The Arizona Cardinals did not draft any receivers this year, which was a surprise to many, considering the perceived quality of the draft class at the position. Many have said it was one of the deepest receiver class ever.
But the Cardinals used three draft picks a year ago to select receivers.
So was bypassing receivers in the draft a sort of vote of confidence in Andy Isabella, Hakeem Butler and KeeSean Johnson?
“Definitely,” said Kliff Kingsbury in a video call with reporters earlier this week. “We liked a lot of the receivers in the draft but we also like the guys that we took last year. We like how they progressed.”
The 2019 rookie receivers didn’t produce much. Butler spent the year on injured reserve. Isabella had nine catches and Johnson had 21.
Kingsbury expects them to produce more in 2020.
“It was tough getting on the field because we had some guys that were playing really well, but we’re excited to see how they take that next step in Year 2,” he said. “So I would say that definitely had to do with how the draft went.”
They did acquire DeAndre Hopkins using their second-pick, so it isn’t as if the Cardinals completely ignored the position. They added a star. They just didn’t add more young receivers.
2020 will be a big season for the three second-year players. It will again be tough to get on the field, as Hopkins, Larry Fitzgerald and Christian Kirk are the top three wideouts on the team.
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Ep. 267
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Ep. 266
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