Through the many hours and days of NFL Draft coverage, there were few discouraging words.
By my count — with the caveat I didn’t watch the entire three days of coverage — there were zero poor draft picks selected. Not a one.
We get it. This is the very nature and essence of the NFL Draft and all drafts. This is not meant to criticize the ESPN coverage, which was all-encompassing with excellent storytelling about the players.
Fans weren’t expecting ESPN to provide snarky criticism of the player their favorite team just drafted. Fans wanted to feel good.
Throughout the league, most picks were greeted by the ESPN commentators to be “perfect” … or a “real steal.” Teams’ selections were exactly what they were hoping for. Really! We mean it!
That goes for the Arizona Cardinals’ draft picks, too.
Cardinals take *six* on defense?
Arizona seemed to have an outstanding draft — as each team seems to have in the immediate aftermath. The individual players might be excellent picks, but what about the Cardinals’ overall strategy?
Taking a step back to look at their seven draft picks, six were on defense. A bit one-sided, perhaps? If criticism is warranted for the Cardinals’ draft — in late April, before any of the players put on cleats, by the way — it’s the defensive overload.
Arizona was expected to lean on the defensive side, continuing its trend through free agency. But six of seven? Head coach Jonathan Gannon was a defensive coordinator with the Eagles, but even this seems like an overreach.
Arizona needed a defensive upgrade. But 8-9 teams usually need help on both sides of the ball, and the Cardinals are no exception. Going into the draft, ESPN (and other experts) suggested the Cardinals needed another wide receiver, offensive linemen, an inside linebacker, and edge rusher.
The Cardinals finally landed their offensive lineman in the sixth round, guard Hayden Conner of Texas. Conner started 43 games at Texas and might fill a real need.
“That’s just how it worked out. Wasn’t the plan at all,” Cardinals general manager Monti Ossenfort told reporters after the draft. “It’s just one of those things where we stick to the philosophy of staying true to our board. I certainly would have loved to add some people on offense, but just the way it worked out.”
As the draft rolled into the seventh round, which started with pick No. 217, I expected the Cardinals to draft another offensive lineman. I also heard the ESPN commentators continue to gush about these guys at the bottom of the draft. Again, that’s what is expected.
But I had one question: If these seventh-round guys were *that* good, why weren’t they drafted higher?
But that is exactly what the spectacle of the three-day NFL Draft is for. Don’t worry, be happy.