Cardinals Have Many Needs in NFL Draft

Arizona Cardinals coach Dennis Green has a basic approach to the NFL draft.
"The key thing for us is, we're picking (No.) 10, so you've got to love 10 players," Green said Tuesday. "It's real simple."

With the draft looming this weekend, the Cardinals love some more than others. But as Green and vice president for football operations Rod Graves prepare for their third draft together, they aren't giving many hints about the objects of their affection.
"We'll take (Reggie) Bush if he's there," Graves joked about the 2005 Heisman Trophy winner, who is expected to be chosen well before the Cards' turn.
After finishing 5-11 last year, the Cardinals are well-positioned. Along with the 10th overall pick, they have the No. 9 pick in the second round (41st overall) and the No. 8 pick in the third round (72nd overall). Arizona owns a selection in all seven rounds.
While the identity of the Cardinals' first pick is a mystery, two things seem certain.
First, the Cardinals say they probably won't trade their pick in an effort to move up in the first round. Graves said he hasn't received calls from other clubs interested in acquiring the 10th pick.
Second, the club is likely to take the best available player regardless of his position or their most immediate need. Green adopted that philosophy as an assistant coach with the San Francisco 49ers, who built a dynasty through the draft.
Two years ago, Green used the third overall pick to take wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald, a longtime family friend, even though Anquan Boldin had been named the Offensive Rookie of the Year the previous season. Fitzgerald and Boldin last year teamed to give Arizona the league's most prolific passing attack.
All 14 of the players selected in Green's first two drafts remain on the roster, although not all have contributed.
This year, the Cardinals may be in the market for a quarterback despite having extended Kurt Warner's contract during the offseason. A solid backup is essential because Warner, who will be 35 in June, hasn't appeared in more than 10 games in a season since 2001.
The Cardinals could also be looking to the future, although Green has expressed confidence in John Navarre, who moved up to No. 2 on the depth chart when Josh McCown signed with Detroit.
They won't know until Saturday morning whether they'll have a shot at one of the three most highly rated quarterbacks _ Matt Leinart of Southern California, Vince Young of Texas and Jay Cutler of Vanderbilt.
"I like all three of the quarterbacks," said Green, who declined to rank the prospects. "It's like ordering steak: Which kind do you like?"
The Cardinals have drafted a quarterback in the first round only four times since 1960. The most notable was Joe Namath in 1965, but he signed with the New York Jets of the rival American Football League.
Arizona hasn't drafted a quarterback in the first round since 1987, when they took Kelly Stouffer of Colorado State with the sixth overall pick. Stouffer, who never played a down for the Cardinals, appeared in 22 NFL games with Seattle.
"The risk is probably no greater or no worse than it is for a lot of other players, but the spotlight is always heavier on the quarterbacks," Graves said. "It's just the risk that we're involved with. You hope you're making the right choice."
The Cardinals have plenty of other needs, including linebacker, offensive line and tight end.
Arizona is known to be interested in 6-foot-3, 256-pound tight end Vernon Davis, who declared himself eligible after his junior year at Maryland.
"I've said before that if Vince Young was there (at No. 10), I'd drive out and pick him up at the airport," Graves said with a chuckle. "If Vernon Davis is there, I'll drive out and pick him up, too."
The Cardinals are 11-21 in Green's first two years in the desert. The rebuilding process has been slow, but Green has been trying to do it by drafting players who will commit to the long haul with a franchise that has one playoff game since 1947.
"Players that come in here have to have a high competitive level and have to have an intense desire to succeed beyond just a desire to play in the National Football League," Graves said. "Those are the type of guys that we'll be after in this year's draft."