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The Arizona Cardinals' 2018 draft made its reputation on Day 1 with the selection of a player who the team hopes will become the long-sought franchise quarterback of years to come.

If the Cardinals got no one in this draft besides Josh Rosen Danielle Hunter Jersey , fans would have called it a rousing success.

And offense turned out to be the theme. Only one of the six players drafted by the Cardinals plays defense, even though their new coach Steve Wilks was defensive coordinator last year at Carolina.

The choices were simply a function of the names on the Arizona draft board, general manager Steve Keim said.

"In a perfect world, coach and I would have been thrilled to have balance and to fill some positions defensively if those guys warranted those picks," Keim said. "But we had such high grades on those offensive players, we didn't want to stray away from the board."

In the second round, Arizona went with homegrown wide receiver Christian Kirk from Texas A&M in the second round.

The Cardinals picked center Mason Cole out of Michigan in the third round and, with their first choice Saturday dipped into the FCS ranks to grab running back Chase Edmonds of Fordham.

It marked only the second time in the draft's modern era (which began in 1967) that the Cardinals have used their first four picks on the offense. The other was in 1993.

Finally, in the sixth round, Arizona went defense, grabbing cornerback Chris Campbell of Penn State. The Cardinals' final pick came third to last in the seventh and final round when they selected offensive tackle Korey Cunningham of Cincinnati.

But this draft was, first and foremost, about that long-awaited young quarterback for Arizona.

When Carson Palmer retired at the end of last season, there were no QBs on the roster. Now they have Sam Bradford, Mike Glennon and Rosen Jim Plunkett Jersey , who will begin his new job in earnest at the rookie minicamp in two weeks.

HOME SWEET HOME

No Arizona draftee could have been happier than Kirk, who grew up in the Phoenix area, starring at Saguaro High in Scottsdale before choosing Texas A&M over staying home at Arizona State. Now he's coming home and keeps describing the situation as "surreal."

Kirk said he got to know star receiver Larry Fitzgerald when he played on the same Pop Warner team as Kurt Warner's son. Warner would sometimes bring Fitzgerald along to games and they struck up a friendship.

"I think I was probably in the fourth grade at the time, third or fourth grade, and every time they came out, it was just so crazy," Kirk said.

Kirk will use his old No. 13. That was the Hall of Famer Warner's number, too.

"Exactly, I have to rock it well," Kirk said. "I have a lot to live up to."

CHARACTER

Keim said that as he evolves through his fifth year on the job, he's paying more attention than ever to off-the-field character and the player's love of the game as he assesses who should be selected. He noted all but Campbell in this year's class were team captains.

The idea was to go with "strong character guys" that match what Wilks calls his team's DNA.

"I've almost promised myself that we would take guys, even if they're a little less talented, but they have that makeup," Keim said. "... Especially in our first draft together, we wanted to make a statement."

FCS SUCCESS

Almost every year Lorenzo Carter Jersey , the Cardinals dip into the talent at the FCS level, or lower.

This year it was Edmonds, the all-time leading rusher in the Patriot League for yards and touchdowns who could be in a crowded competition for a backup spot behind 2016 All-Pro David Johnson, as well as a kick and punt returner.

"I'm just looking forward to whatever role Arizona asks me," he said. "Whether it's being a special teams player, being a third-down back, on the slot, something like that. I'm looking forward to it."

Keim called Edmonds' production "off the charts" and said he would have set the FCS career rushing record had he not been injured during his senior season.

Some prior Arizona draftees from the FCS ranks or lower include Johnson, taken in the third round out of Northern Iowa in 2015; wide receiver John Brown, selected in third round out of Pittsburg State (Kan.) in 2014; and cornerback/special teams player Justin Bethel, picked in the sixth round out of Presbyterian in 2012.

Oh, and quarterback John Skelton out of Fordham in the fifth round in 2010. He's no longer around.

STILL NEED

Look for defensive players to be signed as undrafted free agents, as well as maybe some late veteran signings. Arizona still needs to find a cornerback to play opposite Patrick Peterson and is looking for depth at linebacker as the team transitions from a 3-4 base formation to a 4-3. The Cardinals also could use some depth at tight end.

Five games, five wins. Led by Patrick Kane, the United States has impressed so far at the ice hockey world championship in Denmark.

The U.S. opened with victory over Canada Peyton Barber Jersey , the tournament favorite seeking a third title in four years and captained by NHL leading scorer Connor McDavid

Chasing its first medal at the tournament since bronze in 2015, the 5-4 win over Canada in a penalty shootout set the pace for the U.S. in Group B, followed by victories against host Denmark (4-0), Germany (3-0), Latvia (3-2 in OT) and South Korea (13-1).

The decision to make Kane captain after a disappointing season with his Chicago Blackhawks has paid off.

The 29-year-old star forward last played at the world championships in 2008, his first season in the NHL and also the last time the Blackhawks missed the playoffs. In the meantime he won three Stanley Cup titles with the Blackhawks and was in the U.S. team at the 2010 and 2014 Olympics.

”It’s a huge honor to represent the United States of America, the greatest country in the world,” Kane said.

He has proved a leader on ice, scoring three goals and adding nine assists in the first five games at the championship.

Kane was also key to other players being keen to join the team.

”His influence was as a magnet to attract players,” U.S. general manager Bill Zito said.

The team includes game-breakers such as forwards Dylan Larkin of the Detroit Red Wings, Anders Lee of the New York Islanders, Chris Kreider of the New York Rangers and Johnny Gaudreau of the Calgary Flames. Cam Atkinson of the Columbus Blue Jackets has been the team’s leading scorer at the championship with five goals.

But there’s also promising young talent, such as defenseman Quinn Hughes, a top 10 prospect in the 2018 NHL draft.

”Lot of good players, lot of young guys on this team Kareem Hunt Jersey , so it’s been a fun team to be around,” Kane said.

Kane’s Chicago teammate Alex DeBrincat, who is on the national team after scoring 28 goals in his rookie season with the Blackhawks, praised Kane’s leadership qualities.

”He wants to be the best, he’s always out there to be the best player on the ice,” DeBrincat said. ”For me, it’s taking that mentality and just using it. Everyone wants to be the best but some guys want that so much more and he’s one of those guys.”

Boston Bruins defenseman Charlie McAvoy and Nashville Predators forward Nick Bonino have joined the team to strengthen the roster after the elimination from the NHL playoffs.

With a quarterfinal spot all but ensured, the U.S. faces Norway on Sunday and Finland on Tuesday in their remaining Group B games.

”The most important game is the next one, so we’ll look to continue improving as we get set for Norway,” head coach Jeff Blashill said.

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By panxing18
Added Sep 12 '18

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