Experts Focus on Arizona Cardinals NFL 2019 Draw Class

The NFL 2019 project is in the books.

With the No. 1 pick in the repechage, the Arizona Cardinals got their franchise quarterback in Kyler Murray, but added to other positions requiring more depth.

Of the 11 choices that the cardinals had, the team used three selections for the wide receivers and only three for the defense.

The team has also added a familiar face in the corner corner Byron Murphy, a product for Arizona high school based in Saguaro. Murphy joins five other cardinals who played high school ball in the valley, and could be an important element for the future.

Arizona, which struggled to line up a healthy offensive line last season, did not add two linemen before spikes 179 and 248.

For Managing Director Steve Keim, the project has unfolded as he had hoped.

"In my opinion, the hard part of the NFL projects is, you know, we all know that all the surviving teams still have needs," Keim said after the project.

"But make sure that the board falls as before and try to stay firm and not just jump because of the needs – especially for wide receiver positions and even for the tight end choice with the last selection – I think it smelled just like it fell.

Taking into account each choice made, the country's experts provided their notes to the cardinals' project.

Focus on professional football

Day 1:

Arizona seems to have drafted the Pro Football Focus 2019 NFL Guide for Days 1 and 2, starting with PFF # 1 player Kyler Murray. The former caller of Oklahoma is a game changer, no matter how you cut it. Whether throwing or running, Murray is an exceptional talent who can change the game at any time.

Day 2:

Best cornerback and No. 6 PFF player, Byron Murphy is a choice No. 33 thief for the Cards. Given his closing speed and instinct, he is best placed to play in the area. He is also a very aggressive cornerback despite his small size.

Another PFF favorite, Massachusetts receiver Andy Isabella, earned the highest score ever for a receiver at the time of PFF College (from 2014 to date) in 2018. This is a threat fast and deep that should be combined with that of Murray.

At the top of the third round, Arizona clinched a multi-purpose defense line in Zach Allen of Boston College. He can play inside or out on the next level. He was one of the best defensemen of the college football race in 2017 before getting a score of 90.3 assists last season. Ironman from BC, he played 107 times against Wake Forest in 2018.

Day 3:

Trusted, the Cardinals' brass continued to add value on the third day. Deionte Thompson and Lamon Gaillard were the valuable selections, finishing # 66 and # 106 at the last big PFF table.

Of the FBS qualifying centers with at least 400 offensive plays taken in 2018, Gaillard is ranked in the top 10 for the overall score (78.2) and the score for the run block ( 77.1). He also achieved an impressive 77.9-pass blocking score in 2018, allowing only eight total hits on 353 shots blocking passes.

Thompson … compensates for at least part of what he misses in speed and athletics with a good instinct. He trusts what he sees and goes to the ball both on the cover and in defense.

Hakeem Butler, the 103rd-ranked card and number 42 player at PFF, was also a fantastic choice. Butler's size (6-foot-5, 227-pound) might suggest a possession catcher, but he had more receptions of more than 20 yards (19) than anyone else in the repechage class.

GLOBAL QUALITY: EXCELLENT

Andy Benoit – SI.com

The only reason the Cardinals would not name Murray their player early, is that they were waiting to see if another team could offer a bonus to move to the front row. But trading, of course, would expose the cardinals to a serious risk of losing Murray. Thus, the fact that they even seem to have considered this solution, particularly because it reduces their influence on Rosen's trading, suggests that the organization might not clearly view Murray as a unique savior in his life … All in all, this is complicated – very unique – the situation has been handled like a jigsaw puzzle … and if we take it into account when scoring this draft, the team at least has a note at minimum.

Otherwise, the rest of the Arizona project was in pounds sterling. WR Andy Isabella has the vertical speed plus explosive dynamism that allows him to pull himself together in what we imagine to be a fast-paced offense under Kliff Kingsbury. Hakeem Butler is a target of the size of a monster that some considered to be a late prospect in the first round. The addition of these two elements to what was desperately lacking in the team corps works wonders for the offense, especially as many of the passer-by formations will be underpinned by David Johnson's outstanding versatility.

GLOBAL QUALITY: A (or B, including the deduction per note for Josh Rosen's trade)

Mel Kiper Jr. – ESPN Project Analyst

Even a week ago, I was wondering if the Cardinals were really going to do that. Would they really take a quarter in the top 10 two consecutive years? This only happened once before, when the Colts took the No. 4 Schlichter Art in the overall standings in 1982, then John Elway for the first time in 1983. It's really pretty wild. Then you think about the off season in Arizona, and you see exactly Why it could happen. Steve Wilks was one of them and was named coach after a dreadful 2018 season that started with Sam Bradford as a starter (it seems like a long time ago). Enter Kliff Kingsbury, who scored 35-40 in six years at Texas Tech but can undoubtedly lead an offensive. His air raid attack requires a particular skill set at the shift position.

That's why I can not crush the Cardinals for taking Kyler Murray No. 1. I have it. He's the best fit to help Kingsbury succeed … But this team is going to struggle in 2019 and Murray will sometimes run for his life. Cardinals have holes in the lineup, and that's one of the reasons they chose the front row. But Murray will shake the fan base and play some coins.

For the rest of the class, I liked CEO Steve Keim's choices on the second day, even though I do not like the process. Josh Rosen, No. 62 and a fifth in 2020, must be raging, but Keim & Co. is getting in trouble … Byron Murphy (# 33) ended up as my best corner, so Arizona should have a starter at the top of round 2. Extended receiver Andy Isabella, now associated with Rosen forever, will help Murray, as I wrote Friday night. He is a big receiver with a small frame of 5 feet 9 inches. Defensive lineman Zach Allen, who could play at the end or take a few pounds and play tackle, was a good choice in 65th.

In Arizona, Murray started the third day with Hakeem Butler (# 103), a huge 6-foot-5 athlete with excellent ball skills, but only in track racing. If it can get carried away, it could be a problem for the Kingsbury system. KeeSean Johnson (No. 174) also has interesting physical traits as an outdoor catcher. Safety Deionte Thompson (# 139) fell to turn 5, but he's talented enough to start as a deep safety. And Mr. Irrelevant, Caleb Wilson (# 254), also has reception skills.

So you see that the Cardinals are trying to build around Kingsbury and Murray and are forming a team that suits this attack. This is a good start.

GLOBAL GRID: B +

Evan Silva – Yahoo! Sports

The Cardinals have cleverly avoided falling victim to the ploy by cashing Josh Rosen in Miami for the 62nd pick after placing Murray in first place, the double team. General Manager Steve Keim focused on the game leaders in this draft; Murphy is a clone inspired by the balls of the CB Desmond King slot machine, Chargers All-Pro. Isabella has 4.31 points and leads the country to yards per senior. Allen earned more than 40 tackles for the loss and 16 assists, and Butler beat the I division yards gained on targets over 20 yards. Thompson and Gaillard dominated at the highest level of college football, earning the honors of the SEC's inaugural team in 2018. Johnson is the all-time leader in catchment and receptions in the state of Fresno. After landing at OL Marcus Gilbert, JR Sweezy and Max Garcia before the draft and completing their first seven with Terrell Suggs, Jordan Hicks and Darius Philon, the combined fights give Arizona a real chance to stage the most advanced team NFC. Gilbert should be included in this class after the cards have acquired for choice # 207.

GLOBAL QUALITY: A

Chad Reuter – NFL.com

New head coach Kliff Kingsbury has decided to "engage his quarter" rather than working with the choice of the first round of 2018, Josh Rosen. I can not blame him. Training in the NFL is quite difficult without letting the quarterback you believe in. Josh Rosen could succeed in Miami, and I hope he'll do it, but choosing Murray in the front row was the right choice for Kingsbury and the Cardinals.

Forget about 40 times – Murphy has great ball skills and instincts, and he and Patrick Peterson will be a strong corner-two duo on the outside. Moving Rosen for a late second round pick was fantastic given the circumstances. The use of this choice on Isabella will be in doubt in some wards, especially with Christian Kirk, the second player of 2018, already playing a similar role in the team. Getting Allen in the third was fantastic – this is a Calais Campbell type affair that gives the maximum to each run.

The fact that Larry Fitzgerald's era ended in the end forced the team to profit from Butler and Johnson as excellent values ​​in the fourth and sixth rounds, respectively. I was not as numerous as Thompson, but choosing it in the fifth offers good value. Gaillard was one of the best deals on Saturday. Miles and Dogbe are strong, nasty line players (offensive and defensive, respectively) whom I expected earlier. Getting Wilson as Mr. Irrelevant was smart because they needed a close end, and he would have been coveted as a free agent.

GLOBAL QUALITY: A

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