Arizona Cardinals: Keim draft is balanced, but with missed opportunities

The Arizona Cardinals wrap up the 2020 NFL Draft with a running back from Arizona State, but fans might be left to wonder “what if” with a draft deep with receiver talent.

Arizona Cardinals General Manager Steve Keim dotted all the “I’s” and crossed all the “T’s” in the 2020 NFL Draft. He selected two linebackers, two defensive linemen, a very good offensive tackle, and for good measure, a running back from Arizona State.

Balanced, well-intentioned, but maybe, and you can make a good argument for this point, lacking in imagination.

If you’re Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray, you might shrug, wonder “what if” and begin to go about the business of getting ready for the upcoming season. Outside of the late selection of a running back by the name of Eno Benjamin from ASU, not much in the way of offensive firepower was added to the Arizona roster.

The bulk of this offseason is now in the books. The Cardinals will commence in adding the requisite UDFA’s that make camp interesting, but if there was one significant card to be played, it came and went in the first round where Arizona made a good, but the breathlessly safe choice with the selection of Isaiah Simmons with the No. 8 pick.

Keim left some serious offensive firepower on the draft board. If Murray thought his former Oklahoma teammate CeeDee Lamb or Alabama receiver Jerry Jeudy would be a great choice for the Cardinals, his GM thought otherwise. If fans and NFL watchers wondered if Keim had the courage to make the splashy choice, they now know the answer. It’s not that Simmons is a risky pick, it just leaves the imagination lacking, well, imagination.

So with the selection of Benjamin, the 2020 NFL Draft is in the books. Keim deserves credit for a balanced draft that will receive solid marks, just not great. After the spectacle of free agency with DeAndre Hopkins, maybe the pedestrian was to be expected.