Cardinals GM Steve Keim has learned important lessons from past drafts

By foxsports
Published

Arizona Cardinals General Manager Steve Keim will be conducting his third draft as the GM of the Cardinals.

Each draft has taught Keim more about the process and what he can do on draft day to help everyone else in the room. Keim told the Arizona Republic:

"You have a lot of different opinions in the room that matter," he said. "So not only do Coach (Bruce Arians) and I have a lot of conversations about individual players, but we have to listen to what our coaches have to say, what our staff has to say. 

"Those guys put a tremendous amount of time and effort into the process, and you have to respect everybody's opinions, whether you agree or not. We have some healthy debates in there, and it's exactly what you look for. You look for some variance in opinions. To me, that's how you always arrive at the right grade whenever you have differences in opinions."

Keim and coach Bruce Arians both believe rosters should be built through the draft. Arians is one of the few coaches in the league who will give significant playing time to rookies.

"It's been based on need in the last few jobs I've had, especially in Indianapolis," Arians said, referring to 2012, the year before he came to Arizona. "We drafted five rookies that year that all started. That was all out of need.

"A lot of times you can't wait until Thanksgiving to get a rookie ready to play. So, we try to get them ready in case they're called on the first game by injury or whatever reason.

"You can't find a diamond in the rough standing on the sideline. You can only find him if he's out there practicing showing you what he's got. Can he learn? Can he handle the volume? And then go out and play fast?"

There is always a risk in the draft no matter what selection you have, says Keim.

"There is a risk whether you have the first pick or the 32nd pick, whether you're taking a risk on the player's athleticism or his off-field issues," he said. "At the end of the day, if they are smart enough, if they can learn and they love it, you've got a chance."

The Cardinals will select 24th in the 2015 NFL Draft on Thursday night in Chicago. 

(h/t AZ Central)