As we inch closer and closer to the draft, some players’ draft stock is/are skyrocketing. This is a very cornerback and running back-friendly draft, with a lot of options to choose from. However, with all of the trading going down within the top 10 picks (thanks, Miami), this could be a harbinger of what’s to come next Thursday night.
There could be the most trades that we’ve ever seen in the first round due to the limited cap space teams have had to deal with. Also, the more you can capitalize on a rookie QB contract, the more you can diversify and bolster a roster. The Arizona Cardinals are the prime example of that. Now whether you want to say this is Steve Keim trying to cover up for bad drafting, the point remains the same.
Thanks to compensatory picks being available for trade for first time, we have a new record for trades in a Common Era draft: 37
— Rich Eisen (@richeisen) April 29, 2017
I have a feeling we’ll see that record fall in this year’s draft. With the news of Patrick Surtain II’s father saying the Dallas Cowboys would be the best fit, Jaycee Horn continuing to market himself to teams, and Greg Newsome II quietly but quickly rising high into the first round, the Cardinals could be left without one of the top CB’s on the board. Dallas, Denver, and the New York Giants could all take one of the aforementioned three. And that’s also not even getting into where Caleb Farley could go.
This would put Arizona in a pickle at 16. Steve Keim may need a backup plan if this happens, as there are a handful of teams without a first-round pick that would be salivating at the chance to move up in the draft. Or maybe just finding a trade partner to move back a few spots and gain some picks would be great.
In fact, I would trade back with Chicago here. Ryan Pace got fleeced by John Lynch, and it’s
“Keim time” to do the same. Could Indianapolis want a new WR to pair with Michael Pittman Jr. and Carson Wentz? Finding a team with the burning urgency to move up could have Arizona move back and re-assess and make the correct pick. Trading down to the ’20s, getting a running back or offensive lineman would be phenomenal. Then in the second round thanks to trading down, the team could nab Asante Samuel Jr.
That’d be a win-win in my book and the possibilities are endless. All eyes will be on Steve Keim as he and the Cardinals enter their most critical draft to date.