Arizona Cardinals

Arizona Cardinals Mock Draft

7. Arizona Cardinals- OT Jake Matthews, Texas A&M

About the Pick: Jake Matthews is the son of HOF lineman Bruce Matthews, and looks to go in the first round of the draft like his father did in 1983. Matthews plays RT in college, but that is only because he’s on the same line as Luke Joeckel. Matthews should play LT at the next level and has elite upside. He has both good quickness and power, and should make a quick transition to the NFL.

Steve’s Take: The Cardinals have to rebuild almost their entire offensive line, and there is no better way to start than grabbing one of the top left tackles in the draft. Especially one who has the potential to become an elite blind-side protector. QB needs to be upgraded as well, but really the offensive line concerns are greater than the quarterback concerns (which is saying a lot.)

ROUND 2:

38. Arizona Cardinals – OT Dallas Thomas, Tennessee

ROUND 3:

73. Arizona Cardinals – QB Mike Glennon, NC State

ROUND 4:

104. Arizona Cardinals – RB Jonathan Franklin, UCLA

ROUND 5:

135. Arizona- OLB/DE Cornellius Carradine,

ROUND 6:

163. Arizona Cardinals- RB Jawan Jamison, Rutgers

ROUND 7:

196. Arizona- C Graham Pocric, Illinois

The Cardinals need to have a very offensive centric draft this year, with the primary focus being on the offensive line and quarterback positions. While Jake Matthews may yet return to school, no decision is final yet. If he’s in this draft he’s an excellent fit for the Arizona Cardinals and could quickly be their starting left tackle. Rookie Bobbie Massie had some early struggles this year but came on as the season wore on. He could be Arizona’s answer at RT, if he’s not OL Dallas Thomas could be. If Massie can handle RT, all is not lost as Thomas should easily be able to slide inside to guard where many feel he would be even better at. In the third round the Cardinals should look for their quarterback of the future. While there is a chance he could go higher in the draft depending on his Senior Bowl and Combine, Glennon could be sitting there in round 3 for Arizona. He’s a big arm kid and if you give him a year, could be a nice option for Arizona. The problem is the Cardinals would need to find a stopgap QB in the meantime. With Beanie Wells likely on his way out of Arizona and Ryan Williams playing in just 5 games over two seasons the Cardinals need to invest in running backs this year. Double dipping with Franklin and Jamison would be a smart play for them. Cornellius Carradine would be an intriguing late round pick-up for them. He’s an explosive pass rusher, but will fall in the draft due to an ACL injury. A couple years ago the Cardinals nabbed O’Brien Schofield after he fell due to injury and they could look to do the same thing again. For as talented as the Cardinals defense is, they still need to generate more pressure from their outside linebackers.