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The Arizona Cardinals need help at a number of key positions.
There is an old saying, well a new saying that feels old, that you draft creators and pay preventers.
Meaning, you draft players that create touchdowns; wide receivers and running backs, and pay the preventers; offensive line, corners and pass rushers. That is interesting when you look at how the Cardinals have built, as they have drafted receivers (not well) and paid preventers, but it has been their fascination with trying to find a linebacker that has really prevented them from doing much of anything.
They have used a second round pick on Kevin Minter, a first round pick on Deone Bucannon, Haason Reddick and now Isaiah Simmons and in the mean time forgot about filing the preventer role.
The highest drafted preventer is D.J. Humphries and he looks like he is a star on the rise. Yet, their other preventers have been day two or later picks, and they’ve had to pay older players to fill those roles instead of paying their own draft picks to stick around.
That means they should and will have every position on the table heading into the 2021 NFL Draft.
Let’s take a look at what six big publications have the Cardinals doing with the 16th pick:
CBS Sports: Caleb Farley, CB, Virginia Tech
Bleacher Report: Kyle Pitts, TE, Florida
Fansided: Caleb Farley, CB, Virginia Tech
SB Nation: Alijah Vera-Tucker, OL, USC
PFF: Jaylen Waddle, WR, Alabama
Pro Football Network: Kyle Pitts, TE, Florida
Interesting names all over, Waddle and Pitts would be my early favorites, but I would be fine with any of the names mentioned.
What do you think?