I had a hard time making this pick because I still have a lot of holes to fill, but I think this pick can help separate my defense from the rest of the pack.
16.15 Cardinals select Mike DeVito, DE/NT
I made this pick for a few reasons:
1. I think he's BPA by a fair margin. He was highly praised by PFF and common analysts alike last year. He was a dominate as a run stopper and even though he didn't pile up sacks, he was good at collapsing the pocket on passing downs. PFF graded him out as a top 10 3-4 DE and his 52 tackles only trailed Watt, Wilkerson, Justin Smith, and Calais Campbell among 3-4 ends. He's a fantastic 2 down lineman without being a liability on passing downs.
2. Last year DeVito lined up as both DE and NT in the Jets 3-4 scheme. This versatility allows him to spell all three of my D-linemen when needed. It also gives me an opportunity to use a more hybrid front than a pure 3-4 since Wilkerson and DeVito are used to lining up all over the line, Atkins is talented enough to excel in any scheme, and there's always a place for a dominant NT no matter what.
3. I want my defense to absolutely control the line of scrimmage on every single play. My starting three can't play every snap, so I need a great rotational player to ensure that my D-line never backs down. Looking at snap counts provided by PFF, it seems that coaches try and limit their best D-linemen to around 70-80% of the snaps in a game. Since I would feel comfortable giving DeVito around 67% (two downs) worth of total snaps, I can limit Atkins, Wilkerson, and Star to about 75-80% each, ensuring that all four of my linemen are fresh deep into games.
4. This pick also provides me insurance in case Star's heart condition turns for the worst.
Offense:
6.15 Jason Peters, LT
7.18 Rodger Saffold, RT
9.18 Brian De La Puente, C
10.15 Cecil Shorts, WR
11.18 Keenan Allen, WR
14.15 Larry Warford, RG
15.18 Heath Miller, TE
Defense:
1.15 Geno Atkins, RE
2.18 Muhammad Wilkerson, LE
3.18 Daryl Washington, ILB
4.15 Ryan Kerrigan, OLB
5.18 Brandon Carr, CB
8.15 Star Lotulelei, NT
12.15 Thomas DeCoud, FS
13.18 Reggie Nelson, SS
16.15 Mike DeVito, DE/NT