Presenting different scenarios is the best way to look at mock drafts this time of year. NFL Network’s Bucky Brooks recently published his second mock draft of the year and he has the Arizona Cardinals making a surprising decision.
With the eighth pick in the draft, he has them selecting Iowa tackle Tristan Wirfs.
That isn’t the surprising move, though. No one would be surprised to see the Cardinals select an offensive lineman, especially someone like Wirfs who showed elite athleticism at the combine this week.
The surprise is who they pass up on.
Ohio State cornerback Jeff Okudah is still available and the Cardinals don’t take him.
The Cardinals don’t need a cornerback this year, as they expect to have Patrick Peterson, Robert Alford and Byron Murphy all play for them, but passing on a potential shutdown cornerback would almost go against general manager Steve Keim’s philosophy. Cornerbacks are hard to find. Tackles are, too, but if they see Wirfs more of a right tackle, that isn’t as rare.
If Okudah is on the board, it is unlikely the Cardinals do anything else other than draft him.
Brooks’ draft also has the Cardinals passing on the top receiver prospects like Jerry Jeudy and CeeDee Lamb. Passing on a receiver to take a tackle is reasonable, depending on how they see the receiver class in the second round.
What is also interesting is how the tackles in the first round are drafted. Wirfs is only the second tackle taken. Alabama’s Jedrick Wills is the first to come off the board. Louisville’s Meckhi Becton, considered by some to be the best tackle prospect in the draft, is the third tackle taken, landing with the New York Jets at No. 11.
Would Wirfs over Okudah, the other tackles and all the receivers be the best choice?
It might work out but it seems like a scenario that wouldn’t happen.
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Ep. 259
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Ep. 258
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