Arizona Cardinals 2013 NFL Draft: 4 round mock draft
The NFL Combine is under way and that means we are getting closer to the 2013 NFL Draft. All 32 teams are taking notes, further evaluating players, and ensuring they are ready to draft the right player in April. For the Arizona Cardinals, the number one priority is to find their franchise quarterback after wasting $63 million on a second stringer like Kevin Kolb. One of the reasons Arizona cleaned house in the off-season was due to the prior management’s inability to bring in true franchise quarterback. The only problem is that there is no true franchise quarterback in this draft class.
So where does that leave Bruce Arians in his first year as coach to find a new quarterback? While going after a guy in free agency would fix the problem, it would only be a band-aid to the real problem at hand. As long as the Cardinals do not fix their offensive line, no quarterback will succeed for them. They must fix their offensive line issues before finding a quarterback. With that in mind, this is where the three round mock for the Cardinals begin, in the trenches and will they draft a franchise quarterback?
Round 1, Pick 7: Eric Fisher OT Central Michigan: The Arizona Cardinals by pass Geno Smith for some protection. Like I said, it doesn’t matter who the quarterback is, if he gets no protection then the quarterback is neutralized. Even Kevin Kolb could become a decent starter with good protection, and just maybe Bruce Arians can coach Kevin Kolb.
Round 2, Pick 38: Mike Glennon QB N.C. State: If the Cardinals want a rookie quarterback to build the future around, they may look at Mike Glennon from N.C. State. Glennon has the tools to become a good quarterback in the NFL, and if any coach can coach him up it is Bruce Arians. Don’t be surprised to see Kolb compete with Glennon to see who becomes the starting quarterback of the Arizona Cardinals in 2013.
Round 3, Pick 69: Jordan Reed TE Florida: The Cardinals drafted Michael Floyd to compliment Larry Fitzgerald, now either Kolb or Glennon could use an upgrade at Tight End. Reed is a decent value pick that I believe Arians will take a risk on . Arians knows how effective a Tight End can be considering he spent years in Pittsburgh and he saw what Coby Fleener did for Luck last year.
Round 4, Pick 100: T.J. McDonald S USC: Adrian Wilson is getting old and while he did good for the Cardinals, it’s time to move on. The Cardinals need to continue building upon what Ken Whisenhunt and Rod Graves started to build defensively. McDonald will be a great selection for Arizona has they find a safety to compliment Patrick Peterson at Corner.
Mike Presley is an NFL Featured Journalist for The Penalty Flag. He is a graduate of the Carolina School of Broadcasting and hosts “The Front Seven Podcast” on Youtube. Mike writes for the racing website www.hardcoreracefans.com during the NASCAR Season. Follow him on Twitter @mikepresley64.
OOOOK; you say they need to fix the offensive line, then you go right to drafting a quarterback in the SECOND ROUND; like you said, NO quarterback is to have success in this league without some protection!!! NOW, like you ALSO said, Kevin Kolb may be a fairly good QB if you can protect him. SO, my question here is why not get him some protection in the first 3 or 4 rounds, and THEN see what kind of backup is left for him in the later rounds. OR, see if you could pick up a good backup from the free agency market.
The Chiefs need oline and a pass rusher. I would rather take a pass rusher in the second round, then take a QB. Besides Glennon won’t last that long.
One OT in the draft will not fix the OL woes of the Cardinals. They need, and have needed a complete revamping of their entire O-line for several years now. In order for this to happen, they are going to have to do more than just draft a couple of linemen – they will have to trade to get some experience as well.
Also, regarding the QB situation, unfortunately for Whisenhunt, he couldn’t judge QB talent and that led to his firing. Kolb has shown me nothing in six NFL seasons – it’s time to move on. This draft will also probably not provide the Cardinals with a franchise QB. Their best bet right now would be to try and get Alex Smith from San Fran.
As far as TE’s go, the Cardinals have drafted two of them in the last 3 years, and signed Jeff King to a 3-year contract in 2011. I believe Rob Housler can be a receiving thread at TE, but their new head coach Bruce Arians needs to implement a new offensive scheme in order to get TE’s more involved. As far as a blocking TE, the Cardinals can get by with King and Jim Dray.
The biggest needs by far for the Cardinals are a QB and an offensive line. It has been that way since Kurt Warner left in 2009.
The Cards can’t keep a running back healthy. Get OT Fisher in Round 1, A pass rusher in round 2, trade your round 3 pick to NE for there back up QB who can be there starter and get a WR to complement Fitz in Round 4