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With the Arizona Cardinals adding J.J. Watt, the most immediate and pressing need moves to the cornerback position.
That has been a consistently mocked position to the Arizona Cardinals this offseason, and with the addition of Watt, that likely will become even more frequent.
That is why when Todd McShay dropped his third mock draft of the 2021 NFL Draft cycle, it was not a surprise to see the Cardinals take a cornerback:
From E$PN:
16. Arizona Cardinals
Jaycee Horn, CB, South Carolina
J.J. Watt and Chandler Jones spell problems for opposing QBs, but who will be in coverage? Both starting corners are primed to hit free agency this month, and the Cardinals’ pass defense was middle-of-the-pack last year. Horn will get his hands on passes, bringing length and instinctive play to the outside. In just seven games in 2020, he broke up six passes and picked off two.
Josh Weinfuss on his fit with the Cardinals: Horn would come in and compete for a starting job in a secondary that’s thin on cornerbacks. Arizona is set to lose two of its top corners in free agency in Patrick Peterson and Dre Kirkpatrick, and Robert Alford hasn’t played a down in two seasons. Horn would see action right away.
It is actually an easy pick at this point.
The Cardinals are desperate for cornerbacks and Horn is just slightly below Caleb Farley and Patrick Surtain II in terms of rankings.
Horn is feisty, he’ll have to learn to stop being so grabby early on, but he has the right demeanor and athleticism for the position.
In fact, he reminds a lot of last years number nine pick in C.J. Henderson.
What would you think of Horn as the Cardinals pick?