2009 Arizona Cardinals draft analysis

November 7, 1:49 AMNFL Draft ExaminerJosh Lobdell

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The Arizona Cardinals entered the 2009 draft with a few specific needs, and while they didn’t do anything all that fancy on draft day they adequately addressed their needs. General Manager Rod Graves has been known to be conservative, partially because they never seem to have the picks to trade much, and partially because when they have traded it hasn’t exactly worked out.

Of course much of the draft buzz was centered on a dynamic deal for star wide out Anquan Boldin that could have netted this team enough high draft picks to be major players, of course that trade never materialized so the Cardinals went about addressing their needs.

The top need for this team was a RB to take over for Edergin James. While the Cards do have Tim Hightower on the roster, they were looking for someone with speed and a power run game to complement him.

Since this team was moving to a more conventional 3-4 base defense, the Cardinals needed a young OLB prospect on the roster. While their LB corps isn’t terrible three of the four guys on the roster are over 30 years old.

This team was also in the market for a TE, and it is a role this team has been looking to fill for mush of the past two decades. They were looking to fill this role in the later rounds if the right prospect could be found there.

With the 31st pick in the first round, the Cardinals addressed their RB need by selecting Chris Wells out of Ohio State. Chris Wells was the second highest rated RB in the 2009 draft and the Cardinals made him the third one selected.

Through the first seven games Wells has just 238 yards, he is averaging 34 yard per game, and has one TD compared to three fumbles in which one was lost. He suffered through some injuries in Training Camp and given his struggles in the season we must give this pick an initial grade of B.

With the 63rd pick in the second round, the Cardinals selected Cody Brown the OLB from UCONN. Brown has yet to play for the Cardinals since there are four veterans on the depth chart in front of him, but the Cardinals are convinced that he can be a contributor later. With that in mind we must give this pick an initial grade of a B-.

With all that in mind let us take a look at the initial 2009 draft grades for the Cardinals:

Round 1- B
Round 2- B-
Talent- A-
Need- A
Average- B

And now a more complete look at the 2209 draft of the Arizona Cardinals:

Round One- 31st overall RB Chris Wells OSU
Round Two- 63rd overall OLB Cody Brown UCONN
Round Three- 95th overall S Rashad Johnson Alabama
Round Four- 131st overall CB Greg Toler St. Paul’s
Round Five- 167th overall OT Herman Johnson LSU
Round Six- 204th overall OLB/DE Will Davis Illinois
Round Seven 240th overall RB Larod Stephens-Howling Pitt
Round Seven 254th overall G Trevor Canfield Cincinnati