Kevin Minter

Minter failed to reach the 100-tackle mark during the 2015 season, despite appearing in all 16 games and being on the field for 89 percent of the Cardinals' defensive snaps. The inside linebacker is in line for a similar role in 2016, which could keep his tackle numbers capped as he works next to fellow inside linebacker Deone Bucannon. As a result, IDP viability may be fleeting for Minter in the final year of his rookie contract.

As the offseason program churns along following the NFL Draft, Minter is penciled into a starting spot at inside linebacker for the Cardinals. Last year's main ILB, Larry Foote, is currently fulfilling a role coaching the unit, but there is a chance that Foote opts to return for a 14th professional season. If he remains on head coach Bruce Arians' staff, Minter should man the position next to free-agent pickup Sean Weatherspoon. It remains to be seen if Minter assumes defensive play-calling duties, as he did for much of the 2014 offseason, but after accumulating 44 tackles (39 solo) while playing just 29.9 percent of defensive snaps last year, the 2013 second-round pick could turn the veritable internship into a fruitful IDP campaign in 2015.

It's unclear whether Minter simply disappointed as a rookie or if the Cardinals merely held veterans Karlos Dansby and Jasper Brinkley in high regard, but Minter almost never saw the field despite the fact that Arizona selected him 45th overall in the 2013 draft. Dansby and Brinkley are both gone, so it would seem that Minter should take up a three-down role by default, especially with fellow inside linebacker Daryl Washington suspended for the season. Minter averaged 10 tackles per game in his final season at LSU, while showing some blitzing upside at the same time by logging four sacks.

Star ILB Daryl Washington had a four-game suspension at press time due to a violation of the NFL's PED policy, and a domestic violence arrest loomed as a threat for further suspension. Move Minter down this list if Washington plays any more than eight games this year, but Minter should possess LB2 potential as long as Washington is out. The Cardinals didn't draft him in the second round to sit around, so even with the signing of Karlos Dansby to a one-year deal, Minter should start the year as a three-down player after totaling 130 tackles and four sacks in 13 games in 2012.