The Sports Xchange

TEMPE, Ariz. — The Arizona Cardinals are confident they filled all their immediate needs when they signed six players the first week of free agency.

That included two offensive linemen and two defensive linemen. Guard Mike Iupati should help a running game that ranked last in the NFL a season ago. A.Q. Shipley will compete for the starting center’s job.

Defensive lineman Corey Peters has the versatility to play nose tackle and end. Cory Redding will compete for the starting left end job and provide leadership.

Sean Weatherspoon should start at one of the inside linebacker spots, and LaMarr Woodley will compete at outside linebacker.

Those signings give the Cardinals considerable flexibility as they enter the draft, head coach Bruce Arians said.

“There’s not a dying need at any position,” Arians said, “so that we can take the best players available in this draft and not reach for need at all. So you’re adding eight picks, probably seven to 15 undrafted guys, and you’ll throw them in the mix.”

That doesn’t mean the Cardinals don’t need help. They could use a physical running back, more help at every linebacker position, a cornerback, offensive tackle and possibly center.

The Cardinals compiled a draft board of 130 players, 10 more than normal because of unusual depth at certain positions. General manager Steve Keim declined to identify those positions.

That board of 130 will take the Cardinals through eight picks, including the last one in the draft, even though 256 players will be drafted.

It works, Keim said, because the team doesn’t have some players ranked. Either those players don’t fit the Cardinals’ system or have some red flags because of concerns about injuries or character.

“Generally, over the last probably two or three years, we end up finishing the draft with about anywhere from eight to 15 players left, which become our priority free agents after the draft’s over,” Keim said. “Everybody’s board looks a little different in the NFL.”

2014 Record: 11-5, 2nd in NFC South

First Draft Pick: #24 Overall

BEST FIT: RB Melvin Gordon, Wisconsin

Durable and tough, Gordon is excellent between the tackles and would be a nice complement to Andre Ellington, who excels in space. Gordon could immediately help a running game that ranked last in the NFL a year ago.

TEAM NEEDS

1. Outside linebacker: The team has only five on the roster, and the only one that successfully rushed the passer in 2014 was Alex Okafor with eight sacks. The Cardinals need an infusion of talent and sheer numbers here.

2. Running back: The Cardinals’ red-zone performance was hindered a year ago by the lack of a bigger, physical running back. They still don’t have that type of player on the roster. They have a bunch of smaller, quicker backs, but they need someone to gain the tough yards.

3. Inside linebacker: The team signed Sean Weatherspoon in free agency, but he has a history of injuries. And the team doesn’t know if Daryl Washington will be reinstated from indefinite suspension. Taking an inside linebacker in the first three rounds makes a lot of sense.