Linebackers – Bertrand Berry is going to be 34 when the season starts. Coupled with his freshly signed one year contract even Inspector Gadget could figure out this is it for him. Chike Okeafor just turned 32. He might be best known for touring the NFC West. The Rams are the only team he has yet to play for. Karlos Dansby is their rock and he is playing this season under the franchise tag. Combine these question marks with new defensive coordinator Bill Davis’ desire to play a more traditional 3-4 and this area will get some attention in the draft. 

Running Back – There has been no rush to cut Edgerrin James because the team has no one better on hand. Everyone knows both parties would like to move on even if “Edge” played a key role in their run to the franchise’s first Super Bowl. Tim Hightower was given a chance as a rookie. He proved to be nothing more than a touchdown vulture with 11 scores in 177 carries including the playoffs. His only two scoring receptions came in playoff games. The bad news was a dreadful 2.8 average rush in the regular season. J.J. Arrington has been mostly a kickoff return man since being taken in round two when Dennis Green was giving great news conferences. The Cards need a true feature back capable of carrying the football 15-25 times in any given game. Somewhere in the first 100 picks they need to address this problem.

Cornerback – Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie’s stock shot up in the 2008 draft partially because of his name. Now the team has to hope the comparisons to his cousin Antonio end because while both stood out as rookies the Chargers are suddenly worried after what they saw in year two. Bryant McFadden was signed from Pittsburgh which signifies an upgrade on the depth chart over Eric Green who left for Miami. The trouble here is depth. Roderick Hood was a starter before the McFadden signing and still might be. If “DRC” can avoid his cousin’s sophomore slump the team should be in better shape than season’s past, but given how dreadful their pass defense has been in recent seasons someone will be added on draft weekend.

Tight End – In 2006 the team drafted Leonard Pope early in the third round. His 48 receptions for 476 yards and 5 touchdowns since would barely represent one productive season. In 42 games he has had enough time to figure it out and obviously has not. He just signed a one year contract. Stephen Spach was a nice reclamation project and his last name provided color commentators something to talk about in the team’s wild card win over Atlanta. Coming back from fixing his ACL casts doubt over his development as their top receiving threat at the position. Ben Patrick was retained and has been average as a seventh round pick in 2007. Anthony Becht has been added on a one year deal and coupled with Patrick should provide blocking options. It is debatable how important this position need is given their propensity to spread the ball around to wide receivers, but if the opportunity arises certainly a pass catching threat has to be considered.

Offensive Line (interior) – Center Lyle Sendlein made a name for himself in the playoffs, just not in the way he wanted. The image of Kurt Warner tripping as he took the snap was repeated several times including the Super Bowl. The team signed him, and also held onto guard Elton Brown. However, these are not exactly vote of confidence deals considered the terms were not even announced. Arizona has struggled mightily to run the ball effectively. The middle of the offensive line is what fuels the rushing game so the Cards should be looking for a power guard and center in the draft.

Defensive Line – In consecutive drafts the team took tackles from Michigan. Gabe Watson (fourth round, 2006) has held a spot on the depth chart and signed a one year deal as a restricted free agent. Alan Branch (second round, 2007) was considered a “steal” at the time. However, he has barely seen the field with just 15 games played in two seasons and is heading towards another cliché draft term – bust. Over at end Bryan Robinson joined the team this season and was in the mix on the defensive line all season. He turns 34 in June. Antonio Smith bolted for the Houston Texans. Last year’s draft produced Calais Campbell and Kenny Iwebema in the second and fourth rounds respectively. Conventional wisdom leads me to believe that pair is responsible for the Smith departure and inevitable Robinson decline. However, teams running a 3-4 are constantly adding parts. I would expect an interior addition to be considered in the middle rounds and possibly an outside addition late or even after the draft (rookie free agent).

Quarterback – They signed Kurt Warner. Congratulations on keeping him away from San Francisco where he clearly never wanted to be. The jury is very much out on Matt Leinart and because of the Warner signing (two years) his future might be in a different uniform. Career clipboard holder Brian St. Pierre is their other option. It would be a savvy move to bring in someone (late rounds) who can at the very least light a fire under Leinart. Someone needs to figure out what while Warner is playing out the string no one really knows if Leinart is a viable NFL starter. Even if he is, a rookie addition would liven up the depth chart

Special Teams (returns) – Some of the needs discussed above will double up as help on special teams early in their careers. The big question is the return game. J.J. Arrington was their best kickoff return threat (25.6 yard average) and nearly half of the team’s returns during the regular season. He is gone to Denver. Steve Breaston was not as good (20.2 average) while accounting for almost as many returns. His skills were also used bringing back punts. All 33 punt returns in the regular season were handled by Breaston. It’s fine to assume he will take on a larger role in the return game, but the wild card is Anquan Boldin. Arizona had three receivers over 1,000 yards. If Boldin exits via trade as rumors continue to swirl then Breaston takes on a larger role as a receiver as well. The man can only do so much. He returned 62 kickoffs in 2007 and caught 77 passes in 2008. He will not be able to do both in the same season. I expect the team to keep an eye out for a player capable of helping return both kickoffs and punts.


Michael Abromowitz's 2009 NFL Mock Draft - 7 rounds
Gregory Cox's 2009 NFL Mock Draft - 4 rounds
Jared Donnelly's 2009 NFL Mock Draft