Cardinals’ Scout Alfonza is a Knight in Shining Armor

Alfonza Knight is the winner of the 2024 Rod Graves Award

If you have not seen this recent video of Cardinals’ GM Monti Ossenfort presenting Alfonza Knight with the 2024 Rod Graves Award for Scouting, it’s a wonderful tribute:

Monti Ossenfort’s presentation of the award was made while the Cardinals were on the clock during the 6th round of the NFL Draft. Clearly, Alfonza Knight’s diligent and in-depth scouting assignment of the Cardinals’ #191 pick, WR Tejhuan Palmer of UAB was one of the primary factors why Knight was issued the Rod Graves Award.

Be honest. How many of you had to scramble around the internet to find information about Tejhuan Palmer? Had it not been for a tweet that I saw prior to the draft where Palmer was being touted as a “super sleeper,” I would have been clueless about the pick. That one tweet led me to this highlight video:

At 6-2, 210 Tejhuan Palmer looked plenty fast enough on tape. Then, to learn he posted a 4.45 in the 40 and was drawing a good deal of interest from the Broncos, Patriots, Jets, each of whom invited Tejhuan for 30 visits, plus the Bengals, Giants and Saints who conducted zoom meetings with him —- one can imagine the Cardinals disappointed a number of teams when they turned in Tejhuan Palmer’s card at #191.

The life of an NFL scout is often a rigorous one. In Alfonzo Knight’s case, he scouted Tejhuan Palmer in the Hula Bowl and at the East-West Shrine game. So often scouts can put in such long hours and travel thousands of miles in pursuit of one under-the-radar prospect and, in the end, see another team come away with the prize.

One can tell from Knight’s phone call to inform Tehjuan that he was about to be selected by the Cardinals the emotional investment he has in the young WR as well as the rapport he’s been building.

The biggest payoff for Alfonzo Knight will be if Tehjuan Palmer makes the 53-man roster and is able to make a solid contribution as a rookie.

The same can be said about the other prospects at the East-West Shine game that Alfonzo Knight and the other Cardinals coaches and scouts in attendance (Drew Terrell and Spencer Whipple) helped to make strong cases for:

• TE Tip Reiman
• S Dadrion Taylor-Demerson
• DE Xavier Thomas
• DT Myles Murphy
• LS Joe Shimko
• QB Taulia Togovailoa* (invited to Cardinals’ rookie camp this Friday)

Congratulations to Alfonzo Knight for his excellent work. Special thanks to all of the Cardinals scouts who helped to make the 2024 draft a special one for the Arizona Cardinals.