Cards didn’t need to take cornerback

Steve Keim passed on taking a cornerback in the first round of the NFL Draft the same year he let Patrick Peterson backpedal out of town in free agency.

So what was he thinking?

Maybe Keim was thinking that he doesn’t need a corner to win a Super Bowl if some of the other guys on his defense have legacy-defining seasons.

An analysis of some of the greatest defenses in recent memory shows that game-changing cornerbacks are more of a luxury than a necessity.

“You go back to the ’18 tape, and you see all the production,” Keim said. “This is a guy who’s a football junkie.”

While he often lined up in the slot, he feels versatile.

“I’m comfortable in both, whatever’s asked of me, I’m willing to do,” Moore said.

“I think it’s just my versatility, being able to go win in the slot and run options, being able to stick my foot in the ground and make you miss, run past you. If you need a big play, if you need a short-down play, whatever the case may be, and just being dynamic in the return game — punt return and kick return.”

Keim and coach Kliff Kingsbury also plan to use him on special teams, noting that special teams coordinator coordinator Jeff Rodgers thought highly of Moore too.

“His return game is really impressive as well,” Kingsbury said. “We’re gonna move him around, make sure he gets his fair share of touches. When you watch the film, that’s what jumps out.”

Moore hopes to soak in as much as he can from fellow receiver DeAndre Hopkins.

Playing with Hopkins and quarterback Kyler Murray and under Kingsbury was a draw for Moore.

“Yeah, I think it’ll be really electric, and I think we’ll have some fun,” he said.

With cornerback Asante Samuel Jr. getting taken just two picks before, the Cardinals went another round without drafting a cornerback. But Keim said Moore was someone they’d been watching all along.

“He was a guy that we had looked at all along, and we had him ranked extremely high,” Keim said. “He was the top guy at that time.”