Arizona Cardinals Wrap Up 2014 NFL Draft
By Jesse Borek
Mandatory Credit: Ivan Pierre Aguirre-USA TODAY Sports
On a wild final day of the 2014 NFL Draft, the Arizona Cardinals certainly kept things interesting to say the least.
Not ones to avoid plugging up holes in the roster, the Cardinals emptied the tank on their three remaining picks, attempting to bolster the roster as strategically as possible.
The biggest surprise of them all was the fourth round selection.
Out of Virginia Tech University, the Cardinals went with quarterback Logan Thomas. The 6’6” gunslinger is certainly that–there are no questions about the strength of his arm and its potential to translate to the pros. What caused the stunned reaction was not only his selection over three proven SEC quarterbacks, but the fact that many believe Thomas is not going to be anywhere accurate enough to be a starting quarterback.
While he is built like a defensive end, Thomas can rifle the ball around the gridiron. Should he take the teachings of head coach Bruce Arians and apply them to his craft, nearly everything will have to go his way in order for Thomas to be the man sitting in wait of the Arizona starting quarterback position.
Anytime a professional team drafts a football player out of Alabama, fans take notice. With the 160th overall pick, the Cardinals selected Ed Stinson, defensive end from the University of Alabama.
Odds are that since he was a member of two national championship-winning teams, Stinson is a talented football player. By watching film and reading reports on him, he seems like exactly the type of athlete you want on your team. He plays tenaciously and leaves it all out on the grass, giving the squad everything he has. It is a hit-or-miss selection, but taking a gamble on a defensive end from Alabama is really no gamble whatsoever.
With their seventh and final selection, they took Walt Powell out of Murray State, their second small-school receiver from non-DI ranks.
Listed at 5’11”, it seems safe to assume Powell’s best asset is his speed, even though he did run an average 4.63 40-yard dash at the combine.
In an ideal world, either Powell or Brown will turn themselves into satisfactory receivers and they will have hit a double, certainly settling for that in hopes of a home run.
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It was an eventful draft for the Cardinals, a team on the fringe of both mediocrity and a playoff berth. Did the team get better through the Draft? Immediate returns resoundingly state yes. The true impact of these players will not be able to be measured until they step onto the turf.
Until then, they are just promise walking across the stage in a suit.