Draft-day mistakes hurt Cardinals’ depth

Coaching changes lead to roster makeovers, and the Cardinals’ headquarters in Tempe was the land of opportunity this offseason.

Nearly half of their players – 24 of 53 – weren’t with them a year ago. That’s the most since the Cardinals opened the 2013 season, Bruce Arians’ first as coach, with 26 new players.

A new coach, Steve Wilks, and system changes on both sides of the ball, explain only part of the turnover in personnel.

Another reason is that too many of the team’s draft choices over the past five years haven’t fulfilled expectations.

Let’s disregard this year’s rookie class, since the

regular season hasn’t started. All but one made the team.

And let’s toss out the 2013 class since those players are entering their sixth seasons. That’s longer than most players’ careers, although you would think at least one of the nine selections would still be on the team.

That leaves us with four draft classes, 2014 through 2017. Only 13 of the 27 players chosen by the Cardinals in those years are on the roster. Eight of the those 13 are starters.

General Manager Steve Keim and the Cardinals made some wise choices in that time, such as defensive end Markus Golden (second round, 2015), running back David Johnson (third round, 2015) and safety Budda Baker (second round, 2017).

Parting with a second-round pick as part of a trade for defensive end Chandler Jones (2016) also was an astute move.

But there have been too many misses. Six of the seven offensive linemen drafted by Keim are no longer with the team. Only left tackle D.J. Humphries remains, and he has played in just 18 games in three seasons.

Keim’s first pick as general manager, guard Jonathan Cooper, was just cut by his fifth team, the 49ers, last weekend. Over the years, the Cardinals also parted ways with guards Earl Watford and Dorian Johnson and tackle Cole Toner. Last weekend, they cut guard/center Evan Boehm and tackle Will Holden.

The 2016 draft class is Keim’s worst. Only two of the six players from that class remain with the team: defensive tackle Robert Nkemdiche (first round) and cornerback Brandon Williams (third). Nkemdiche hasn’t started an NFL game and has only 15 tackles. Williams was benched as a rookie and hasn’t seriously contended for a starting job since.

The Cardinals have tried to compensate for draft mistakes in other ways, including signing 24 rookie free agents this spring. Four of them made the team. The Cardinals might have done a nice job of identifying priority rookie free agents, but four of them making the 53-man roster is a sure sign this team lacks depth.

Five of Keim’s six first-round picks remain with the team, and their development this year is vital if the Cardinals are going to finish with a winning record for the first time in three years.

“I think it’s always important they reflect their draft status,” coach Steve Wilks said.

Linebacker Deone Bucannon, (2014) hobbled through last season on a bad ankle. Humphries (2015) missed 11 games a year ago with a knee injury. Nkemdiche (2016) has been nagged by various leg injuries and didn’t do anything when healthy.

Outside linebacker Haason Reddick (2017) is listed as a starter in the base defense, but it doesn’t appear he’s in the team’s nickel package. That’s unusual for a young linebacker drafted 13th overall because of his penchant for making tackles behind the line of scrimmage.

Nkemdiche and Reddick have been equally unproductive, but for different reasons.

Coming out of college, Nkemdiche had a reputation for taking plays off and his passion for the game was questioned. He was viewed as a top-10 talent who fell to 29th overall because of those concerns.

He’s done nothing with the Cardinals to prove critics wrong. Nkemdiche has a prime chance to change that this year, because the 4-3 defensive system installed by Wilks and coordinator Al Holcomb can make a star out of a defensive tackle.

Powerful, quick defensive tackles are a matchup problem for guards and centers throughout the NFL, but that hasn’t been the case in Arizona yet.

Unlike Nkemdiche, no one ever questioned Reddick’s passion for the game. He walked on at Temple, wasn’t awarded a scholarship until after his junior year, then exploded as a senior.

Reddick has not shown that same ability in the NFL. The Cardinals moved Reddick to inside linebacker, then to outside linebacker a year ago, which probably stunted his development.

But over the past few weeks, it was noticeable that when the Cardinals went to their nickel package, it was Josh Bynes who stayed in the game and Reddick who came out.

By all indications, the 13th overall pick in 2017 will have a part-time role on defense to begin the season.

Maybe that will change. Maybe quarterback Josh Rosen (10th overall this year) impresses if called upon. Perhaps Nkemdiche blossoms, Bucannon and Humphries stay healthy the entire season and young receivers Chad Williams and Christian Kirk provide evidence they can take over whenever Larry Fitzgerald retires.

If all of the above comes true, the Cardinals will contend for a playoff spot and Keim’s draft record will look drastically better than it does now.