For the upcoming 2021 NFL Draft the question has been focused on what the Arizona Cardinals will do.
Steve Keim has not done great in the draft, that is well documented, but how does he rank compared to his peers?
NFL.com did just that and Steve Keim being in the bottom half is not unexpected.
19) Steve Keim, Cardinals
Best pick: Budda Baker | Round 2 (No. 36), 2017
Worst pick: Josh Rosen | Round 1 (No. 10), 2018
Keim is on his third coach and third QB since taking over the top job in 2013, which is a rare feat for general managers. His first-round picks besides Kyler Murray have been famously spotty, with Robert Nkemdiche and Josh Rosen standing out as whiffs. That said, Keim still has his job because of a decisive move to take Murray only one year after the Rosen misfire. He avoided doubling down on a big mistake and the Cardinals have a franchise quarterback because of it. That said, Murray was clearly the top QB prospect in 2019, a no-brainer pick in a vacuum. So I chose to spotlight Budda Baker in the honorific above. Keim’s next-best picks since 2015 are probably David Johnson and D.J. Humphries. In short, this is not a team that has been built through the draft.
That is the key on why Keim ranks 19th and maybe not 12th or even higher.
The team has been unable to build through the draft. His best picks are either not with the team anymore in Tyrann Mathieu, or using picks to acquire elite talent in Chandler Jones and DeAndre Hopkins.
Keim has a chance to grow still, but that time may be running out.
Where do you think Keim should rank?
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