The Arizona Cardinals have been the top story in the NFL since January. After months of speculation, we finally have what most expected to see all along: A franchise with a new quarterback and a new look.

When it came to the 2019 NFL Draft, most conversations started with what the Arizona Cardinals would do with the first overall pick. It was reported they would be taking Kyler Murray as early as January. Some remained skeptical, but in the end, that proved fruitless as the Cardinals pulled the trigger. Murray is now the quarterback for Arizona. Aside from him, how did the rest of the Cardinals draft pan out, and did they do a good job of committing to Kliff Kingsbury?

2019 NFL Draft Results

Round Pick Player Position College 1 1 Kyler Murray QB Oklahoma 2 33 Byron Murphy CB Washington 2 62 Andy Isabella WR Massachusetts 3 65 Zach Allen DE Boston College 4 103 Hakeem Butler WR Iowa State 5 139 Deionte Thompson S Alabama 6 174 KeeSean Johnson WR Fresno State 6 179 Lamont Gaillard C Georgia 7 248 Joshua Miles OT Morgan State 7 249 Michael Dogbe DE Temple 7 254 Caleb Wilson TE UCLA

After selecting Murray, six of their final ten picks were used on offensive players. Two of their next four picks happened to be wide receivers. That tells me that while they wanted to give Murray weapons to work with, they realized their need in other areas.

Offensive Line

One pick I did not agree with initially but have warmed up to is Byron Murphy. The secondary is an essential unit, so I get investing early resources into it, but the offensive line is more important. According to Pro Football Focus, the Cardinals had one of the worst starting centers in the league last year. They did address the offensive line in free agency in signing J.R. Sweezy, Max Garcia and trading for tackle Marcus Gilbert. The former two don’t offer a lot of inspiration, but I did like the Gilbert trade as long as he can stay on the field. They still needed to address the unit in the draft further. Erik McCoy was sitting right there for them to take at the beginning of day two, which would have been a perfect fit.

Instead, they opted to wait until the 6th to select a center. According to NFL.com, Lamont Gaillard might be more suited in a power-based run scheme, so he isn’t exactly the best fit for Kingsbury’s air raid. That said, he will bring a nastiness to Arizona that some may think the air raid scheme lacks. If he can develop into a quality starter than this will be a slam dunk.

Wide Receiver Trio

That’s now both the draft class’ leaders in deep receiving yards heading to Arizona with their selection of both Andy Isabella and now Hakeem Butler! #NFLDraft pic.twitter.com/5KZGnpu0Jk — Pro Football Focus (@PFF) April 27, 2019

While general manager Steve Keim mishandled the Josh Rosen trade, he has done an excellent job of committing to Kingsbury. The trio of Andy Isabella, Hakeem Butler, and KeeSean Johnson will ensure last year’s rookies Chad Williams and Christian Kirk have to perform their best to stay on the roster. Having Larry Fitzgerald as a role model will prove invaluable for these five young wideouts.

The Cardinals’ approach to building their offense reminds me of the Houston Texans. They got their QB and weapons first before entirely investing in the offensive line. As I mentioned above, they did add pieces to the offensive line unit, but it is still an area of weakness coming into the year.

Building the Defense

It wasn’t all offense for the Cardinals in this draft. Three of their next five picks after Murray went to the defensive side of the ball. The selection of Byron Murphy atop the second could mean the eventual departure of longtime all-pro corner Patrick Peterson. Peterson posted some cryptic messages on Instagram, which led some to believe the Cardinals would try to trade him. Taking a corner in the second isn’t doing anything to quell that noise. As it stands now, Peterson is a Cardinal. Murphy would do well to tail him as much as possible his rookie year. Our own Felix Davila (@ScoutLibrarian) writes Murphy is a day one starter in the slot. That is high praise considering the growing importance of that position.

Pro Football Network’s Shane Tyler (@SugaShane15) writes safety Deionte Thompson‘s best attributes are his ball skills, range, and coverage ability. He likes to seek contact, so he needs to bulk up to withstand a 16 game season, but Thompson could be an excellent free safety once he does.

Zach Allen gets by on an excellent motor and instincts. He could carve out a role in this league as a run defender on early downs and inside pass rusher on passing downs. Allen doesn’t figure to be an elite pass rusher, but they probably aren’t expecting that out of him. As with his fellow rookies at wide receiver, he will have the benefit of learning from great players at his position with Chandler Jones and Terrell Suggs. Leadership from players of their caliber isn’t something you can’t measure.

Summary

I absolutely love what the Cardinals have done this offseason. The entire front office’s employment rests with Kingsbury’s success, and they have done an excellent job of going “all in” on him. Between the signings they made in free agency, and the acquisitions in the draft, Arizona will be one of the most improved teams in 2019.