7 Round Arizona Cardinals Mock Draft: The trade down

Yesterday, we looked at the history of the Steve Keim and what he tends to do with his draft selections.

Today, we use that data to compile a mock draft.

Enjoy... and rip it to shreds.

Arizona Cardinals Draft:

1st Round (25th Overall Selection from Houston Texans)
Anthony Walker Jr. - Inside Linebacker
Northwestern - Redshirt Junior
6-1, 235 Pounds
2016: 105 tot, 10 tfl, 2 sacks, 1 int, 5 pd, 2 fr, 4 ff

With Kevin Minter possibly leaving because of free agency, and other Cardinals free agents being more prioritized, he becomes expendable. I like Anthony Walker Jr., as he was an All-Big Ten first team selection in 2015, and a second team All-Big Ten in 2016. He could be a sneaky first round sleeper, as he is a very athletic linebacker.

2nd Round (45th Overall Selection)

Davis Webb - Quarterback
California - Senior
6-5, 229 Pounds
2016: 382 cmp, 620 att, 4295 yards, 61.6 cmp%, 37 TD, 12 int

There is no doubt, the Cardinals need a quarterback for the future desperatly, and hopefully they address it this year. The only quarterback they've drafted in the B.A. and Keim regime has been Logan Thomas, and I understand the skeptisicm. It could be very different this year, with Davis Webb having a solid outting during the Senior Bowl. No one doubts his measurables, and everyone knows that Arians loves the bigger quarterbacks. Webb could sit behind Palmer and Stanton a couple of years until he is ready, as time would be available for Davis.

3rd Round (77th Overall Selection)
Noel Thomas - Wide Receiver
Connecticut - Senior
6-0, 200 Pounds
2016: 100 rec, 1179 yards, 11.8 avg, 3 TD

The possible retirement of Palmer and Fitzgerald made me think this offseason, as this could be the last time we see the duo on the field. We addressed the quarterback situation in round 2, now it's time to address the possible departure of Fitz. Noel Thomas is an undervalued receiver from Connecticut, someone with great hands and burst off the line. He played exceptionally at the NFLPA Bowl, and with him having so many doubters either because of his size or lack of starts, this is the perfect B.A. pick in my estimation. Almost reminds me of John Brown and J.J. Nelson; lack of size, but harder workers.

4th Round (118th Overall Selection)
Larry Ogunjobi - Defensive Tackle
Charlotte - Redshirt Senior
6-2, 304 Pounds
2016: 65 tot, 13.5 tfl, 3 sacks, 2 pd

I watched the very deep (understatement) defensive line at the Senior Bowl, and truly thought a centiment: I think all of them will be drafted this year. Larry Ogunjobi was the small school defensive lineman who reminds me of Kawann Short. He is the type of prospect who could make it easy to depart from Calais Campbell this offseason, as he can play 5-technique, or you could put him in the middle. His numbers might be a little inflated because of the small-school competition, but not a lot of defensive tackles can have 10 tackle games without an A-plus motor.

4th Round (129th Overall Selection from Houston Texans)
Noble Nwachukwu - Defensive End
West Virginia - Redshirt Senior
6-2, 275 Pounds
2016: 40 tot, 7.5 tfl, 4 sacks, 2 pd, 1 fr, 1 ff

The Cardinals will not admit it, but the Ed Stinson experiment has failed. If you're giving Josh Mauro a contract extension, then you obviously value him more then Stinson. Moving on from him would be beneficial, and I have the perfect player for them to do so. Noble Nwachukwu, someone who could be an athletic freak, seems poised to surprise some with his stellar frame.

5th Round (159th Overall Selection)
Josh Thornton - Cornerback
Southern Utah - Senior
5-10, 180 Pounds
2016: 38 tot, 3 int, 19 pd

I really like the cornerback class this year, with potential being the biggest underlining attribute to look for in this draft. Josh Thornton seems destined to join a Cardinals defense that needs some help on special teams, and I think he could be a stud in year one. Many want the Cardinals to take a chance on defensive back in the draft, but I think free agency should be the way to go. Drafting for the future of the position is a smart move. The Cardinals need to give up on Justin Bethel if he is just going to be a special-teamer, my bets on the draft this year.

5th Round (179th Overall Selection via Compensatory)
LeShun Daniels Jr. - Running Back
Iowa - Senior
5-11, 225 Pounds
2016: 213 att, 1058 yards, 5.0 avg, 10 TD

You're telling me that a guy who had a solid stat line in a big time college program didn't receive an invite to the Senior Bowl, NFLPA Bowl, or East-West Shrine Game? That's just unreasonable. He was a big bodied running back, and has been developing into a solid 3rd down back. The Cardinals are losing Andre Ellington, Chris Johnson, and Stepfan Taylor to free agency. We might assume they will need a couple running backs this year. I suppose I'd start with Kerwynn Williams and Elijhaa Penny, but LeShun isn't bad in the fifth round.

6th Round (198th Overall Selection)
Cam Keizur - Center
Portland State - Senior
6-4, 322 Pounds
2016: 10 game starter

I see the point of consistency for the offensive line, as the Cardinals shuffled offensive lineman in this season, it was a nightmare we all had to live through. Even if A.Q. Shipley comes back, I still think that Evan Boehm will start, even if that means at guard. Enter Cam Keizur, someone who can be a solid backup for the time being. In a four year college career, he only missed 2 games. That's impressive and consistant.

7th Round (234th Overall Selection)
John Johnson - Strong Safety
Boston College - Senior
6-1, 205 Pounds
2016: 77 tot, 2.5 tfl, 1 sack, 3 int, 9 pd, 2 fr, 1 ff

There are always sliders in the draft, this draft being no different. I think the depth for safety will provide us with someone with John Johnson's skill set. A lanky safety with mid-fielder qualities. A solid stat-liner, he would fit in just fine with the Cardinals. Remember, the Cardinals did develop Harlan Miller into a potential safety, so the Cardinals could afford to lose either Tony Jefferson or D.J. Swearinger. Bringing in Johnson insures they can survive with those two playmakers jumping ship for more money, and anticipating Tyrann Mathieu still is recovering from injury.

Trade:

The typical compensation for a trade-up in the first round is a 1st round selection and 3rd round selection. If the Cardinals trade further down though, they could acquire more picks and a veteran player.

Jaelen Strong has been very disappointing in Houston, as he hasn't been the type of player they were expecting. Giving Strong a new home (or old) could benefit him. He was drafted from Arizona State, were he was able to be a big contributor for the Sun Devils. He could eventually be the Larry Fitzgerald replacement (along with Noel Thomas), so this trade is a win-win for both teams.

1.

Arizona Cardinals receives:
25th Overall Selection (Anthony Walker Jr. - Northwestern)
129th Overall Selection (Noble Nwachukwu - West Virginia)
2018 4th Round Selection
Jaelen Strong - Wide Receiver

Houston Texans receives:

13th Overall Selection (Sidney Jones - Washington)