Mel Kiper's 2-round mock draft has surprises for Arizona Cardinals

[ASFN Admin]

ESPN's Mel Kiper Jr. has released a new mock draft and that includes a couple of surprises, at least for the Arizona Cardinals. In his two-round projections, the Cardinals take neither a defensive lineman nor an edge rusher, the positions most connected to them in the predraft process.

Here are his picks for the Cardinals.

Arizona Cardinals draft picks from Mel Kiper's 2-round mock draft​

• Round 1 (No. 16 overall): Texas WR Matthew Golden

Despite using the No. 4 pick on receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. last year, the Cardinals' 2024 offense leaned on its explosive run game. If Arizona can find another top-tier pass catcher to help the aerial game catch up, this offense would be hard to stop. Golden is a great route runner, and he has 4.29 speed to run underneath some Kyler Murray deep balls. He had 58 catches for 987 yards and nine TDs last season, and he'd give the Cards a solid 1-2-3 punch in Harrison, Golden and tight end Trey McBride.

• Round 2 (No. 47 overall): Alabama G Tyler Booker

No one gets by Booker in pass protection, and he is also a solid run blocker thanks to his power. He allowed one sack over three seasons at Alabama. This is strong value in the middle of Round 2, and Booker could start as a rookie at right guard.

Analysis​

The logic makes sense. The Cardinals certainly could upgrade at receiver behind Harrison. They like Michael Wilson, but he hasn't cracked 600 yards in a season. Greg Dortch has proven to be more of a gadget player who can make plays in space, while Zay Jones only had eight catches all last season. However, projecting a receiver seems to ignore what the Cardinals have been focusing on with their top-30 meetings, and that is defensive front seven players.

Booker in the second round would be a steal. Ohio State's Donovan Jackson would be a perfect fit but goes 24th overall to Minnesota, but Booker is considered to be the best guard in the draft. His athletic testing was concerning, so the Cardinals might not be the best fit because of how much they ask their guards to move and pull, but he should be a solid pro for years.

Get more Cardinals and NFL coverage from Cards Wire's Jess Root and others by listening to the latest on the Rise Up, See Red podcast. Subscribe on Spotify, YouTube or Apple podcasts.




This article originally appeared on Cards Wire: Mel Kiper mock draft has Arizona Cardinals taking receiver, guard

Continue reading...