When Michael Floyd was announced as the 13th pick in the draft by the Arizona Cardinals, everyone immediately thought the same thing: this wide receiver group is going to be awesome. Arguably the best receiver in the NFL right now, combined with one of the top receivers in the draft make for an amazing tandem, and any quarterback would be thrilled to be able to throw the ball to those two.
There is a lot of pressure coming into the NFL as a high draft pick, but having gone to Notre Dame, pressure is something Floyd might already be used to and being in the spotlight is something he is prepared to handle.
“I think it prepared me very well, going to a big, prestigious school like Notre Dame,” Floyd said. “Everybody around there wants to be successful and you’re surrounded by a lot of great individuals and also great coaches there. They teach you just not being a great man on the field but off the field too. So I think I learned a lot in that transition to the NFL.”
Floyd put up big numbers on the field at Notre Dame with his numbers improving each year including his senior season where he caught 100 balls for 1,147 yards and 9 touchdowns. And he did that with some not-so-great quarterbacks running the offense for coaches Charlie Weis and Brian Kelly.
Floyd looks forward to playing alongside Larry Fitzgerald.
“When I got picked by the Arizona Cardinals, I was really excited,” Floyd said. “[Just] knowing that a guy that’s been in the league for quite some time, that knows the ins and outs of the game and also being a great competitor on the field and also off the field. Just being surrounded by a guy like that really is helpful for me to be the guy that I want to be.”
Without a doubt, on paper the Fitzgerald/Floyd pairing has to be explosive. Regardless of whether Kevin Kolb or John Skelton starts, this tandem of receivers will open the door for a better running game and also prevent teams from simply double covering Larry Fitzgerald. If they do, Floyd will get wide open, and vice versa.
The aerial attack in the desert is going to be something to watch this season.
