Another super early mock draft has Cardinals selecting CB in 1st round

The latest NFL mock draft for 2022 has the Arizona Cardinals selecting Alabama CB Josh Jobe.

The Arizona Cardinals will begin their offseason work soon. They finished their draft class just over a week ago.

However, some are already looking ahead to the 2022 draft.

There is a trend with these mock drafts. They all feel the Cardinals will select a cornerback in the first round.

The latest is from Touchdown Wire’s Mark Schofield. The Cardinals have the 18th pick in the draft in these projections, meaning they just miss the postseason for the second year in a row.

The pick is Alabama CB Josh Jobe.

It surprised a few observers when the Arizona Cardinals added a linebacker in the first round instead of a coverage player, but the addition of Zaven Collins could certainly pay dividends for the Arizona defense in 2021. But if the team looks to address the secondary in the 2022 NFL draft, Josh Jobe could be the player they look to add. Jobe stepped into the starting lineup this past season opposite Patrick Surtain II, and notched 11 pass breakups and 55 tackles. He is a physical cornerback who is active both at the catch point and against the run.

This is a pick that makes sense, just like all the other mocks with a cornerback. While the Cardinals took two cornerbacks in this year’s draft, they were both on Day 3. Malcolm Butler and Robert Alford both are scheduled to be free agents next year, leaving Byron Murphy and their two draft picks this year.

The Cardinals will need to address the position. It is a premium position, so using a first-round pick makes sense.

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Cardinals projected to take CB in Todd McShay’s way-too-early 2022 mock draft

In his super early mock draft for next year, McShay has the Arizona Cardinals landing Ohio State cornerback Sevyn Banks.

While the 2021 NFL draft concluded just last weekend, there are already some 2022 mock drafts to see. Of course, they are not predictions. They are more about who the top college players this coming season will be matching them with the needs NFL teams will have in a year.

ESPN’s Todd McShay released his early 2022 mock draft. The order is based on power rankings formed by his colleagues.

For the Arizona Cardinals, that means an even higher draft pick than they had in last week’s draft. Based on those rankings, they would have the 14th pick in the draft.

If that is the case in 2022, things will have gone wrong in the 2021 season.

But as for the pick, McHsay has the Cardinals selecting Ohio State cornerback Sevyn Banks.

The Cardinals lost Patrick Peterson to free agency, and both of their starters outside — Robert Alford and Malcolm Butler — are on one-year deals. I did like the Day 3 selections of Marco Wilson and Tay Gowan, but I think Arizona could look at the cornerback pool next April. Banks has good size, length and speed.

He is 6-1 and 200 pounds. He had six pass breakups in 2020 and had a fumble recovery he returned for a touchdown.

The cornerback position doesn’t look certain in 2022, as Malcolm Butler and Robert Alford will both be free agents. They do like their two Day 3 cornerbacks, but it would be foolish to expect them to be full-time starters by 2022. They might be, but it shouldn’t be counted on right now.

Cornerback is a premium position and definitely worth a top-15 pick. We obviously have to see how Banks plays in 2021, but this ridiculously early mock draft looks reasonable in terms of the selection. As for what pick they have, they better not have the 14th pick unless they acquired it in a trade from a non-playoff team.

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Listen to the latest from Cards Wire’s Jess Root on his podcast, Rise Up, See Red. Subscribe on Apple podcasts or Spotify.

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Cardinals land another Florida CB in ridiculously early 2022 mock draft

Elam had two picks and 11 pass breakups in 2020.

The 2021 NFL draft just concluded last weekend, so naturally we start already looking ahead to the 2022 draft. It is expected to be a very talented draft class, considering the number of players who returned to school because of the pandemic and because the NCAA granted players an extra year of eligibility.

Draft Wire’s Luke Easterling already has a mock draft for 2022. Yes, it is way too early to really think about who could actually be the pick for the Arizona Cardinals, but it does put prospects on our radar.

In his very early 2022 mock draft, The Cardinals pick 18th, based on current Super Bowl odds.

So one takeaway is that these projections have the Cardinals missing the playoffs. That is not great. It would mean they are the league’s best non-playoff team.

The pick for the Cardinals is Florida cornerback Kaiir Elam.

Selecting a cornerback makes a ton of sense. Malcolm Butler is on a one-year deal. The Cardinals drafted two cornerbacks but they were both on Day 3, so expectations for them should be tempered.

Elam has had two interceptions in his first two seasons with the Gators.

He is 6-2 and 193 pounds, so he has length that the Cardinals like in a boundary cornerback.

In 12 games last season, he had two interceptions and 11 pass breakups, so he got his hands on the ball at least once a game on average.

With his size and ball skills already, he is definitely a player to watch during the 2021 season.

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5 hopeful Round 2 scenarios for Cardinals

Day 2 of the draft will be a pivotal day for Steve Keim and the Cardinals.

Excited or not for their Round 1 selection of Zaven Collins, Day 2 of the 2021 NFL draft might be even more pivotal for the Arizona Cardinals and general manager Steve Keim.

By selecting Collins, they selected the best player on their board, but they left a huge need at cornerback and another somewhat large need at wide receiver for the future unmet.

So what are some best-case scenarios for the Cardinals for Day 2? Here are five:


New mock draft simulation has Cardinals trading up for Kyle Pitts

What would a full draft look like if Arizona did in fact trade up for Kyle Pitts?

A few days ago, NFL Network’s Peter Schrager had a mock draft that had the Arizona Cardinals trading up for Florida TE Kyle Pitts. Jess Root outlined the potential cost of this move, and he and Seth Cox talked about it on the podcast.

But what if this actually occurred on draft day? What would their draft haul overall potentially look like?

Today, using PFF’s mock draft simulator, we find out.

7 potential surprise picks for the Cardinals in the 1st round of the draft

Arizona Cardinals fans are no strangers to draft day surprises. Here are a few players that they could take in 2021 that could surprise.

The NFL draft is full of surprises, especially when it comes to being an Arizona Cardinals fan. Whether it was taking Levi Brown over Adrian Peterson, trading back instead of taking Terrell Suggs or more recently, taking Hasaan Reddick in the first round, Arizona fans are no strangers to surprises in Round 1.

Here are a few players that could be surprise picks, whether it be at pick 16 with how the players come off the board, or maybe in the 20s, should they make a trade back.


Potential prospects available for Cardinals with No. 16 pick in draft

There are many ways that picks 1-15 could go before Arizona is on the board – here’s one such scenario.

Many teams during this time run through potential draft-day scenarios. That way, they have multiple plans and options for when it comes their time to pick.

The Arizona Cardinals, who own the 16th pick in the draft, are undoubtedly in the process of running through some scenarios for the first 15 picks to see who are the players who could potentially be on the board. They are also likely running through potential scenarios for trading up and trading down to select a player.

Here is one scenario that could occur with the first 15 picks.

1. Jaguars: Clemson QB Trevor Lawrence

Write this in pen.

2. Jets: BYU QB Zack Wilson

Write this in pen too after the Sam Darnold trade.

3. 49ers: Alabama QB Mac Jones

There have been strong rumors that they traded up to make sure they got Jones.

4. Falcons: Florida TE Kyle Pitts

This is where the draft really seems to begin. Their new coach used to be the Titans TE coach, and Pitts would make the Atlanta receiving room arguably the best in the NFL

5. Bengals: LSU WR Ja’marr Chase, WR

This would be the reuniting QB Joe Burrow with his college receiver.

6. Dolphins: Alabama WR DeVonta Smith, WR

See above. Smith would reunite with Tua Tagovailoa.

7. Lions: Oregon OT Penei Sewell, OT

Sewell falls and Detroit fans rejoice.

8. Panthers: Penn State LB Micah Parsons, LB

They get their next Luke Keuchly after trading for Darnold.

9. Broncos: Ohio State QB Justin Fields

Denver needs a QB and Fields is there to compete with Drew Lock.

10. Cowboys: Alabama CB Patrick Surtain

Dallas takes the safe route as they need corners.

11. Giants: Michigan EDGE Kwity Paye

Paye looked great at his pro day.

12. Eagles: Alabama WR Jaylen Waddle

They need a cornerback too but decide to wait when Waddle falls.

13. Chargers: Northwestern OT Rashawn Slater

Justin Herbert loves this pick.

14. Vikings: Virginia Tech OT Christian Darrisaw

The Vikings seem desperate to get their O-line shored up.

15. Patriots: North Dakota State QB Trey Lance

New England can let Lance sit and learn behind Cam Newton.


Best remaining players

  • South Carolina CB Jaycee Horn
  • Miami EDGE Gregory Rousseau
  • Miami EDGE Jaelen Phillips
  • Northwestern CB Greg Newsome II
  • Notre Dame LB Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah
  • Tulsa LB Zaven Collins
  • TCU S Trevon Moehrig
  • Alabama DL Christian Barmore
  • Virginia Tech CB Caleb Farley

Possibilities for Cardinals at No. 16

Horn is still on the board and he would make a ton of sense, given his potential man coverage ability. He has been one of the most mocked players to the Cardinal. Newsome II and Farley are also there, but in this scenario, it would seem Horn might be the best fit, followed by Newsome II.

Either Miami rusher could make sense if they want to plan for life after Chandler Jones, especially if Phillips’ medicals check out.

It is unlikely they would draft Moehrig, although they could if they don’t feel great about Jalen Thompson or their safety depth. T

Then there are two intriguing matchup linebackers in Collins and Owusu-Koramoah. Collins especially would be a luxury pick and would help with life after Jordan Hicks.

Barmore could make some sense too if they want to continue to beef up their defensive line.

They could also trade back. In this pretend scenario, we didn’t have any trades, but it’s very possible all five quarterbacks would be gone, so the likelihood of trading back descreases.

What do you think Cardinals fans? What would you do in this scenario?

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What an ideal 2021 draft looks like for the Cardinals

In what could be an important draft for Arizona’s future, here are some ideal scenarios for the Cardinals.

This could be a pivotal draft for the Arizona Cardinals, one that could make or break their future.

Right now, they have the pieces in place to make it to the playoffs, but there are still holes that they need to fill. While it is true that they can still fill some holes in free agency and have cleared some recent cap space to be able to do so, they still need to have a solid draft to round everything out.

With that in mind, here are, barring any trades, an ideal seven-round scenario for Arizona (and let’s hope this turns out as well as this one):


Potential plans at RB for Cardinals this offseason

Arizona still has a hole to potentially fill in alongside Chase Edmonds at running back – here are some ways they can do that.

The Arizona Cardinals still have a few glaring holes on the roster, though Steve Keim has said they will not panic in terms of filling out the roster. One of those holes is at running back.

There are many ways they can “not panic” to fill their need at running back,  even with them saying that they think that Chase Edmonds can handle the load.

Here are a few ways that they can do that:


Potential plans at RB for Cardinals this offseason

Arizona still has a hole to potentially fill in alongside Chase Edmonds at running back – here are some ways they can do that.

The Arizona Cardinals still have a few glaring holes on the roster, though Steve Keim has said they will not panic in terms of filling out the roster. One of those holes is at running back.

There are many ways they can “not panic” to fill their need at running back,  even with them saying that they think that Chase Edmonds can handle the load.

Here are a few ways that they can do that: