Linebackers won't be a priority in Arizona Cardinals' draft this year
The Arizona Cardinals are coming off a 4-13 season and presently have eight picks, including three compensatory selections, in this year’s NFL draft, which begins on Thursday. They also own the No.3 overall pick in the first round unless they trade down to acquire more selections, which is entirely possible and rather likely.
Continuing today, The Republic offers a daily series of where the franchise stands at multiple positions and how the club may decide to address those spots through the draft.
Previous stories: Offensive line/Tight end || Offensive skill positions || Defensive line
Today: Linebackers
Players under contract: Zaven Collins, Isaiah Simmons, Kyzir White, Krys Barnes, Josh Woods, Blake Lynch and Zeke Turner.
Draft DEFCON level (1-5): 2
Why the Arizona Cardinals aren't in need of linebackers
Arizona used first-round picks in back-to-back years on linebackers in Simmons (2020) and Collins (2021) and the club added a key veteran to help in the middle by signing White as a free agent from the Philadelphia Eagles to a two-year deal. Expect White, 27, to play a major role next to Collins on one side or the other in the middle of the Cardinals’ defense.
He was a reliable weapon in Gannon’s group in Philadelphia that won the NFC Championship and he’s a player who can help Collins continue to get better, which is a must. The depth behind them is decent, especially with Barnes and Woods, but it won’t preclude the Cardinals from adding an additional linebacker or two at some point between now and the start of the season.
There’s the undrafted free agent pool to consider, along with waiver-wire moves and yes, even this week’s NFL draft. Don’t expect a linebacker to come off the board early, however. If Ossenfort drafted a linebacker, it’s probably going to come in the later rounds and the prospect or prospects, more than likely, will be someone who can step in and contribute mostly on special teams.
Keep this in mind, though: What if Gannon and Rallis were to decide that Simmons might be best served as a strong safety or even as a nickel cornerback? It’s an intriguing and quite possible proposition. He’s played both positions as well as linebacker and edge and he could be an ideal biggest, stronger and even faster version of Tyrann Mathieu, who was a game changer wherever he played during his time in the desert.
The Cardinals also have yet to pick up the fifth year of Simmons’ contract, and although it’s safe to assume they probably will, it might depend on where and how they see him fitting in their defense. If for some reason the team declines to pick up the fifth year of his deal, Simmons could possibly end up like Haason Reddick and play one more year with the team before finding a new home elsewhere.
Potential prospects on the radar: This year’s draft isn’t loaded with A-list star prospects at the linebacker position, unless for some reason Gannon and Rallis decide to employ outside linebackers instead of traditional defensive ends in their base 4-3 scheme. Again, they haven’t revealed any details about exactly what type of defense they will use. Things could change and they could change week to week, we’re told.
The best pure linebacker in the draft is Jack Campbell from Iowa, but it’s doubtful he’s anywhere on Arizona’s radar early in the draft. Drew Sanders from Arkansas, who transferred from Alabama, has experience as an edge rusher and could be a surprise pick at No.34 — or lower if Arizona trades down from No.3 overall and acquires an extra early-round pick.
Otherwise, the candidates that could come into play in the mid to later rounds at linebacker might include the following – Noah Sewell from Oregon, Mike Jones Jr. from LSU, Noah Taylor from North Carolina, Shaka Heyward from Duke and Ivan Pace Jr. from Cincinnati.
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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Linebackers won't be a priority in Arizona Cardinals' draft this year
