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Kevin's Mock Draft | Kevin's Player Rankings | Cardinals Report HOW THEY DID
1.With pick # 9 (CB-Tommy Knight,Iowa) the Cardinals might have reached a little here. CB was their biggest need, but I feel Knight was highly overrated. He’s 5’11" 195lbs. and runs a 4.43/40. His cover skills are sound, he doesn’t take many chances and has good recovery speed. He played 5 years at Iowa, getting an extra year of eligability due to a knee injury in ‘94. His knee appears to be totally recovered, so that shouldn’t be a concern. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a good pick and I think Knight will be an immediate starter, but don’t be suprised if he moves to Safety. I thought Michael Booker or Chris Canty would have been a better pick. .
2. At # 42 the Cardinals couldn’t resist the temptation of taking fan favorite, QB-Jake Plummer,Arizona State. If Plummer was 6’4" instead of 6’1" he would’ve been a top ten selection, no doubt. As far as leadership skills and on the field awareness he’s one of the best QB prospects in years. I thought the Cards would go for an offensive lineman with this pick, but they probably did the right thing. Jake Plummer is a winner, and if he doesn’t win the starting job in training camp, I’ll be suprised.
3. The Cardinals made a trade here. They went from # 71 down to # 84 and received pick # 188 from the Eagles. With pick # 84 the Cards picked CB-Ty Howard, Ohio State. ABSOLUTE STEAL!! If you couldn’t tell already, I really liked this pick. I had Howard rated one spot ahead of # 8 Knight. The only reason Howard slipped this far was because he’s a little small (5’9" 185). He makes up for his lack of heigth with a 39" vertical. He’s very fast (4.36/40) and has better cover skills than Knight. I’m convinced he’s a better CB than Knight, that’s why I think Knight will end up at Safety.
4. With pick # 106 the Cardinals finally tried to improve the offensive line by picking Nebraska Guard Chris Dishman. He’s got good size (6’2" 325lbs.), but isn’t very quick (5.40/40). In college Dishman was mostly a backup until his final year. He did have a good year in ‘96, and if he continues to improve, could evenually become a starter. The Cards needed a powerful run-blocking guard, and I don’t think Dishman is the right man. OT/G-Jerome Daniels, Northeastern was still available, and was a much better prospect. I think the Cards will regret not picking him. Dishman would have been available at # 139, maybe even # 175.
5. They really lost me here. With pick # 139, the Cardinals picked WR-Chad Carpenter, Washington State. I’ll admit it, I’d never heard of this guy. I did some research and here’s what I found. He’s got good size (6’1" 200lbs.) with average speed (4.59/40). Ring a bell?? Don’t the Cardinals already have two guys (Rob Moore and Frank Sanders) that fit that mold. The Cardinals needed a speed receiver, not another big receiver. Carpenter doesn’t really fill a need. There were alot of speed receivers out there, who had better ‘96 numbers than Carpenter. For example: Micheal Adams,Texas/ Brian Manning,Stanford/ and Antuan Wyatt, Betune-Cookman.
6. At pick # 175 the Cardinals selected FB-Rod Brown, North Carolina State. Brown is very strong and is the best blocking FB in the draft. He’s an average runner and has suprisingly good hands. I had Jerald Sowell, Tulane ranked as the # 1 fullback in the draft, and he was still available, but Brown may fit in with the Cardinals better than Sowell would have. This could be a good indication that Larry Centers will be getting alot more carries this year.
6. With pick # 188, obtained from Philadelphia, the Cardinals picked LB-Tony McCombs,Eastern Kentucky. Looks like another steal here. McCombs has good size (6’2" 240lbs.) and great speed (4.55/40). Like Ronnie McKinnon, from last year, McCombs will probably take some time to develop, but I see him as a valuable special teams player this year, and look for him to start in ‘98.
7. With their final pick ,# 212, The Cardianls selected DE-Mark Smith, Auburn. Smith is 6’3" 295lbs, he’s got average speed (4.95/40), and has exceptional athletic ability. The problem?? He’s got a questionable knee. After having knee surgery early in ‘96, Smith had a good season, but he never seemed to be at full strength. If his knee is healthy he should serve as a valuable backup along the defensive front. Good pick at this point, but I thought DT’s-Myron Elzy, Central State (Ohio) and Jason Ferguson, Georgia had alot better upside than Smith, and one of them should have been the pick here. SUMMARY Positives: I really liked what the Cardinals did in the secondary. They needed alot of help, and got it. Picking a QB for the future was also a good move. And the addition of a blocking fullback was also smart. Depth at linebacker was also addressed, and i feel they got a prospect here. Negatives: I was disappointed the Cardinals didn’t try harder to improve their offensive line. I also thought they failed to do any upgrading at wide receiver. OVERALL GRADE.....B-
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