Cardinals land pass rusher, make trades in new mock draft simulation
There are only two more weeks of mock drafts because in three the draft will be wrapping up. In this new mock draft simulation, the target was potentially a pass rusher and then perhaps trading down in the second round.
That is how things play out in the first two rounds.
Round 1: Miami EDGE Jaelan Phillips
(Matt Gentry/The Roanoke Times via AP, Pool)
The top three receivers are gone. Cornerbacks Patrick Surtain and Jaycee Horn are off the board. Caleb Farley is available, but for this exercise we will pretend his back injuries are red flags. And so that leads us to Phillips. He has great physical traits with length, speed and explosiveness. He had eight sacks and 15.5 tackles for loss last year. And with Chandler Jones on the last year of his contract, adding a pass rusher now could allow them to move on in a year.
Trade 1: Pick No. 49 to No. 59
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The Browns call for a trade. They want the 49th pick to land defensive lineman Levi Onwuzurike. They give up their fourth-round pick to move up 10 spots. The Cardinals also give up one of their seventh-round picks.
Trade 2: Pick 59 to 60
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The Saints have the 60th pick. They want Texas pass rusher Joseph Ossai. They give the Cardinals a seventh-round pick to move up one spot. That works.
Round 2: Florida State CB Asante Samuel Jr.
With the second-round pick, we go with a cornerback, so now the biggest hole is addressed. Samuel could play as a rookie. He has versatility inside and out and will be physical and play well in man coverage.
Round 4: Notre Dame OL Aaron Banks
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With their first pick on Day 3, they go with an athletic offensive lineman. He is 6-5 and 325 pounds. He ran the 40 in 5.31 seconds at his pro day. He won't have to start this year but gives them some options in 2022 and beyond.
Round 5: Louisville RB Javian Hawkins
The Cardinals have met with Hawkins. He rushed for over 1,500 yards in 2019 and added more than 800 last season, leading his team, before he opted out of the final four games of the season. He is a big-play threat with explosive quickness and speed.
Round 6: Wake Forest WR Sage Surratt
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The go offense again in the sixth round. He offers length at 6-3. He did not play in 2020 but had 66 catches for 1,001 yards and 11 touchdowns in nine games in 2019.
Round 7: Pitt S Damar Hamlin
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Hamlin brings a ton of experience, having started for four seasons. He is smart, he tackles well and has decent ball skills.
Round 7: BYU TE Matt Bushman
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Bushman makes the list of top tight ends in the draft. He is older because of his LDS mission and opted out of the 2020 season. He is pretty good in all facets but probably has reached his physical peak. Listen to the latest from Cards Wire's Jess Root on his podcast, Rise Up, See Red. Subscribe on Apple podcasts or Spotify. Latest show:
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