TEMPE, Ariz. -- Cardinals GM Steve Keim admitted the obvious when he took the podium at the team's headquarters on Thursday evening.
"We've had a lot of lean years up front where our offensive line was a major weakness," Keim said. "The minute we hired (coach) Bruce (Arians), we wanted to emphasize getting bigger and more physical up front."
The Cardinals moved further along that continuum by selecting Florida offensive tackle D.J. Humphries (6-5, 315 pounds with 34-inch arms) with the 24th pick in the NFL Draft.
Arizona didn't select an offensive lineman earlier than the fifth round from 2009 to 2012. Humphries is the second offensive lineman the team has taken in the first round the past three years, after selecting guard Jonathan Cooper seventh overall in 2013.
Humphries is a 21-year-old underclassman who played left tackle at Florida for three seasons. With Veldheer entrenched at that position at a left tackle's salary, Arians confirmed that Humphries will shift to right tackle and battle last season's starter, Bobby Massie, for the top of the depth chart. Massie is entering the final year of his contract.
"No problems with it at all," said Humphries of the shift. "If you can play left, you can play right; if you can play right, you can play left. I'm ready for whatever position they need me to play."
The NFL Draft Advisory Board counseled Humphries to stay in school another year to develop since he had never made an All-SEC team and might end up falling in the draft. Humphries admitted that the advice gave him pause, but not for long.
"If I don't believe in myself nobody else will," he said. "I believed that I could be a first-round draft pick, and I believed that I could put the work in to make myself a first-round draft pick."
Keim said the board normally gives players conservative grades, but Humphries size and physical tools, along with his "nasty temperament," made him an obvious first-round pick that the Cardinals felt could have been a top-five pick if he had stayed at Florida another year.
Humphries, who will arrive in Arizona on Friday morning, said he added about 25 pounds in the offseason by eating "meat and potatoes." The added weight hasn't impacted his agility, he said. In fact, he said it's made him feel better.
"As far as my footwork and my movement, it's crazy because I feel like I move a lot more balanced now," he said. "I don't know if that comes with the training I was doing or me having more of an anchor to keep me balanced."
We like pancakes. You like pancakes. D.J. Humphries likes pancakes. Put it on 'em, @CashOutHump! #CardsDraft pic.twitter.com/cXSfRLJID3
— Arizona Cardinals (@AZCardinals) May 1, 2015
As a true freshman, Humphries appeared in all 12 games for the Gators, starting three. He graded out at 80 percent or better six times, including 100 percent against Texas A&M and Tennessee.
He played the first seven games of his sophomore season in 2013 before suffering a season-ending knee injury. As a junior in 2014, he played in 10 games, missing two after having bone chips removed from his ankle.
Keim said neither of those injuries was a concern. One was a soft tissue injury; the other an MCL. His physical looked clean.
The selection of Humphries came after several other players the Cardinals were eyeing went off the board, including running backs Todd Gurley, Melvin Gordon, cornerbacks Kevin Johnson, Marcus Peters and edge rushers Bud Dupree and Shane Ray.
"It was a fluid first round, and a lot of good players came off the board," said Keim, who had Humphries ranked 13th on the team's 130-man draft board.
Rounds 2 and 3 of the Draft are Friday. Among the areas the Cardinals could address are a running back, an edge rusher, a receiver and a cornerback. The draft is considered deep at the first three positions.
DJ Humphries, welcome to the #BirdGang young man! Come ready to work! We have big goals this year my friend! #2015NFLDraft
— Calais Campbell (@Campbell93) May 1, 2015
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