Cardinals pick up top CB prospect, extra pick in new mock draft

In a new NFL mock draft, the Arizona Cardinals move back three spots, pick up a third-round pick and land CB Caleb Farley.

We have more mock drafts! It is the week of the 2021 NFL draft and Touchdown Wire’s Mark Schofield put together his fourth mock draft of the season, his final before the actual event.

This mock draft works out about as ideally as it could get for the Arizona Cardinals. They work a trade that moves them back only three slots, land a top prospect at a premium position of need and then net themselves a third-round pick.

Since they do not currently have a selection in the third round, this is perfect.

They trade with the Washington Football Team, who moves up to the Cardinals’ No. 16 pick to select Penn State linebacker Micah Parsons.

The Cardinals get the 19th pick and Washington’s third-round pick — No. 74 overall.

With the 19th pick, the Cardinals take Virginia Tech cornerback Caleb Farley.

The Arizona Cardinals are now back on the clock, and they look to address a glaring need: Cornerback. Caleb Farley might be ranked as high as CB1 on some boards, but the recent back surgery might see him slide a bit Thursday night. He is relatively new to the position, but shows the ability to break on routes as well as the recovery speed that makes him a natural for the position. With a huge hole in the secondary, the Cardinals can patch that in a hurry given his recovery skills and feel for the game.

With Farley recovering from back surgery, taking him 16th overall might feel a bit rich. Getting him three picks later with an extra Day 2 selection in tow feels even better.

To be clear, this writer is okay with Farley with the 16th pick. He is a top-end athlete who has size, speed, movement skills and ball skills. He is a potential elite star at a premium position.

His ability to recover on a play where he might look beaten will remind many of Patrick Peterson.

He fills an immediate and long-term need at cornerback, where only Byron Murphy is under contract beyond 2021. He could even start as a rookie if he beats out Rober Alford or if Alford gets hurt again.

This is a great selection and if the Cardinals pull something like this off, they would get an A in my book.

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