Cardinals General Manager Steve Keim entered the draft this week intent on leaving it with more than just six players. He didn't necessarily plan to start the process on the first day. But that's what Keim and the Cardinals did Thursday in the first round, trading down from No. 20 to No. 27 and selecting strong safety Deone (pronounced DAY-own) Bucannon from Washington State. The Cardinals received a third-round pick from the Saints, the 91st overall, in the trade. The second and third rounds will be held today, beginning at 4 p.m. "You measure your risk versus your reward," Keim said when asked about trading. "We had enough players on our board we felt comfortable with. He's a guy we could have taken at 20, but we took a gamble. And we were thrilled, very excited to get him at No. 27." The Cardinals had offers to trade back again, Keim said, "but we didn't want to take the chance because we liked the player." Bucannon, 6-feet-1-inch and 211 pounds, was a four-year starter at Washington State and a captain for three seasons. At the scouting combine in February, he ran the 40-yard dash in less than 4.5 seconds. "You look at his resume, his stats, his height, weight and speed versus any other safety in this draft … and we wondered all along why he wasn't talked about along with some of those other top players," Keim said. Bucannon has a reputation as a physical, smart player — and one who is eager for his chance. "There was no other place I wanted to be," Bucannon said in a conference call following the first round. "I went on 20 different visits and Arizona was by far the place I wanted to go. I was hoping they got the same vibe from me." They did. Keim and Bucannon hit it off when Bucannon visited before the draft. "Not only do we feel like we filled a specific need," Keim said, "we filled it with a player we targeted for quite some time. "The guy's a headhunter. He's physical. I don't want to mention him in the same breath as Adrian Wilson, but there are some physical similarities and same type of mentality we were looking for." Bucannon could start right away for the Cardinals, who do not have a clear starter at strong safety. Yeremiah Bell, last year's starter, has not re-signed and could retire. Free safety Tyrann Mathieu is questionable for the start of the season after suffering two torn knee ligaments in December. - See more at: http://www.azcentral.com/story/spor.../08/arizona-cardinals-2014-nfl-draft/8879593/
