instead of being bold, even brilliant, Keim decided that safe was better. Perhaps it is. Second-guessing will be little, as immediately thereafter, those on the national broadcast at ESPN hailed the selection. That’s a good thing, as the Cardinals will settle into a steady pattern of predictability. Quarterback Kyler Murray and head coach Kliff Kingsbury will applaud the pick but wonder if Keim missed the bigger and better target.

Most simply put, Keim took the path of least resistance. The Cardinals GM had an absolute smorgasbord of top-flight franchise-changing, playmakers on the board. Instead of wide receiver Jerry Jeudy, or CeeDee Lamb, or Henry Ruggs III, Keim went with safe, not bold.

Don’t blame Keim. Simmons is a good pick. It just isn’t franchise defining. Then again, that’s ok, as newly acquired receiver DeAndre Hopkins buys Keim some credibility and some time.

Unfortunately, it also says that the Cardinals are not quite ready to be bold. Arizona could have made the kind of selection that leads NFL Draft talk on Friday morning. They won’t. Keim took the easy route. He also left the kind of talent on the board that fans will be wondering “what if” when they make the big plays elsewhere. For Keim, he better hope it’s not winning elsewhere.

The Arizona Cardinals will next select with the 72nd selection in the third round. Don’texpect Lamb, Jeudy, or Ruggs III. They’ll be making plays elsewhere.