2015 NFL Draft grades: Arizona Cardinals select D.J. Humphries

By Patrick Schmidt | Apr 30, 2015

Oct 18, 2014; Gainesville, FL, USA; Florida Gators offensive lineman D.J. Humphries (70) blocks against the Missouri Tigers during the second half at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. Missouri Tigers defeated the Florida Gators 42-13. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports /

With the No. 24 pick in the NFL Draft the Arizona Cardinals picked Florida offensive tackle D.J. Humphries.

The Arizona Cardinals were pegged in several mock drafts as taking a running back to upgrade their offense. Their 3.3 yards per rush was last in the NFL so running back made perfect sense. But Todd Gurley and Melvin Gordon were gone at No. 10 and No. 15, respectively, so Bruce Arians and the Cardinals had to look at other positions at No. 24.

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One of those positions could have been outside linebacker where Shane Ray would have been a good value pick at No. 24, but he went one pick earlier to the Denver Broncos who traded up five spots to take the 2014 SEC Defensive Player of the Year.

Their 35 sacks last season were the fewest by Arizona since 2010 but they decided protecting Carson Palmer was of the utmost importance and took Florida left tackle D.J. Humphries. The 6-5, 307-pounder is a natural left tackle but was an underachiever during his time at Florida and missed time with injury the last two years as a former five-star recruit.

This is a roll of the dice here by the Cardinals who signed Pro Bowl guard Mike Iupati in the offseason and drafted Jonathan Cooper in the top-10 two years ago but hasn’t lived up to his draft status.

The decision to take an offensive lineman isn’t a bad thought because the health of Palmer is imperative to their playoff aspirations, but I wonder if Humphries turns out to be a great NFL player considering he’s been a disappointment in college.

Grade: C

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