Cardinals Pick Elite Pass Rusher in Three-Round Mock Draft
The Arizona Cardinals have been relatively quiet during the opening of the free agency period — but don't expect the same when the draft approaches in April.
After a 4-13 season in 2022, the Cardinals will hold the No. 3 overall pick. Plenty of speculation has already occurred as to if the team will trade back with a quarterback-needy team.
According to Pro Football Focus analyst Trevor Sikkema, that won't be the case in his three-round mock draft:
Round 1, Pick 3: Will Anderson, EDGE, Alabama
Sikkema envisions the Cardinals selecting Alabama Crimson Tide edge rusher Will Anderson Jr. as the No. 3 selection.
“The Cardinals could easily trade down here, but after losing Zach Allen in free agency, they badly need to shore up the defensive line,” Sikkema wrote. “They won’t want to trade down too far, especially when they could have a player like Anderson in the top three.
Arizona lost two key defensive linemen — Zach Allen and J.J. Watt — in the offseason.
The Cardinals would be drafting arguably the top-rated prospect and pass rusher in Anderson. In three seasons with Alabama, he recorded 205 tackles and 34.5 sacks in 114 career games. He's a two-time SEC Defensive Player of the Year and led college football in sacks (17.5) in the 2021 season.
Round 2, Pick 34: Jahmyr Gibbs, RB, Alabama
In the second round, the Cardinals are mocked to take another Crimson Tide player, Jahmyr Gibbs.
In his final season at Alabama, Gibbs ran for 926 yards and seven touchdowns on 151 touchdowns. He can also be a threat in the passing game as the 20-year-old added 44 receptions for 444 yards and three touchdowns.
The Cardinals have James Conner as their No. 1 running back, but the veteran missed four games last season.
Gibbs could be the running back that the Cardinals envisioned Eno Benjamin to be, and then some.
Round 3, Pick 66: Tyrique Stevenson, CB, Miami
Arizona has an immediate need at cornerback, especially with the loss of Byron Murphy Jr. to the Minnesota Vikings in free agency.
Here, the Cardinals land Tyrique Stevenson. He allowed only 17 catches in 2022 and posted 25 tackles, seven pass breakups, two interceptions and 1.5 tackles for loss. In the previous season, he notched 43 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, one-half sack, four pass breakups and an interception.
The Cardinals could hope Stevenson turns into an outside corner at the NFL level.
Round 3, Pick 96: Andrew Vorhees, OG, USC
Andrew Vorhees would've been selected by now. Unfortunately, he suffered a torn ACL during the combine.
Sikkema still sees Vorhees as a late-day 2 pick. The 24-year-old has five years of starting experience at the college level and his main attribute is run-blocking. If and when Vorhees heals well, he could be a starting-caliber guard in the NFL.
The Cardinals need youth along the offensive line. This pick would be a little bit of a gamble, but general manager Monti Ossenfort and head coach Jonathan Gannon are in this for the long haul.
Why not take a flier on Vorhees, who was CBS Sports' fourth-ranked interior offensive lineman of the 2023 draft?
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