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Cardinals stock up on offense
Posted: Monday April 19, 1999 11:09 AM
TEMPE, Ariz. (AP) -- No more humdrum games for the Arizona Cardinals. The Cardinals, fresh off their first winning season in 14 years, bolstered their offense by taking an explosive receiver with their first choice of the draft and toughened up at several positions during the two-day harvest of college talent. "That was a big push from my perspective -- to give us as many weapons as we possibly can to win a Super Bowl," player personnel director Bob Ferguson said about first-round choice David Boston. "Sometimes you've got to outscore people, and you've got to have the weapons to do it." Despite leaving Ohio State after his junior season, Boston set Buckeyes career records for catches (191), touchdown grabs (34) and yards receiving (2,855). He had 85 catches, 13 TD receptions and 1,435 yards last year -- all single-season records at a school which produced wideouts like Cris Carter and Joey Galloway. As a freshman, he caught the TD that beat Arizona State 20-17 in the 1997 Rose Bowl. Now he will be getting the ball from former Sun Devils quarterback Jake Plummer. "I had never been on the same field with somebody who showed the amount of composure and the type of leadership he showed in that game," said the 6-foot-2, 210-pound Boston, drafted No. 8 overall. The Cardinals doubled up at other areas of need, selecting two offensive linemen, two fullbacks, two linebackers and two defensive backs along with a defensive end and a quarterback. L.J. Shelton, the heir apparent to Lomas Brown at left tackle, is likely to anchor the offensive line for years. The 6-5, 322-pound son of former Seattle SuperSonics forward Lonnie Shelton was a known commodity who fell to No. 21 in the first round because of other teams' scramble to draft quarterbacks. So was Arizona guard Yusuf Scott, whom Ferguson didn't expect to find at No. 168 in the fifth round on Sunday. Scott, who played at close to 340 pounds, is down to 320 and looks good to offensive line coach George Warhop. "He's not only a tough guy, but he's dedicated to finishing the play," Warhop said, describing a play in Arizona's game with Iowa in which Scott drove a linebacker "out of the picture and off the field." After picking Florida linebacker Johnny Rutledge in the second round and Wisconsin defensive end Thomas Burke in the third round on Saturday, the Cardinals began Sunday looking for a power back to help clear the way for tailbacks Adrian Murrell and Mario Bates. They stocked up with 5-10, 234-pound Joel Makovicka of Nebraska in the fourth round (No. 116) and 6-0, 243-pound Dennis McKinley of Mississippi State in the sixth (206th). The two will compete with Cedric Smith, who missed last season after injuring his knee, for a spot on the team. The Cardinals took Miami of Ohio safety Paris Johnson in the fifth round and cornerback Coby Rhinehart of Southern Methodist in the sixth. They used their third sixth-round choice on Melvin Bradley, who played defensive end at Arkansas but will be tried at middle linebacker, and finished with seventh-round pick Chris Greisen, a quarterback from Northwest Missouri State. Greisen led Northwest Missouri to a 31-1 record and the 1998 Division II national championship his last two seasons and set career records with 5,855 yards and 51 touchdown passes. "You talk about taking a program to another level, and he has," Ferguson said. Makovicka, the first player the Cardinals took during the day, is similar to Boston in having the potential to add offensive punch immediately. He holds Nebraska's record for career TDs by a fullback (13), ranks third among fullbacks with 1,447 yards rushing and caught 12 passes for 155 yards. The Cardinals use starting fullback Larry Centers almost exclusively as a pass-catcher. "I think he's going to be a special player for us," Tobin said about Makovicka. "He can block and he has excellent hands. He's got some run ability, and he likes to play the game."
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