With free agency quieting down now, we have a bit of a lull in action in terms of player movement and talk. But there is always draft talk. Knowing that teams have filled some holes through free agency, SB Nation's Matthew Fairburn put together another two-round mock draft to discuss.
In his latest scenario, the Arizona Cardinals pick up a super athletic pass rusher and also look to the future, taking a quarterback in the second round. As for the rest of the teams, there is a lot of action in trades.
Falling to number 20 is UCLA linebacker Anthony Barr, where Arizona scoops him up.
Anthony Barr falls to No. 20 in this mock draft because he's still such an unfinished product as a pass rusher. His talent is undeniable, and he's been dominating his workouts. Barr could go much higher than this, but the Cardinals won't complain if he's available at this juncture.
I doubt he will fall this far, considering where other unpolished, athletic pass rushers have gone in years past (Ziggy Ansah went super early). While there are some questions about whether Barr will become that finished project, he would have a great veteran to work under in John Abraham.
IN the second round, Fairburn thinks that the Cards will go with their "quarterback of the future," and take Virginia Tech's Logan Thomas.
The Cardinals landed Jared Veldheer in free agency, filling the need at offensive tackle. Why not draft a quarterback to develop under Carson Palmer? Logan Thomas has the size and arm strength Bruce Arians is looking for.
Ideally you take a player that can make an immediate impact on the team, but if you like the guy at quarterback, you have to take him. It is a position you almost have to overdraft. At the same time, while Bruce Arians talks about playing his rookies early, he also showed no problem with keeping Kevin Minter on the bench last year with Karlos Dansby playing at a high level.
In this draft scenario, how pleased would you be with the team?