NFL Draft Grades: Arizona Cardinals

Arizona Cardinals 2008 Draft Picks:

Round 1 (16): Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, CB, Tennessee State
Round 2 (50): Calais Campbell, DE, Miami
Round 3 (81): Early Doucet, WR, LSU
Round 4 (116): Kenny Iwebema, DE, Iowa
Round 5 (149): Tim Hightower, RB, Richmond
Round 6 (185): Chris Harrington, DE, Texas A&M
Round 7 (225): Brandon Keith, OT, Northern Iowa

The Good: Going into the draft, Arizona had quite a few needs to fill. There were several defensive positions that needed someone who could come in and start immediately, while others were lacking quality depth. And with the first two selections, coupled with the late-round pick of Chris Harrington (rotational pass rusher), they were able to fill all of those needs.

The Bad: The Cardinals weren't able to secure the big time running back most analysts believed they needed, but they were able to lock down Tim Hightower in round five. And while he may not be a Darren McFadden or even a Ray Rice, he's a Marion Barber-like running back who could give Arizona exactly what they need anyway. In addition to their failure to land a game-breaking back, Arizona missed out on a solid safety and additional depth at linebacker.

The Grade: B+. People may not be very high on Tim Hightower right now, nor very high on the 2007 version of Calais Campbell, but both of those players have a tremendous upside. I'm not a scout by any means, but I fully expect Campbell to return to his 2006 form, with Hightower providing all the help Arizona could possibly need behind Edgerrin James.

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