Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
USA Today Sports Media Group
USA Today Sports Media Group
Sport
Jess Root

Cardinals get ‘A’ grade for draft but Isaiah Simmons’ selection raises questions

With the NFL draft over, it is time to give the Arizona Cardinals grades for their work. They largely have gotten high grades, especially with the selection of Isaiah Simmons at the No. 8 overall pick.

CBS Sports’ Pete Prisco gives the Cardinals an A in his grades, but the one pick he questions is Simmons.

Best Pick: Third-round tackle Josh Jones will be a steal for the Cardinals. He will begin on the right side, but will eventually be a good left tackle someday. 

Worst Pick: It’s hard to find one, but I didn’t love the pick of Isaiah Simmons in the first round. He’s a good player, but where does he play? How they figure that out will ultimately decide if it’s a good pick. 

 The Skinny: The Cardinals had a great draft, especially if you count them trading a second-round pick to get DeAndre Hopkins and a fifth-round pick to get running back Kenyan Drake. They added bulk on both lines, which they needed to do as well. 

Yes, where Simmons plays and how they use him will matter ultimately as to how good a pick it is. But the truth is this draft, even without landing solid college players, they have already produced three starters with picks they used in Hopkins, Drake and Jalen Thompson, their supplemental pick last July.

Jones is a steal if he becomes a starter. Their fourth-round picks should both play as rookies.

It is a good draft.

Listen to the latest from Cards Wire’s Jess Root on his podcast, Rise Up, See Red. Subscribe on Apple podcasts or Stitcher Radio.

Ep.265

Ep. 264

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.