Asante Samuel Jr. Was Nearly Drafted by Arizona Cardinals

Former Arizona Cardinals GM Steve Keim says the team initially wanted to draft CB Asante Samuel Jr. before the Los Angeles Chargers took him.

Every team has NFL Draft stories for days where a player nearly ended up in their uniform, potentially changing the course of the franchise. The Arizona Cardinals are no different, and considering their extremely hit-or-miss track record the last few years, looking back at previous drafts and wondering what could have been is something Cardinals fans are used to doing too often. 

Los Angeles Chargers CB Asante Samuel Jr. was a second-round pick in the 2021 NFL Draft and despite going outside of the top 32 picks, he was still one of the top corner prospects in the pool. 

Samuel (Pick 47) was taken two spots ahead of where the Cardinals eventually took WR Rondale Moore. 

Appearing on the Green Light Podcast with Chris Long, former Cardinals GM Steve Keim discussed the frustrating side of the draft and how the team coveted Samuel heading into the second day. 

"I can't even tell you how many times, I couldn't even remember the names of the players - all of them that, you got to the pick before us and literally get the player on the phone and another team calls in, that's in front of you, and takes the player right out from under your feet," said Keim.

"It's happened so many times. I would say that's probably the most I get pissed off in a draft room is when you feel like you got that guy. It's one pick away, you got him on the phone and then all of a sudden a phone call interrupts [the conversation].

"The guy that happened to us last to that I can remember was Asante Samuel Jr. We were really needing corner, the kid was phenomenal on tape even though he didn't have the off-the-charts height, weight and speed. He's exceptional in the slot, just a real player."

Samuel finds himself hailing from a strong corner class and has proven to be impactful when on the field - his 76.1 PFF coverage grade ranked 14th for corners last season. 

Especially with Byron Murphy moving on this offseason, having Samuel and Marco Wilson (who was taken in the fourth round of that same draft) would still leave the Cardinals in good shape in the secondary, though Wilson likely isn't taken by Arizona if Samuel was there. 

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