The Arizona Cardinals are one quarterback away from being legitimate Superbowl contenders. Unfortunately for the red birds they are hard to find. This draft will be about reloading the defensive side of the ball. Antonio Cromartie is gone, Darnell Dockett is gone, the team has no pass rushing threat, and don’t even get me started about Daryl Washington. With the 25th overall pick there are a number of directions the team could go with on draft day.
In my mock draft I selected Clemson pass rusher Vic Beasley. This would obviously be a dream scenario as Beasley could easily go in the top 5. The need for an edge rusher can not be under stated. Alex Okafor and newly acquired Lamar Woodley are not going to cut it. Arizona will likely come away with at least one outside linebacker within the first three rounds. Eli Harold, Bud Dupree, Hau,oli Kikaha, Randy Gregory, and Nate Orchard are some players the team could consider.
Cornerback is the another direction the team could go with. Antonio Cromartie fled for New York and now Patrick Peterson needs a running mate. Good news for Cardinal fans is there will be a number of options at cornerback early in the draft. As many as six corners could go in round one. Trae Wayne, Jalen Collins, Marcus Peters, Byron Jones, Kevin Johnson, and Quinton Rollins are the potential first round picks. The Cardinals will have there hands full to keep this secondary up to code especially after the loss of defensive coordinator Todd Bowles.
The Cardinals will also look to fill some holes on the offense later in the draft. Andre Ellington needs a complimentary half back, while also filling some holes along the offensive line. Arizona does have interest in Adrian Peterson but he appears to be heading to Dallas sooner or later. Quarterback Carson Palmer is also likely on his last leg. A late round quarterback doesn’t seem out of the realm of possibility either.
Below is the list of players Arizona has met with as well as every draft pick come April 30th.
Prospects associated with the Cardinals:
» T.J. Clemmings, OT, Pittsburgh: Clemmings has private workout with Cardinals
» Tevin Coleman, RB, Indiana: Cardinals among three teams Coleman will visit
» Carl Davis, DT, Iowa: Davis spotted with Cardinals at Senior Bowl
» Tyeler Davison, DL, Fresno State: Versatile DL worked out for Cardinals
» Laurence Gibson, OT, Virginia Tech: Unheralded OT to meet with Panthers
» Melvin Gordon, RB, Wisconsin: Gordon meets with RB-needy Cardinals
» Gabe Holmes, TE, Purdue: Private workout with Cardinals went well
» Brett Hundley, QB, UCLA: Report: Hundley to work out for Cardinals
» Matt Jones, RB, Florida: Jones lines up workout with Cardinals
» Marcus Mariota, QB, Oregon: Helfrich: Maybe Arians dissing spread QBs is ploy to get Mariota
» Terry Poole, OT, San Diego State: Versatile OT worked out for Cardinals
» Jaelen Strong, WR, Arizona State: Strong says he has workout scheduled with Cardinals
» Kevin White, CB, TCU: White spotted with Cardinals at Senior Bowl
» Jameis Winston, QB, Florida State: Arians on Winston: ‘He’s a good kid’
First round: 24th overall selection
Second round: 55th overall selection
Third round: 86th overall selection
Fourth round: 123rd overall selection
Fifth round: 159th overall selection
Sixth round: 198th overall selection
Seventh round: 241st overall selection
Seventh round: 256th overall selection
