Login

Register | Forgot Your Password? | Close
Vaccaro.jpg
Texas' Kenny Vaccaro (4) prior to the team's Alamo Bowl NCAA football game against Oregon State, Saturday, Dec. 29, 2012, in San Antonio. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
By this time it's no secret what the fans, Valley media, and national pundits think the Cardinals need to do in round one of the 2013 NFL Draft.

Sure, the sentiment may be split 50/50 on the Cardinals taking an offensive tackle or quarterback in round one, but that is pretty much the consensus at this point. There is one problem with the pick being a consensus in February though… It's February, so we have no idea what's going to happen.

I have broken down the Cardinals' biggest needs, then taken the time to list the top ten prospects at each of those need positions: quarterback, pass rusher, interior offensive lineman, and offensive tackle, but does that make it a slam dunk the Cardinals go with one of those positions at seven?

Let's look at it another way and suppose the draft's first six picks go off like this:
Chiefs- Geno Smith
Jaguars- Dion Jordan
Raiders- Sheldon Richardson
Eagles- Luke Joeckel
Lions- Eric Fisher
Browns- Barkevious Mingo

That leaves the Cardinals in a bit of a lurch. They could pull the trigger on Lane Johnson, a guy I called the offensive tackle with the most upside in the draft, but taking a guy like Johnson at seven involves all the risk of taking Levi Brown at five.

Is that the way GM Steve Keim and HC Bruce Arians want to start their tenure, reaching for a possible need on a very inexperienced left tackle, albeit with a larger upside than Brown had?

Then there is the thought of drafting Chance Warmack at seven. No one, and I mean absolutely no one, would be happier if the Cardinals took Warmack at seven, but there hasn't been a guard drafted in the top 10 in the draft since 1997. Are the Cardinals and this new regime really brave enough to take that leap?

That leaves the list of prospects that fit into what the Cardinals want to do as… shallow.

I saw the outcry of what even mentioning a quarterback at seven can cause; that doesn't mean it won't happen, but let's leave that discussion for another day.

Guys like Bjoern Werner and Damontre Moore won't fit into the Cardinals' 3-4 scheme, in my opinion, as I can't see them being as effective standing up as outside linebackers and they aren't nearly big enough to work as 3-4 defensive ends.

Who are some prospects that could be available at seven if this is how the draft unfolds and the Cardinals aren't willing to pull the trigger on young Lane or a quarterback?

Star Lotulelei, DT Utah 6-4 320lbs

While many see the defensive line as a strength, the reality is the Cardinals are thin at both defensive end spots after Calais Campbell and Darnell Dockett.

Lotulelei has been compared to Ravens defensive lineman Haloti Ngata, and that comparison should make Cardinals fans even more intrigued if they decided to truly go "best player available."

Star would be able to work into the defensive line rotation early and often, working from nose tackle to both end spots, and upgrade a unit that struggled to stop the run consistently.

He also would be insurance for the Cardinals if they decided to let go of Dockett after 2013 or refuse to pick up the club option on Dan Williams' 2014 contract.

Dee Milliner, CB Alabama 6-1 200lbs

As the NFL continues in its copycat ways, we will see teams looking to grab cornerbacks with more size and ball skills than turn and run athletes.

The Seahawks have perhaps the best secondary in the NFL with this philosophy, and Milliner is that type of corner.

Big, long and athletic, Milliner doesn't have the elite speed of Patrick Peterson or Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, but he is a physical ball hawk that loves to play press coverage.

The Cardinals have needs in their secondary, as only three corners are under contract for 2013, and adding a talent such as Milliner never hurts.

Kenny Vaccaro, FS Texas 6-1 218lbs

While the Cardinals and Adrian Wilson decide on their future together, one has to wonder at what point the team will look to getting a safety of the future on the roster.

Kerry Rhodes played extremely well in 2012, but turns 31 in August and is due $6 million in salary for 2013. Vaccaro is the prototype of the new NFL safety.

Big, fast and versatile, Vaccaro lined up all over the field for the Longhorns in 2012, even covering receivers in the slot at times. He attacks the line of scrimmage with a Wilson-like fury against the run, and has improved on creating turnovers.

Adding a player like Vaccaro would make the transition from the Wilson era much easier for Cardinals fans, and may actually improve the Cardinals defense.

While the three prospects above won't address the most glaring needs on the Cardinals' roster, they are all realistic possibilities if the offensive tackles and outside linebackers are gone early and the team's brass doesn't see a quarterback worth taking at seven or the value in taking a guard that early.

Seth Cox/The Sports Headquarters, Editor-in-chief of The Sports Headquarters

17 Comments   |   Join the conversation »
  • Add A Comment 
  • Abuse
    crusaders wrote...
    Build the O-Line
    I think if we use the draft to build the offensive line it will take care of our biggest problem. From the time the Cards moved to AZ we have NEVER had a good offensive line. We've made good running backs look bad because the line couldn't open holes and it didn't matter who our QB or Receivers were because the QB was always running for his life or didn't have time for a play to develop.
  • Abuse
    Tennisgrandpa wrote...
    Seriously?
    I'm guessing this guy didn't watch one Cardinal game this season. Every pick option he names doesn't address one need we have.
    Dale
  • Abuse
    hugUhbear wrote...
    Adding a defensive player at 7 will do absolutely
    nothing for improving our offense. QB and OL ARE the top 2 priorities in getting better as a football team. I think that it is MORONIC for people to even speculate on the Cards going defense in the 1stRD. That thinking is EXACTLY what differentiates people wanting this franchise to get better and those that are inept at making it happen. Warmacks grade as a football player by the PRO SOUTS of America is 96.
  • Abuse
    hugUhbear wrote...
    (CONT)
    There is no player in this draft with a higher grade. Scouts make their living on grading talent dayin/day out. He IS a monster who would be our OL ANCHOR. If the Cards want to run the ball next year and give our QB a chance at not being a one dimensional threat then their interior OL Has 2B addressed.
  • Abuse
    cmjone24 wrote...
    Defense
    If you're going to take a defensive player at 7 at least take one that fills a need. Jarvis Jones from Georgia would be a perfect fit.
  • Abuse
    theuglytruth wrote...
    Dee Milliner
    will likely be a Lion, so I'm not concerned about this mock draft (Fisher to Lions). The Lions drafted Riley Rieff last year, their not going to spend another high pick on another LT. They are desperate at the CB position. Not to mention they missed their chance to trade up and take Patrick Peterson (Cards ransom was 1,2,3 picks in 2011), instead they opted for Nick Fairley, Mikel Leshoure, and Titus Young...all of those players were arrested and only Fairly seems to be in good standing. Lions take Milliner, Fisher drops to the Cards is how I see it.
  • Abuse
    theuglytruth wrote...
    If this mock stands
    BPA would be Star Lotulelei, Dion Jordan, then Chance Warmack.
  • Abuse
    Lee A. wrote...
    If Seth is Correct
    Then I would rather see Warmack taken at #7, regardless of when the last OG was drafted that high (1997). I don't see that as a leap - this guy (to quote Jurecki) is a road grader. Besides, I think @theuglytruth is correct in that the Lions won't take another OT with a high pick which should make Fisher available at 7.
  • Abuse
    SethCox wrote...
    @theuglytruth
    I had Dion going at 2 to the Jags in this scenario. Reiff looks like a RT in the NFL, struggled in his 2 games at LT but graded out extremely well at RT. @LeeA you know I'm all for Warmack at 7, I was all for DeCastro at 13 last year, but I'm not in charge, and the NFL as a whole has not done something like OG early in years.
  • Abuse
    SethCox wrote...
    @cmjone24
    You'll find few draft analysts that like Jarvis as much as I do still, but are you willing to draft a player w/ those health concerns? Even if he has 3-4 years of dominant play, is it worth that?
close

Share: