Breaking News: head coach, Jonathan Gannon having issues with Kyler Murray and 2 key players and might not be available…. see why
Breaking News: head coach, Jonathan Gannon having issues with Kyler Murray and 2 key players and might not be available…. see why
The Arizona Cardinals need help on both sides of the football heading into Year 2 under general manager Monti Ossenfort and head coach Jonathan Gannon. NFL.com analyst Daniel Jeremiah’s latest mock draft has Arizona doing just that with its pair of first-round picks in 2024.
But unlike Jeremiah’s first mock draft of the offseason, Arizona’s No. 4 overall pick doesn’t revolve around Ohio State wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr.
tead, Arizona adds another pair of hands in LSU’s Malik Nabers with its top five pick.
Arizona needs to get more dynamic in the passing game. A healthy Kyler Murray paired with Nabers would be fun to watch.
With Jeremiah implementing a scenario where the New England Patriots added a veteran quarterback this mock draft, Jerod Mayo and Co. no longer were in the business of adding a rookie signal caller.
That opened up the door for New England to land Harrison at No. 3 and for the Cardinals to follow suit with a receiver of their own with the next pick.
The 6-foot-1, 188-pounder turned in an impressive final season at LSU, reeling in 89 catches for 1,569 yards and 14 touchdowns — all career highs — across 13 games played.
And when Lance Zierlein compares you to Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson, you’re doing something right.
The Cardinals wide receivers room is in need of a No. 1 option with Hollywood Brown an unrestricted free agent this offseason following a down year that included injuries and poor play. Greg Dortch on the other hand is an exclusive rights free agent, meaning two of the team’s top five pass catchers could be elsewhere come next year.
In terms of who is currently under contract, Michael Wilson and Rondale Moore lead the pack of wideouts. Tight end Trey McBride, who emerged as one of the team’s top pass-catching threats last season, is also expected to be a big piece in the receiving game.
As for Arizona’s second first-round pick acquired in a draft day trade with the Houston Texans, Jeremiah has edge rusher Darius Robinson heading to the desert at 27th overall.
Robinson is a versatile, explosive lineman who had a really good week of practice at the Senior Bowl.
As Jeremiah noted, Robinson saw his stock improve with a solid week at the Senior Bowl after a career year at Missouri that saw the 6-foot-5, 290-pounder rack up 8.5 sacks and 14 tackles for loss in 12 games played.
He also brings versatility to the line, having played both inside and out during his college days at Missouri.
Getting a more consistent and effective pass rush could go a long way for an Arizona defense that was near the bottom of the league last season (355.7 yards per game), especially against the run (143.2 yards per game) and in the sacks department (33).
Arizona’s pass rush last year was led by Dennis Gardeck, who paced the team with six sacks. BJ Ojulari and Victor Dimukeje were next on the list with four apiece.
