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Post by devongent on Dec 7, 2024 9:24:53 GMT -7
3) This brings us full circle to Elijah Jones, he was drafted in the third round and the FO must like him. - Maybe they stick with what we have for another season, or draft another (say) in the third round, where some good options will present. - Whatever, Bunting's contract would suggest he will be back in Arizona in 2025. EDIT: Option 3 now added to original posting. (A power cut for most of the day due to Storm Darragh). |
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Post by devongent on Dec 7, 2024 9:32:21 GMT -7
BTW - I agree that CB Revel could be a Monti target in 2nd round and he is a quality CB but due to ACL he probably won't run at either the Combine or Pro Day. So instead of a late first round - early 2nd rounder he very well could fall into the Cardinals pick for 2nd round. If that be the case, then he won't be taken in Round 1 for sure. |
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Post by flash on Dec 7, 2024 9:50:36 GMT -7
I am very happy with our Secondary...I am also proud of our CB Corp...considering that Melton and Rabbit are Rookies, that Garrett has played less than a full season, that Starling was undrafted and Jalen was drafted in the supplemental draft....I think we have an opportunity to mold this group into a top 5 Secondary in the NFL...
As I have posted my desire for us to draft a CB in the first round next year, the chance of that happening is very slim...will I be disappointed if we don't? Not at all...
Can we win a Super Bowl without having a 1rst Round Player in our secondary? Sure we can...Tampa did it in 2020. Even though they had Buc on the team, he had zero starts and was the only first round pick in the secondary...
However, there are two big differences between the 2020 Bucs and the 2024 Cardinals Secondaries.
1. Todd Bowles was the DC
2. Bruce Arians was the HC
Are J.G. and Rallis capable of putting together a Secondary that can hold their own in a playoff run next season? In my opinion, drafting a CB in the 1rst round next season will increase their chances to do that...or we can draft CB's in the 2nd or later rounds next year...and hope for the best...either way we need to have a better #1 CB than Bunting...when he played for Tampa for their 2020 Super Bowl run...he had 53 tackles in 13 game starts that season. He has 20 tackles in 10 game starts so far...
Oh, by the way...this was the final score...
Tampa Bay 31
Kansas City 9
I listed the players in the secondary of the 2020 Tampa Secondary...how far our we from a secondary like theirs?
Tampa Secondary 2020
SS-Deone Bucannon (1rst Round Pick, 27th Overall)
CB-Ross Cockrell (4th Round Pick, 109th Overall)
CB-Carlton Davis (2nd Round Pick, 63rd Overall)
CB-Jamel Dean (3rd Round Pick, 94 Overall)
CB-Mike Edwards (3rd Round Pick, 99th Overall)
CB-Sean Murphy-Bunting (2nd Round Pick, 39th Overall)
S-Antoine Winfield Jr. (2nd Round Pick, 45th Overall)
SS-Jordan Whitehead (4th Round Pick, 117th Overall)
Cardinals Secondary 2024
S-Budda Baker (2nd Round Pick, 36th Pick Overall)
CB-Kei'Trel Clark (6th Round Pick, 180th Overall)
CB-Max Melton (2nd Round Pick, 43rd Overall)
CB-Sean Murphy-Bunting (2nd Round Pick, 39th Overall)
S-Dadrion Taylor-Demerson (4th Round Pick, 104th Overall)
CB-Starling Thomas (Undrafted)
S-Jalen Thompson (5th Round Supplemental Draft, 1rst Overall)
CB-Garrett Williams (3rd Round Pick, 72nd Overall)
CB-Elijah Jones (3rd Round Pick, 90th Pick)
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Post by flash on Dec 8, 2024 11:17:01 GMT -7
What part of his comment on SMB do you disagree with? He said good and bad things in same sentence. Thanks Flash As you confirmed with G Williams it takes about a year for even high level rookie CBs to learn the ins and outs of the NFL and get consistent play from them…some take longer. P21 or 5th round Richard Sherman were better? It has merit the 5th rounder won a SB and was a shutdown CB for 2 teams…was it because he was on better defenses…maybe…You may be firm saying P21 was better…it is one example that shows draft position isn’t the end all be all choice. The other 1st rounders you mentioned had short careers with AZ…with their draft status they demanded top pay and were hard to justify what they wanted after their rookie contracts…so that is another knock against top picked CBs With G Williams he was a 3rd round…not what I would consider a 1st round or top draft pick…thanks for backing up my point a top drafted CB is not needed. Is SMB dealing with undisclosed injury in 2024? This wasn’t addressed. I do not have the answer maybe you have insight on this. I agree SMB has been a huge disappointment so far…my question is…can he play better in the near future and some of the recent flashes of strong run defense is a plus…is he actually better as a nickel as his career has shown? Can G Williams be a better outside CB…he has nickel down well. Has Melton shown the ability that the NFL is not above his abilities? Can E Jones finish 2024 strong and be better in 2025 than a top rookie? Can S Thomas keep trending up and be that outside CB the Cards need? To me there is a very young CB room trying to work as a unit..bringing in more new players to the CB might take even longer to mess as a unit. Maybe the DL as I have been consistent with in voicing the need to have better depth at the 3-5 tech and run with the edge or OLBs on the team currently. My personal hope in the 2025 draft is IOL(G) and a DL player similar to DRob and then do what ever else makes sense. Keep building depth at the OL and DL first. A better DL will help the OLBs edge rushing get more one on ones and improve the DB room since the QB will be under more duress as well as stop the run better on early downs and put defense in better plus yardage downs that creates more duress on QBs. Complementary FB starts in the trenches…a top pick CB doesn’t help get Cards defense in positive plus yardage money downs like a better DL would IMO. Flash your point on a top CB has merit…just isn’t as needed as a better OL or DL. The DB room is getting better and the youth on the team will continue to get better the more they play together…there is quite a bit of depth in the CB room…not as much on the DL Diesel
I will break my post down into 3 parts, this being Part 1....
Someone posted a link somewhere and it was about the CB's, specifically Garrett Williams...they mentioned how he was doing great at the slot position. I agree. In that article it did mention about shifting Garrett to the outside(which they mentioned he played in college). The article did point out this, if he is doing great at slot, why would we move him to the outside and would our other CB's be able to play the slot good enough...
Drafting a top 7 CB is not a good idea for us this next draft...first of all, we would have to trade up so far that it would cost us too much in draft picks...but...we do not need a top 7 CB to improve our CB Group. I am talking a CB in the mid first round. Don't get me wrong, I believe that we actually have a very good CB Corp. We may even get to almost a top 10 CB Corp with the personnel we have on the roster...what I see a very good chance to have a top 5 CB Corp by adding a 1rst round caliber CB in the draft...of course only if that pick pans out as expected. I am looking at this...Garrett at the slot, Melton as our #2 and the #1 draft pick CB playing the #1 slot. For depth at CB we would have Starling, Jones and Clark. If that 1rst round CB drafted next season turns out to be our best CB, I can see a top 5 CB Corp for years to come.
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Post by flash on Dec 8, 2024 11:17:53 GMT -7
Part 2
Let's break down what we currently have. I will start with the Dline/Pass Rush Corp...
As of today, we need an above average Pass Rusher. Also, we need an Interior Lineman to shutdown the run. Those are 2 needs that are a high priority. I am going to exclude Robinson from this equation because as of today, he has not been a factor due to injury. I am also going to exclude Ojulari because we won't know until after next years draft how he will perform as a Pass Rusher...so...yes we desperately need help at both those positions, more so than any other positions. Now...if we make the playoffs, we will probably draft in the 20's pick and if we don't make the playoffs we will probably draft in the mid first round.
Seeing that we will pick in the bottom half of the draft, these types of Pass Rushers/Dline players will be out of the question
Aidan Hutchinson
Will Anderson Jr.
Jalen Carter
This last draft there were 4 Pass Rushers/Dline taken in the mid round or later...
Laiatu Latu (Edge...15th Overall)
Byron Murphy II (DT...16th Overall)
Dallas Turner (Edge...17th Overall)
Jared Verse (Edge...19th Overall)
First, do you think that any of those 4 players have made a significant contribution to their team this season? Well, two of those teams are playoff contenders. The Colts and Rams are not playoff contenders as of today. Though both of them just as we are today in the hunt for a Playoff Spot. So, my second point is this. Should we draft a Pass Rusher/Dline person with our first pick in the next draft, would we be lucky enough to select the type of player we need and are looking for? Now, this is the downside. No matter how you look at it, we need a run stuffing DT and a Pass Rusher. Wouldn't you agree? With only one pick in the first round, if we get lucky with our pick and fill one of those needs, we are still needing one more player whether it be as a Pass Rusher or Interior Line player.
Does this upcoming draft have players available like the 4 above? Or does it have players like the 2023 draft for Pass Rushers/Dline:
Will McDonald IV (Edge...15th Overall)
Calijah Kancey (DT...19th Overall)
Mazi Smith (DT...26th Overall)
There were not too many Pass Rushers/Dline available in the middle to late round of this draft.
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Post by flash on Dec 8, 2024 11:18:21 GMT -7
Part 3
Ok...now let's look at what we have in the CB Corp at this time...I will exclude Elijah Jones because he has not been a factor as of today.
Bunting
Melton
Garrett
Starling
Clark
Garrett is a keeper at slot.
Melton will either become our #1 CB on the outside next season or the #2 CB.
Bunting has 10 game starts this season. Melton has 1 game start this season. I am wondering why a player in Melton that we drafted #43 Overall in the draft has only 1 game start? There was a time when Bunting was a very good CB. It was during Tampa's Super Bowl run. The problem is that he is not that player anymore...he needs to be dropped down in the CB Depth chart.
Melton
31 Solo Tackles this season. 3 Passes defended. 1 Forced Fumble.
Bunting
20 Solo Tackles this season. 2 Passes defended. 2 Forced Fumble.
Just on those stats above, wouldn't you agree that Melton is a better CB than Bunting as of right now? He had only one game start to Bunting's 10 game start. Switch those roles and what could we have in Melton? A lot more than we have seen so far...
And this is why I want us to draft a mid 1rst round CB in the upcoming draft...we would probably have a top 5 CB Corp and have that locked in for years...if that pick pans out.
Here are CB's that have been taken about the mid to late 1rst round:
Quinyon Mitchell
Terrion Arnold
Emmanuel Forbes
Christian Gonzalez
Trent McDuffie
What kind of CB Corp would we have if we landed a CB like one of these?
My final point to make is that in my opinion we have a better chance to end up with a top 5 CB Corp easier than it would be to end up with a top 5 Pass Rusher/Dline Corp with one pick in the first round of the upcoming draft...regardless of the position we draft in the first round in the upcoming draft...it is still a 50/50 chance for that player to pan out...but like I have pointed out in a previous post...all teams take that risk every single draft...
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