In the brief time Steve Wilks has been head coach of the Cardinals, he does not come across as someone prone to hyperbole. So when he praises 2016 first-round draft pick Robert Nkemdiche after Nkemdiche's first two underwhelming NFL seasons, it's easy to take note.

"Robert is a very intriguing guy," Wilks said of the defensive tackle. "I constantly talk to Robert all week about tempo ... (because) I really have to slow Robert down. We don't have on pads. And that's a great thing. That's a real good thing. You want to be able to slow guys down, not tell them to pick it up. Robert is going to be tremendous for us this year. He's locked in, he's focused, he came back in shape, he's ready to go."

Nkemdiche needs to do more on the field. He has acknowledged that. But all last season, his work ethic and practice habits earned him praise from coaches. Now he's getting more from a new staff. He just needs to translate it to the football field. At this point, his draft status doesn't mean much -- one-time undrafted DT Olsen Pierre, who had a very nice breakout season last year, was more effective than Nkemdiche -- but he still has a ton of tools.

He's also now playing for a coach who is known for getting different personalities to play well (right, Josh Norman?) and for honing in on developing players. A big step forward by Nkemdiche would be an awesome way for Wilks to immediately put that player-development stamp on his new team.

"He said, 'Coach, I'm committed to excellence this year,' " Wilks said. "So far, he's been a plus on the football field. I'm excited about him."

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