2021 McShay Mock has Arizona Cardinals taking homerun threat at running back

It is mock draft season and one of the main draft analysts dropped his first mock draft of the offseason.

Todd McShay is the counterpart to Mel Kiper Jr. and dropped his Mock Draft 1.0 today and that has the Arizona Cardinals taking a great offensive weapon with the 16th pick.

16. Arizona Cardinals

Travis Etienne, RB, Clemson

Etienne is a home run hitter with fantastic contact balance and improving pass-catching ability. The Cardinals’ rushing offense was top 10 in yards per game in 2020, but much of that was from quarterback Kyler Murray, who accounted for more than a third of the team’s gains on the ground. Arizona’s running backs had the 19th-best yards per carry (4.16), and lead back Kenyan Drake played the season on a transition tag — and he isn’t under contract for 2021. Etienne would join Murray and DeAndre Hopkins in what would be one of the league’s most dangerous offenses.

I know the pick of Etienne would not be what many would want, but the reality is he gives the Cardinals a young, dynamic every down back that would fit into what Kliff Kingsbury wants to do.

However, would he be the best pick based on what McShay does 1-15?

1. Jaguars - Trevor Lawrence, QB
2. Jets - Penei Sewell, OT
3. Dolphins via Texans - DeVonta Smith, WR
4. Falcons - Zach Wilson, QB
5. Bengals - Rashawn Slater, OL
6. Eagles - Micah Parsons, LB
7. Lions - Ja’Marr Chase, WR
8. Panthers - Kyle Pitts, TE
9. Broncos - Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, LB
10. Cowboys - Patrick Surtain II, CB
11. Giants - Gregory Rousseau - Edge
12. 49ers - Caleb Farley, CB
13. Chargers - Shaun Wade, CB
14. Vikings - Christian Darrisaw, OT
15. Patriots - Justin Fields, QB

So, what would you do at 16?