At this time last year, starting a mock draft for the Cardinals was easy. They were taking quarterback Kyler Murray with the No. 1 overall pick. Period.
It’s not quite so simple this year. Arizona has the No. 8 pick overall. It could select a right tackle, trade down, take a wide receiver … in other words, the Cardinals have options.
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In our Cardinals Mock Draft 1.0, we not only look at those options but make selections for the Cardinals’ other five picks. As a guide, we used the mock draft simulator at The Draft Network. The simulator does not take potential trades into account; thus we went by the player rankings it provided in conjunction with the Cardinals’ needs.
Here we go:
Round 1, No. 8 pick overall
Jedrick Wills, T, Alabama
The Cardinals filled most of their glaring defensive needs in free agency with the signings of Jordan Phillips, Devon Kennard and De’Vondre Campbell. Their quest for a No. 1 receiver was solved when they acquired DeAndre Hopkins from Houston.
Arizona doesn’t have to take an offensive lineman here. By re-signing Marcus Gilbert and bringing Justin Murray back on a tender offer, it can get by for another season. But for the Cardinals to have any success the next few years they have to protect Murray, and Wills arguably is the best right tackle in the class. NFL.com analyst Lance Zierlein said Wills, “is one of the most impressive tackles in the draft; he has a basketball-caliber foot quickness and the quick hands of a boxer, and all of it is wrapped in a stout, powerful package of bad intentions. His game is tailor-made for the NFL, and his range of success is good starter to All-Pro.”
Why Wills over Iowa’s Tristan Wirfs, who is rated higher in some mock drafts? Wirfs, while a better athlete, isn’t as accomplished a pass protector as Wills and could, eventually, slide to guard. Wills is a natural right tackle.
I also believe the Cardinals could trade down from No. 8. The Draft Network’s simulator has Georgia tackle Andrew Thomas lasting until the 14th pick. If Arizona doesn’t have one tackle ranked substantially higher than the other top prospects it could move down a few picks and re-acquire the second-round selection it gave up in the Hopkins deal.
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Round 3, No. 72 overall
Clyde Edwards-Helaire, RB, LSU
In theory, the Cardinals don’t need a running back. Kenyan Drake signed his $8.48 million transition tag offer, Chase Edmonds is a solid backup and Arizona re-signed D.J. Foster. But I made Edwards-Helaire the pick for several reasons.
First and foremost, Drake is playing on a one-year deal unless he and the Cardinals agree to a long-term contract. Edwards-Helaire, who had 1,867 all-purpose yards and 17 touchdowns last season for LSU, is a potential replacement as the No. 1 back or, at the very least, part of a job share with Edmonds. Also, like Drake, Edwards-Helaire fits Kingsbury’s system as a back who can double as an effective receiver. He caught 55 passes for 453 yards and a touchdown in 2019.
Finally, Arizona needs a kick returner with the loss of Pharoh Cooper in free agency, and Edwards-Helaire averaged 21.4 yards per kickoff return.
Alabama inside linebacker Raekwon Davis also is available at this spot in the simulator, but Edwards-Helaire would provide greater value at a position that needs reinforcement, not just in 2020 but beyond, depending on Drake’s contract status.
Round 4, No. 114 overall
Evan Weaver, LB, California
I seriously thought about taking UCLA tight end Devin Asiasi, who caught 44 passes and averaged 14.6 yards per catch for the Bruins last season. Asiasi could be a dangerous down-the-seam threat for Kingsbury and, at 6 feet 3 inches and 257 pounds, a matchup nightmare.
But I have the Cardinals going offense with their first two picks. Also, Kingsbury loved what he saw late last year from tight end Dan Arnold, who had four receptions for 76 yards and a touchdown in the season finale against the Los Angeles Rams.
So, Weaver is the pick.
Weaver is not a great athlete and likely projects as a two-down inside linebacker in Arizona’s 3-4 scheme. But he was incredibly productive at California — he had 103 solo tackles last season — he’s a leader and he plays hard every snap, a trait general manager Steve Keim covets. Weaver could back up Jordan Hicks and Campbell for one season and then, if Campbell is gone, step in as a starter. At the very least, he’ll be a solid reserve and special teams contributor.
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Round 4, No. 131 overall
Alton Robinson, Edge, Syracuse
Given the fact Haason Reddick likely is heading into his final season in Arizona, the Cardinals could use an edge rusher to back up Chandler Jones and Kennard.
The 6-foot-3, 264-pound Robinson is a terrific athlete who ran a 4.69 40-yard dash at the combine and had 10 sacks his junior season at Syracuse. He wasn’t as productive as a senior, registering just 4 ½ sacks, but scouts believe that with refinement and teaching he can become a dangerous pass rusher.
From Zierlein: “Twitched-up edge rusher with exciting potential to become a disruptive factor in NFL backfields with a more skilled and willful approach. Robinson has the burst and bend to become a pass-rushing problem for tackles early in his career, but his approach is too ‘one-trick’ and needs workable counters to become less predictable. As a run defender, he has enough strength but lacks consistent technique and instincts. He’s worthy of consideration as a designated rusher while he smooths out the kinks and could take a big leap forward with better skill and control.”
Round 6, No. 202 overall
Omar Bayless, WR, Arkansas State
It’s a deep draft for wide receivers, one reason Bayless might be available in the sixth round despite a monster 2019 season in which he had 93 catches for 1,653 yards and 17 touchdowns while averaging 17.8 yards per catch.
Bayless didn’t put up those numbers against the best competition; the Sun Belt conference isn’t the SEC. And his 4.62 40-yard time at the combine hardly paints him as a deep threat. But he has good size at 6 feet 1 inch and 212 pounds, and his production can’t be ignored.
He could be a special teams asset as a rookie or wind up as a developmental player on the practice squad.
Round 7, No. 222 overall
A.J. Green, CB, Oklahoma State
This is strictly a best-player-available pick. Green projects as an outside corner who has the athleticism to play press man-to-man coverage. He’s not a physical corner and his tackling needs work, but it’s the seventh round. At this point of the draft, the weaknesses of prospects are more apparent than their strengths.
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With Patrick Peterson’s contract status after the 2020 season undetermined, and Robert Alford’s injury history, grabbing a corner in the late rounds and hoping he develops into a rotational player isn’t a bad idea.
(Photo of Alabama’s Jedrick Wills, No 74, during the Jan. 1, 2020, Citrus Bowl against Michigan: Joe Robbins / Getty Images)