Cardinals' coach expects Nkemdiche to be 'the best D-lineman we got'

When the Arizona Cardinals drafted Ole Miss defensive lineman Robert Nkemdiche late in the first round, the consensus was that he would only add to their already talented defensive front.

Cardinals defensive line coach Brentson Buckner is expecting Nkemdiche to add more than just depth behind Calais Campbell and Chandler Jones.

"I expect Robert to come in here and be the best D-lineman we got," Buckner told the team's website. "I don't want him to come here and think he's being redshirted."

There were concerns about Nkemdiche's off-the-field antics and his inconsistency with in-game effort, but Buckner isn't bothered by either.

"You show me any player in the country, especially d-linemen, that plays every snap full speed, I’ll give you a million dollars," said Buckner, when asked about Nkemdiche taking plays off. "It depends on what your eyes see. … In the NFL you're not going to play 90 plays. With our (roster), he'll play 30 plays. You take that energy and condense it to 30 plays, you tell me who wouldn't want that type of player?”

The Ole Miss defender made headlines in December when he fell out of a hotel window while partying, days after being suspended for his team's bowl game.

"I made a kind of joke about it, you get a guy who falls out of a second-story building and walks away from it, that's my kind of guy," Buckner said. "Because he's not afraid of a double-team anymore, know what I mean?"

Many believed before the draft that Nkemdiche's NFL success would depend on the team, environment, and culture that he was being selected to and it appears he's found a friendly fit in Arizona.