Picks that Arizona may regret: TE Tip Reiman, DE Xavier Thomas, WR Tejhaun Palmer
Like stated before, it is highly unlikely that teams don’t get a bust in their draft class. While the Cardinals had a great draft class, they also made some picks that were either questionable or just may not work out because of limited spots.
Arizona traded back twice on Day 2 which resulted in them getting the 82nd pick in which they drafted Illinois tight end Tip Reiman. The only true aspect of Reiman’s game is his physicality in the trenches. While that is not a bad idea, using a third round pick on a player that did not have much production in college is a huge risk. Unless the Cardinals can establish a true running game where we see Reiman opening up running lanes, this was a bad pick for the first three rounds.
Clemson edge rusher Xavier Thomas finds himself coming to Arizona but he doesn’t provide the sack results that teams are looking for. He averaged between 2-3 sacks per season with the Tigers and fellow rookie teammate Darius Robinson has the upper edge on Thomas. Unless he is able to shine in training camp to where the coaching staff can’t ignore his production, Thomas has a lot up against him to make a serious impact on the Cardinals.
Arizona should have drafted a second wide receiver in this draft sooner than the 6th round but they wouldn’t address it until they selected UAB wideout Tejhaun Palmer. Mind you, USC wideout Brenden Rice, son of Jerry Rice, was still on the board at that point. Palmer didn’t have a season above 858 receiving yards and he didn’t play against a lot of big competition. This was a serious questionable pick that the Cardinals may lose out on if Palmer doesn’t pan out.