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Draft Preview: Cardinals pick 21st
Posted: Monday March 29, 1999 12:10 PM
For the next 21 days, CNN/SI will offer a daily look at one pick from the 1999 draft, finishing with Cleveland. Check back for a new preview each day. Despite two first-round picks, the Arizona Cardinals will be hard-pressed to get as much out of this year's draft as they did last year. Two swindles, er, trades seemed to go decidedly in the Cards' favor, and the benefits of those deals continue to help the team this April. The Cards had the No. 2 pick but opted to shift down to No. 3 through a trade with San Diego, which unbelievably tossed in a 1998 second-round pick, a 1999 first-round pick (the 8th overall) and receiver Eric Metcalf and linebacker Patrick Sapp. The Cards were able to take Andre Wadsworth, who they would've likely taken anyway, and used the second-round pick on defensive back Corey Chavous, another defensive standout last year. All this, for the rights to draft ... Ryan Leaf. The Cards also acquired tailback Adrian Murrell from the Jets for a third-round pick -- Murrell rushed for 1,042 yards and 8 TDs last year, while the Jets parlayed the pick into safety Scott Frost, who had three tackles as a rookie. In addition to the extra first-rounder this year, the Cards tied for the league's biggest windfall with four compensatory picks sent their way to make up for free-agent losses. The Cards gained a fifth, two sixths and a seventh-round pick, giving them 11 picks in all for this year's draft. Best bet for No. 21 As is the case with all four teams who have multiple first-round picks this year, the key to figuring out who the Cards take at No. 21 is figuring out where they're likely to go with San Diego's pick, the 8th overall. The popular thinking for the 8th pick is that Arizona will select BYU tackle John Tait, widely considered the best lineman in the draft. Tait lives in Tempe, making him a local favorite as well, but the Cards have other needs and might benefit the most from the deep pool of tackles in this year's class. Tait could step in and start for Arizona, but with as many as six tackles meriting a first-round pick, they can still find a potential starter with the 21st pick and use the 8th on a speedy receiver like N.C. State's Torry Holt to complement Rob Moore and Frank Sanders.
Either way, the Cardinals will not under any circumstances leave the first round without drafting a tackle. They're not paying Jake Plummer to run for his life, and protecting him is their top priority. A bad offensive line got a lot worse when Lomas Brown signed with the Cleveland Browns -- the Cards have been reportedly interested in Dolphins tackle Richmond Webb, who has a franchise tag but apparently could be acquired for the right price. That would give Jimmy Johnson another first-round pick to play with, which could in turn free him up to give Cincinnati a first-rounder for Carl Pickens, but that's a little complicated to be anything but speculation. Assuming Arizona recognizes the depth this draft boasts at tackle, they'll have a few solid options with the 21st pick. After Tait, there's no general consensus as to which tackle is the next best option. There are four tackles generally considered to be in the top echelon: Wisconsin's Aaron Gibson, West Virginia's Solomon Page, Eastern Michigan's Lonnie Shelton and Georgia's Matt Stinchcomb -- and that's just alphabetical order. Gibson is huge, and is accustomed to blocking for a huge back in Wisconsin's Ron Dayne, so he could even move to guard in the NFL. Page will likely be gone when the Cardinals pick -- the Chiefs, selecting 14th, also need a tackle and should take one in the first round. That leaves Stinchcomb and Shelton, who both have apparently seen their draft stock level off in the last few months. Shelton pulled a hamstring at the combines, so he couldn't complete his workouts, and some teams are concerned about taking a tackle from a small school like Eastern Michigan with a high pick. Just the same, Shelton blocked for Charlie Batch in college, so Detroit could be interested, though it would be a reach for him to go as high as ninth. Stinchcomb's critics cite a lack of pure strength, especially in his lower body, but he's definitely a left tackle and is likely the surest bet at tackle after Tait. He and linemate Chris Terry could be the first pair of offensive linemen taken in the first round since Antone Davis and Charles McRae of Tennessee went 7th and 8th in the first round of the 1991 draft. Pencil in Stinchcomb to the Cardinals and hope that he and Terry pan out better than Davis and McRae, who rank among the decade's biggest first-round busts on the offensive line. Click here if you have a question or comment about the upcoming NFL Draft. We'll answer a few questions and publish selected comments once a week between now and April 17.
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