[Arizona Cardinals News]

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East Valley Tribune NFL: CARDINALS: FSN Arizona airs Matt Leinart: Under the Lights
noticias.info, Spain - 15 hours ago
He is the young franchise quarterback Arizona Cardinals fans have been waiting for and this Wednesday, May 3, at 8:30 pm, FSN Arizona viewers can get up close ...
Cardinals' draft boosts season ticket sales Bizjournals.com
Grading the Cardinals' Draft RealFootball365.com
Cards poised to put past behind them AZ Central.com
Arizona Republic - San Jose Mercury News - all 60 related

Wed, 03 May 2006 00:23:00 GMT

Grading the Cardinals' Draft RealFootball365.com

Round 1, Pick 10 - QB Matt Leinart, USC
Leinart is a tall, pocket passing quarterback, has great touch on his passes, is a winner, and is very smart. The 2004 Heisman Trophy winner should fit in nicely with an offense full of weapons. He will have two tremendous wide receivers in Anquan Boldin and Larry Fitzgerald as well as All-Pro running back Edgerrin James to carry the load and take the pressure off. Quietly, the Cardinals have built up their offensive line, which should allow Leinart to flourish. It also helps that he will have veteran and former MVP Kurt Warner to learn behind.

Round 2, Pick 41 - G Taitusi Lutui, USC

The USC product is big and strong. He stands 6'4" 333 pounds and should be a force at the point of attack. He is a solid run blocker, but his weaknesses are exposed in pass blocking. Lutui doesn't have great footwork, he gets lost in space and lacks quickness, which allows some speed rushers to get under him. He projects to be a Toniu Fonoti or David Dixon-like guard in the NFL.

Round 3, Pick 72 - TE Leonard Pope, Georgia
The 6'8" tight end should provide a big target for Warner and/or Leinart. He has incredible strength and breaks plenty of tackles. He should be able to stretch some defenses with his speed, and with Boldin and Fitzgerald at WR, the middle of the field should be open for him. The knocks on Pope are his blocking and the fact that he tends to wait for the ball to come to him rather than coming back to the ball on passes. Regardless, he is a physical specimen and was a solid first-day pick.

Round 4, Pick 107 - DT Gabe Watson, Michigan
Watson is a big defensive tackle that has the tools to be good in the NFL. However, he is very inconsistent and sometimes takes plays off. He is suited best to play nose tackle, and when aggressive can be disruptive. He could have been a first-rounder, but his senior season was completely uninspiring.

Round 5, Pick 142 - LB Brandon Johnson, Louisville
He has a knack for being around the ball, and has great speed and explosiveness. His problems lie in the fact that he is undersized in terms of weight (227 pounds), and has poor technique. However, Johnson should make an immediate impact on special teams.

Round 6, Pick 177 - DT Jon Lewis, Virginia Tech
Lewis uses his hands well and is quick. He also uses his explosion off the snap and great hand work to be disruptive and blow up plays in the backfield. Unfortunately, he is undersized at only 6'1", which allows offensive linemen to get leverage on him. He probably won't be a big impact player, but the Arizona Cardinals could have done worse here.

Round 7, Pick 218 - WR Todd Watkins, BYU
Watkins is an inconsistent receiver who drops a lot of passes. He has good speed, decent height, and has the potential to be a fairly good player at the NFL level. His problem is that he never lived up to his potential in college, and was never consistent. It's possible that he could develop, though, which makes him a safe choice here.

Matt and Pope of course I think are great picks...but Iam going on a limb here and say that 7th rounder Todd Watkins will develop...three years the kid will be a starter...

[Grozny]

Your analysis is similar to the one I posted in the NFL best draft thread, which means you did a good job breaking down the Cards draft.

I agree that Watkins will be a starter down the road. The kid is probably the best deep ball receiver in the draft (or one of). I don't mean he'll turn a 5 yard out into 80. However, he will win many balls that are up for grabs. He reminds me of Daryl Turner, a receiver who played for Seattle during the mid 80's. Turner, in 2 seasons, average 20 yards a catch and had 23 td's, mostly on just deep passes.

[Gotham Dark Knight]

Originally Posted by Grozny

Your analysis is similar to the one I posted in the NFL best draft thread, which means you did a good job breaking down the Cards draft.

I agree that Watkins will be a starter down the road. The kid is probably the best deep ball receiver in the draft (or one of). I don't mean he'll turn a 5 yard out into 80. However, he will win many balls that are up for grabs. He reminds me of Daryl Turner, a receiver who played for Seattle during the mid 80's. Turner, in 2 seasons, average 20 yards a catch and had 23 td's, mostly on just deep passes.

Hey bro...thought it looked familiar, but that's what the newsbot giveth...I remember Touchdown Turner...here's hoping that Watkins has that kind of career at least...

Hey are we offically staring a "Watkins Watch?"...where we over analysis every step he takes in camp?...you in?

Hey, and what's this about your gir lcoming for a visit and I am the last to know?...you dissing me bro?

[Grozny]

Hey, and what's this about your girl coming for a visit and I am the last to know?...you dissing me bro?

Well I just found out 2 days ago so you're not that far behind the loop.

Watkins is a BYU boy so I hope he does end up doing well in his pro career.