The Cardinals are an interesting team. With quarterbacking continuing to be a question, the team could be on the brink of major improvements. Could this team be one of those surprising upstarts in 2012? They made some good moves in the draft that could help them, namely the drafting of Michael Floyd to play opposite of Larry Fitzgerald.

But I’ll let the expert from Raising Zona tell you about it.

See below … or check out the links provided above. There is some great stuff on our fellow websites here on the fansided network. Enjoy.

The secondary, namely Anthony Smith and Atari Bigby, will see plenty of action their way with the high-flying Cardinals attack.  The Cardinals, like the Packers, are a team in transition with new offensive and defensive coordinators.  Arizona is also in the process of installing a variation of the 3-4 defense, one with many different looks that could easily give the Packers developing offensive line problems.

Unlike the Browns and Bills, the Cardinals have Warner, an older, more experienced quarterback that can recognize a 3-4 and be able to do more with it than, say, Trent Edwards or Derek Anderson.  The Packers defense needs to watch for Warner changing the plays to exploit weaknesses.  Cardinals coaches Ken Whisenhunt and Russ Grimm also hail from the Pittsburgh Steelers organization, where the 3-4 Dom Capers is installing originated.  Capers will have to change up his play-calling and try some new things to try to confuse the veteran quarterback and experienced coaches.

With the third pick of the 2009 NFL draft, the Kansas City Chiefs select:

Aaron Curry, OLB, Wake Forest

Having addressed their quarterback need in the Matt Cassel trade, look for the Chiefs to address the other side of the ball with the third overall pick.  Todd Haley could be tempted to draft a wide receiver ([Michael] Crabtree) given his coaching history but linebacker remains their most pressing need on defense, besides defensive end.  This being a weak draft for defensive end, linebacker Aaron Curry is the most logical pick for the Chiefs. 

The Chiefs have declined to re-sign starting linebackers Rocky Boiman and Pat Thomas and have released veteran Donnie Edwards making them somewhat thin at the position.  They have traded for Mike Vrabel, which would obviously be a great mentor for the young Curry. 

The Wake Forest product is an absolute must if the Chiefs plan to move to a 3-4 defense, Curry on one side and Derrick Johnson on the other would provide the necessary pass rushing personnel for a team that set the record for the least amount of sacks in a season. 

The Seattle Seahawks are on the clock.

With the fourth pick of the 2009 NFL Draft, the Seattle Seahawks select:

Michael Crabtree, WR, Texas Tech

I don’t really like college football. Any sport that doesn’t have a
playoff system won’t easily win my attention or respect, so I don’t follow
the game that closely. Under normal circumstances, I’d tell you that blogs
like Field Gulls, Seahawk Addicts or Seahawks Draft Blog could give you a
better, more informed opinion than I could.

But these are not normal circumstances, and Michael Crabtree is not a
typical player. Even after addressing our desperate need at WR by signing
T.J. Houshmandzadeh, Seattle will select the best player available: The
game-breaking Crabtree.

As an NFC West fan, I get to watch Larry Fitzgerald torch my Seahawks
twice a year. In 2008, I got the added bonus of watching Fitz almost carry
Arizona to a World Championship. Housh isn’t Fitz. Neither is [Deion] Branch or
[Nate] Burleson… Hell, even Steve Largent wasn’t the dominant big-play threat
that Fitzgerald is right now.

Even with his foot surgery, and even after being revealed as 6’1″ instead
of 6’3″, drafting Crabtree is the best shot the Seahawks will have over
the next few years to get “their Fitzgerald.”

Selecting Crabtree isn’t just a “build for the future” move, either. With
Housh across from him, a (hopefully) healthy Branch in the slot, budding
Pro-Bowler John Carlson at TE, and Matt Hasselbeck throwing the ball,
Crabtree could make an immediate impact as Seattle’s “home run” threat.

The Seahawks aim to return to the top of the NFC West in 2009. Michael
Crabtree is the player most likely to help make that happen in this year’s
draft class.

Our hosts, the Cleveland Browns, are on the clock.

With the fifth pick in the draft, the Cleveland Browns select:

***Rey Maualuga, LB, USC*** 

A big reason behind why we decided to start this mock draft was because we were annoyed at the national media. Most mock drafts on the NFL Network and ESPN has the Browns selecting Malcolm Jenkins.

Sure, the Browns need help on defense and the secondary was inconsistent, but the cornerback position is the least of the team’s problems. In 2008, the Browns defense allowed an average of 151.9 yards rushing per game. The Browns lost to the Bengals 14-0 on Dec. 21 as Cedric Benson ran for 171 yards on 38 carries and back-up quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick was 5-for-9 passing for 55 yards.

First and foremost, the Browns need to look to trade down and obtain some more draft picks. This will prove impossible since that’s the goal of most teams. The Browns also would be interested in Aaron Curry, but he is long gone.
 
With new coach Eric Mangini, the Browns will stick with the 3-4. So linebacker is the Browns’ biggest need in the draft.  The Browns need an edge pass rusher to fill Willie McGinest‘s position, but outside linebacker is one of the deepest positions in this draft.  That brings us to the void in the middle of the defense left by the departure of Andra Davis.

Maualuga is a nasty middle linebacker, the type of player that can bring attitude to a defense that sorely needs an identity. He is built perfectly to line up in the 3-4.  Peter King called him Ray Lewis, Jr. and Jon Gruden said Maualuga is the type of player to build a defense around.

Maualuga is known for his big hits and aggressive style of play. That should fit perfectly on the strong side of the Browns 3-4 defense next to D’Qwell Jackson. Pairing Jackson’s sideline-to-sideline speed with Maualuga’s power behind the mammoth Shaun Rogers, should make the Browns strong up the middle and help them slow down the opposition’s rushing attack.
 
Can you name a Pro Bowl defensive lineman or cornerback from the successful 3-4 defense in Pittsburgh? In Baltimore? No. But you can reel off a list of who’s who of linebackers.  It’s time the Browns start making the some names of their own.

Our AFC North rivals south on I-71, the Cincinnati Bengals, are on the clock.

Three more picks until the Packers are up on the clock.  Who is going to be there for us?

Larry Fitzgerald is the best wide receiver in the National Football League, hands down.  I can’t think of anyone else who could come close to him.  Fitzgerald has the right combination of size, speed, and hands.  His statistics from Sunday (9 receptions, 152 yards, 3 TDs) back this up.  The only question I have about the play calling of the Cardinals offense was during the third quarter and first part of the fourth quarter when Fitzgerald was totally written out of the gameplan.  During this stretch, Fitzgerald was barely thrown to and the Cardinals saw their 24-6 lead turn into a 25-24 deficit.  But what did the Cardinals do on their last drive?  They got the ball to Fitzgerald which led to the win.  Watching Fitzgerald was watching a man among boys.  It’s obvious that if the ball is anywhere near Fitzgerald, he will come down with it.  I wonder how Mike Tomlin and Dick LeBeau plan on stopping this one.

I hate second-guessing anyone.  Whether it be an errant Brett Favre throw in the 2008 NFC Championship Game, to play-calling, to the referees.  But here I’m just going to say what I would have done; not what should have been done.  The string of plays concerns the Eagles second-to-last possession that started with about 2:53 left in the game.  With 2:09 left around midfield, the Eagles faced a second-and-ten. Andy Reid called three straight pass plays to end the Eagles last scoring threat.  What I would have done is on second down, with 2:09 left is called a run play.  The run play would get some yardage and put the Eagles in more manageable situations for their offense.  After the second down pass, 2:01 was left on the clock with third-and-ten.  Run the ball, Andy.  Make an easier fourth down situation for your team.  That was my only qualm about Reid’s playcalling.

The Eagles have been searching for big play weapons for Donovan McNabb for some time now, and I think they have finally found them in Kevin Curtis and DeSean Jackson.  Curtis had a great game and was almost the team’s savior on the fourth-and-ten play.  His deceptive speed creates mismatches on defense and he just always seems to be able to get open.  As for his counterpart, I think that Jackson was the steal of the 2008 NFL Draft.  Countless mocks had the Eagles picking him with the 19^th pick in the first round.  Instead, the Eagles traded out of the first round and picked him down in the second round.  That saves a lot of money right there.  Jackson in the first round is a bad pick; Jackson in the second round is a great pick.  He could play too.  He gave McNabb a consistent threat the quarterback hadn’t seen since that #81 character was in Philly.  The only blemish on Jackson’s rookie season was his ridiculously bonehead play against the Dallas Cowboys on Monday Night Football.  That was really bad.  But he still turned it around, making a juggling 62-yard touchdown catch on Sunday against Arizona.  He’s a game changer any time he touches the ball and no matter how he touches it.

I’m focusing more on the Eagles in this mostly because they’re my second team behind the Green Bay Packers and I know more about them than the Cardinals.  I could tick off the names of most of the Cardinals skill players, but not much more.  That being said, the Eagles have finally found their replacement for L.J. Smith who is on his way out.  It’s tough to see why they even franchised him for this year.  But that’s beside the point.  This man is Brent Celek.  He can play.  Ten catches, 83 yards, two touchdowns.  That’s not the line you expect out of a no-name tight end in the NFC Championship Game.  He’s an athlete too. Numerous times this year we’ve seen him try to leap over guys, and he was at it again on Sunday.  The only thing he needs to work on to become one of McNabb’s favorite targets is to improve his hands and football mindset.  Many times this year he dropped key passes or committed stupid penalties, putting his team in a hole.

Kurt Warner can still play.  Matt Leinart better be taking notes on how Warner goes about his business or he’ll have bust written all over him.  Warner is a professional (I know he had those spats in St. Louis, but that seems to be an isolated incident).  It’s obvious that in his time off he’s out studying the next opponent or out helping his community instead of entertaining college girls in his hot tub.  Warner goes out each Sunday, makes his reads, and gets the ball to his playmakers.  Leinart could never get comfortable in the pocket (maybe thinking about those chicks?) and didn’t seem to realize he has one of the best receiving corps in the NFL around him.  Watching Warner run the offense is like watching an experienced surgeon at work who knows where everything is and what needs to be done.  He doesn’t do just enough to get by, but he doesn’t try to do too much either.  Warner is one of the reasons I’m rooting for Arizona on February 1^st.

Clancy Pendergast is one of the coolest names out there.  He sounds like a 1950s detective.  He’s done wonders with that defense though.  But the cool name nearly trumps that.