Examining the Fit of Larry Fitzgerald and Michael Floyd With the Cardinals

As I continue to do research about the Arizona Cardinals’ offseason and draft class, the move that continues to stand out is obviously the addition of wide receiver Michael Floyd. The Cardinals have obviously been needing a legitimate number two target to pair with Larry Fitzgerald since their terrific trio of Boldin, Fitz, and Steve Breaston all decided to break up.

With their first round pick in 2012, the Cardinals selected Notre Dame star receiver Michael Floyd, who has more than enough potential to fill the shoes left by Boldin and much, much more. Floyd is bigger, and a better athlete, but he might not be near as tough as Boldin. That being said, I think these two guys will really mesh well together, and you can see why when you watch the way they both play their game.

The Cardinals are going to have a very young, inexperienced offensive line, specifically at right tackle where rookie Bobby Massie is expected to start. The Cards opted not to take a tackle (their biggest need, arguably by far) until the third round of the draft, which was questionable but understandable given the way the board fell.

They were able to get a guy in Floyd in the first round who gives them close to the same added dimension offensively that Julio Jones brought to the Falcons last season, though he was really slow to produce in terms of putting the ball in the end zone.

I’m not sure how often the Cardinals will be near the red zone, but when they are, their passing attack could be near-impossible to stop. Michael Floyd stood out most to me in scoring situations with the Irish, where he essentially became a power forward going up for a big rebound. He has great body control and knows how to get open really quickly. He runs fantastic short routes and is sure-handed. Not unlike his new PiC (partner in crime) Larry Fitzgerald.

Despite an awful situation at quarterback for the Irish over the last two years, Floyd was able to put up fantastic numbers, catching 179 passes–21 of which were touchdowns–in that span of time for Notre Dame. That is a testament to his ability to get open and dominate smaller defenders. He will have a challenge of adjusting to smarter NFL defensive backs, but he will also have the luxury of playing along with Fitzgerald, who will undoubtedly steal some attention from Floyd’s side of the field.

Floyd is a special athlete who can add a lot to the Arizona offense, but they need to get that quarterback situation figured out. One has to believe that it will be Kevin Kolb back there throwing passes, but he’s unreliable in a variety of ways, but we know that shaky quarterback situations don’t have a negative effect on Floyd. He should be very good as a rookie if he can stay out of trouble.