Arizona Cardinals get cornerback in The Athletic's beat writer mock draft

With the 2021 offseason all but quiet for another three weeks, we are getting more and more 2021 NFL Mock Drafts.

The Athletic dropped their first mock draft with their beat writers and for the Arizona Cardinals it was Doug Haller making the pick.

From The Athletic (sub required):

16. Arizona Cardinals: Jaycee Horn, CB, South Carolina

The Cardinals could go with an edge rusher here, but corner is the bigger need. Both of last season’s starters — Patrick Peterson and Dre Kirkpatrick — can be free agents, and there’s little depth behind them. GM Steve Keim can be unpredictable with his draft selections, but this time he may have no choice. At 6-1, 205 pounds, Horn has great length and athletic ability. He also has solid ball skills and is physical enough to help stop the run. — Doug Haller

I go back and forth on horn.

I like his competitiveness and how physical he plays. I am not sure he’s a guy who gets into the league and is a shut down guy right away. He’ll have to adapt his game to the NFL where he’ll likely be a flag machine early on.

However, the Cardinals need cornerbacks, and Horn is among the better players at the position early on.

The first 15 picks:

1. Lawrence
2. Zach Wilson
3. DeVonta Smith
4. Justin Fields
5. Ja’Marr Chase
6. Penei Sewell
7. Jaylen Waddle
8. Trey Lance
9. Caleb Farley
10. Patrick Surtain II
11. Kyle Pitts
12. Rashawn Slater
13. Alijah Vera-Tucker
14. Kwity Paye
15. Micah Parsons