The draft is over. So Bruce Arians summed it up plainly. "Passion and speed."
The Cardinals also went for versatility, guys that could play in a couple of spots. And it was also about what they didn't get. With the much-anticipated temptation of taking a quarterback, "we talked about a couple of guys, but they were all gone," Arians said. "As far as a temptation, no." (A QB is already in hand, though. See below.)
-- It didn't look like the Cardinals had drafted a cornerback either, until they did. Sixth-round pick Johnathan "Rudy" Ford was a safety as he wrapped up at Auburn, but he began his career as a cornerback and the Cardinals will use him at cornerback. He's been training there already, with former Cardinals cornerback (and two-time offseason coaching intern) Rod Hood.
-- Ford got his nickname because when he was little, he wouldn't give up. And his uncle nicknamed him that, yes, after the movie.
-- Special teams was not forgotten. Clearly, the Cardinals see big special teams play to come from multiple picks: Budda Baker, Haason Reddick, Rudy Ford, T.J. Logan.
-- Arians described Logan as more Andre Ellington than David Johnson. If Logan clicks in the backfield, it will certainly free up Ellington to be more of a receiver, which Arians already said would be Ellington's role.
-- The liver condition of fourth-round guard Dorian Johnson is not a problem. Not to the Cardinals. "Some people think me and Coach have liver issues but we're just fine," GM Steve Keim deadpanned.
"Terrible joke, but he's fine," Keim said. "It's not been an issue in the past."
"(Dorian) knows how to manage it," Arians said with a grin. "I'm still learning mine."
-- The two offensive linemen (Johnson and Will Holden) can play multiple positions. Keim loves that. They are also considered very smart. "Not to get too detailed, but the less time we have with these players, the less time we can develop them, and the less we can get them to understand what we are trying to get across from a schematical standpoint," Keim said. "It's important to draft smart players, it's important to draft passionate players, and it's important to draft players with positional flexibility."
-- The Cardinals will start to work on their undrafted rookie list now. The official list likely won't be out until Monday, although I am sure some names will trickle out before then. There will be a quarterback on that list. The Cardinals have 14 spots open on the offseason 90-man roster (although that includes one for Daryl Washington, whose actual spot on the roster figures to be determined sooner rather than later.)
(UPDATE: And there's your UDFA QB. Texas A&M's Trevor Knight tweeted out he's coming to the Cardinals.)
Keim said the plan is to sign 15 to 20 undrafted rookies. A team isn't going to land all their targets usually, but if there are more than 14, there may be some roster moves early next week to make room for newbies.