Can Cards afford to ‘redshirt’ another first-round pick?

The concept of redshirting – having an athlete sit out a year to become stronger, faster and smarter – typically is associated with college sports, not the NFL.

Yet the Cardinals have employed the tactic with many of their selections in the past two drafts. Tackle D.J. Humphries, the first-round pick in 2015, didn’t play at all his rookie year. Defensive tackle Robert Nkemdiche, last year’s first-rounder, played in just five games last season.

In the Cardinals’ view, neither player was mature enough physically and mentally to contribute much, if anything, as rookies.

But Humphries and Nkemdiche were taken near the bottom of the first round, Humphries 24^th overall and Nkemdiche 29^th.

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The higher the pick, the greater the expectations. It’s questionable whether the Cardinals can repeat the practice of redshirting this year. They pick 13^th overall, and a player taken that high usually is expected to contribute something in the first year, and the Cardinals could use the immediate infusion since they lost five defensive starters in free agency.

Coach Bruce Arians and General Manager Steve Keim, however, won’t be putting that kind of pressure on their first-round pick. If it’s a quarterback, he will sit for at least a year as long as Carson Palmer is healthy. If it’s a player at another position, the Cardinals aren’t expecting him to step in and start, although that would be nice.

Arians believes the roster is deep enough that rookies won’t be forced into the lineup early.

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“I don’t think there is any doubt,” he said.

The Cardinals redshirted most of last year’s rookie class, not just Nkemdiche. The six players started a total of four games, and three of those belonged to cornerback Brandon Williams, who was benched. Only one drafted player, center Evan Boehm, played in every game, and most of his action came on special teams.

Five members of the class remain; safety Marquis Christian was released during the season. Arians is confident those five will make bigger contributions after being in the system for a year.

“If you look at Brandon, who got thrown in early last year and had a rough game because of communication,” Arians said. “Not because of skill but because of a (missed) signal. He busted a coverage and gave up a touchdown.

“His skill is fine. He played his ass off in Seattle in December, playing man to man against those guys. So, it is all about deciphering the amount of information that is going to get thrown at them.”

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To illustrate, Arians held his hand just above a table.

“College playbooks are like this,” he said. Then he moved his hand considerably higher. “NFL playbooks look like that.”

The Cardinals insist they weren’t disappointed that Humphries and Nkemdiche didn’t contribute as rookies, although Arians criticized both early in their careers for lack of maturity. Humphries had a better reason for a slow start than Nkemdiche, however. It’s harder to play offensive tackle than defensive tackle as a rookie.

Coaches never penciled in Humphries as a starter, or even as a rotational player.

They did, however, expect Nkemdiche to play a role, around 20 to 30 snaps a game.

By late last season, Arians was praising Nkemdiche for his improvement, and the expectation is he will make the same amount of improvement from Year 1 to Year 2. They need him to do that because defensive tackle Calais Campbell left via free agency.

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But can they afford to be as patient with a player taken 13^th overall? Arians said they can, just like they were with Humphries and Nkemdiche.

“They are really good players,” Arians said of Humphries and Nkemdiche. “And they are going to be great players, but that does not necessarily happen their rookie year.”

Draft party

The Cardinals host their draft party on the Great Lawn outside University of Phoenix Stadium from 4:30-9 p.m.

There is no admission charge, and fans can watch NFL Network’s live draft coverage on video boards.

Among the attractions:

Kid’s Interactive Zone: Featuring combine activities and inflatables

Autographs: Cardinals players, coaches and cheerleaders will sign autographs and pose for pictures

Carnival Rides: Various carnival rides and games will be available for fans to enjoy

Entertainment: Options include a 150-foot zipline along with face painters and balloon artists for guests

The Great Lawn opens at 4:30 p.m. and the draft begins at 5 p.m. Free parking will be available in the West (Orange) carpark at the stadium.

The party continues along with Day 2 and Day 3 of the draft. Friday night’s festivities will take place from 4-9:30 p.m. and Saturday night’s events are scheduled from 5-10 p.m.

There will be live music on both Friday and Saturday night. Food and beverage options.