Former Cardinals GM Steve Keim Criticizes Ex-First-Round Pick Robert Nkemdiche

Former Arizona Cardinals general manager Steve Keim dished on 2016 first-round pick Robert Nkemdiche.

Author:
Ryan Sanudo
Publish date:
Apr 9, 2023 12:00 PM EDT

In this story:

Former Arizona Cardinals general manager Steve Keim has been in the spotlight recently — and he hasn't been afraid to be honest about his time with the club.

Keim stepped down from his position after the Cardinals 4-13 season due to health reasons. He was the team's general manager for 10 seasons and made the playoffs three times, winning one playoff game.

The 50-year-old Keim recently gave strong opinions on Kyler Murray, DeAndre Hopkins and Hasson Reddick.

In an interview on the Green Light Podcast with Chris Long, Keim dished on 2016 former first-round pick Robert Nkemdiche.

“In Arizona, I drafted Robert Nkemdiche with the 26^th pick overall who we thought was a Top 10 talent and there were some concerns and questions about him coming out," Keim said. "At the end of the day really, the guy just, in my opinion, didn’t love football enough. He didn’t succeed or play at a high level because he was in love with the process of going through the draft, being the top pick, getting money. But when it was time to grind, that wasn’t his focus.”

Nkemdiche was a first-team All-SEC selection out of Ole Miss and only played five games as a rookie in 2016. He played 12 games in the following season and had his first and only sack with the Cardinals in 2018.

The Cardinals cut Nkemdiche after three seasons. He then played two games for the Dolphins and nine for the Seahawks before his NFL career ended. He's now with the Michigan Panthers of the USFL.

Keim's comments concerning his former players comes after an April 4 report that Cardinals team owner Michael Bidwill was accused of forcing team personnel to use burner phones to communicate with Keim, who was serving a DUI suspension in 2018.