Alex Mann’s Fanspeak Mock Draft 2.0

We’re inching closer to the NFL Draft! It’s been a long time in the making, and with all the smokescreens, Quarterback intrigue, and crazy trades, the hype has never been bigger.

Last week we had our first mock draft. The Cardinals were active in the trades department, and got their Quarterback round one. This week, we keep thing similar to last.

We will use the Matt Miller big board again this week. The computer will use a random big board, and the difficulty of course will be difficult. Team needs were user-voted. I took your opinions into consideration, and added the big board during each pick, and if any trades are made we’ll announce who those teams select.

So without further ado, lets mock!

Round 1; Pick 15:

The Cardinals received a couple of trade offers, but ultimately decline offers from the Panthers and Bengals. If we followed the Big Board with this mock, the Cardinals would have three options to fill some of their immediate needs. Connor Williams could be an instant impact on the interior of the Cardinals offensive line, while both Vea and Jackson would be day one starters for the Defense.

Mike McGlinchey did cross my mind as well, but I ultimately go with the fan favorite selection here, and fill the teams biggest need.

The Arizona Cardinals select: Lamar Jackson, QB, Louisville

I repeat the same pick as last week here. The Cardinals would need to trade the farm to move up for their “favorite” in Josh Allen. While he’s certainly an intriguing option at the Quarterback position, Jackson has more upside in my opinion, and his mobility would be huge with a questionable offensive front.

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Round 2; Pick 15:

My fingers were crossed that Isaiah Oliver would fall to the Cardinals here. But the Colts select him with the fifth selection in round two.

Two names instantly jump off the page to me. Austin Corbett and Carlton Davis. Corbett played Guard at Nevada, but will move inside at the pro level. Some teams view him as a Guard, others a Center. He should compete instantly with Evan Boehm/AQ Shipley.

Davis was a three year starter at Auburn, intercepting four career passes and knocking down 27 others. Davis allowed only 48.1% of passes against him to be caught, according to PFF. With help needed opposite of Patrick Peterson, and my #3 cornerback off the board, this is the easy selection.

The Arizona Cardinals select: Carlton Davis, CB, Auburn

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TRADE(s)

The Cardinals move up with the Houston Texans. Arizona offers both 3rd round picks (#15 & #33) for the Texans 3rd round pick (#4) and Texans 6th round pick (#3).

The Big Board looks like this:

Round 3; Pick 4:

I moved up with one guy in mind. Justin Reid. B.J. Hill was a brief thought, but Reid being here in the third was too good to pass up. Arizona receives an immediate starter, and a guy that many think will be better than his older brother, Eric Reid.

The Arizona Cardinals select: Justin Reid, S, Stanford

With their two picks, the Texans selected Mark Andrews, a Tight End with the #15 pick, and Alex Cappa, an Offensive Tackle with #33.

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Round 4; Pick 34:

The Cardinals can add Royce Freeman to build some runningback depth behind David Johnson. Perhaps take a shot on Shaquem Griffin at linebacker. However, I’m going with a lineman who many know is talented, but questions surround his lack of effort in 2017 compared to prior years.

The Arizona Cardinals select: Wyatt Teller, G, Virginia Tech

It’s curious to see what exactly caused the dip in production. Some rumors have been out about his relationship with his coaches. He’s an NFL starting talent, but these questions will cost him.

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Round 5; Pick 15:

The Cardinals have two Tight Ends sitting on the board here. Jaylen Samuels and Will Dissly. Samuels is a jack of all trades player with no set postion. He offers a team positional flexibility, and that’s about it.

Dissly is still learning the tight end position, but offers something Steve Wilks has mentioned on several occasions... Dominate the line of scrimmage.

The Arizona Cardinals select: Will Dissly, TE, Washington

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Round 6; Pick 3:

Kentavius Street would be my pick here. However, his torn ACL will more than likely cause him to be a priority Free Agent. Arizona is going with back to back receivers in this round, giving Lamar Jackson his future weapons once he takes control of the Cardinals.

The Arizona Cardinals select: Jaleel Scott, WR, New Mexico State

Scott offers both length and a long stride, allowing him to be a deep and redzone threat at the next level. Scott should be what fans had hoped Momah could develop into.

Round 6; Pick 8:

Another tall long receiver, although this one has a little more speed.

The Arizona Cardinals select, Equanimeous St. Brown, WR, Notre Dame

So St. Brown realistically won’t last this long. His pre-draft process has moved him into day two conversations. However, he’s a wide receiver I have fallen in love with during the process, and think he would be a perfect weapon for Bradford in 2018.

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Round 7; Pick 36:

The Cardinals still haven’t addressed their offensive tackle, linebacker, or defensive line concerns in this draft. At this point, they likely won’t find a tackle who they can develop onto the right side. And the remaining linebacker and defensive line talent are simply rotational or backup level talents.

Well all, except one name.

The Big Board looks like this:

The Arizona Cardinals select: P.J. Hall, DL, Sam Houston State

Hall is a late day two, early day three projection by many scouts. Him sitting in the seventh makes no sense, and is another unlikely scenario for Arizona. But by some miracle he falls, this is the pick.

What say you? Only one more mock draft from me, before we can finally put these silly things behind us and see what the Cardinals actually do.

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