We have reached the end of another week and it is time for another mock draft simulation. While most believe the Arizona Cardinals will select Oklahoma quarterback Kyler Murray first overall, it almost certainly will not happen without having dealt quarterback Josh Rosen.
Since that hasn’t happened yet, in this latest simulation using FanSpeak’s On the Clock, Murray is not the pick. The only way that drafting Murray makes sense is if they have a pick or picks from the Rosen trade to add.
So here are the results of the simulation. In the end, the Cardinals make nine selections and two trades.
Round 1, pick 1: Ohio State DE Nick Bosa
Bosa is a polished, disruptive pass rusher who should impact the defense immediately. Pairing him with Chandler Jones and Terrell Suggs gives him great mentors on and off the field. It sets the Cardinals up for years to come with pass rushing from the edge.
Round 2, pick 8: Texas A&M C Erik McCoy
The Cardinals make a trade back seven spots and pick up the 10th pick of the third round. They still land an offensive line prospect they are very high on. McCoy can probably be the team’s Week 1 starter at center. Yes, the Cardinals drafted Mason Cole last year, but comments made by Steve Keim and Kliff Kingsbury suggest they might see him more as a guard moving forward, especially since his biggest weakness at center is his shotgun snapping, which will likely be almost all the Cardinals do in their new offense.
Round 3, pick 1: Maryland S Darnell Savage
While the Cardinals do not appear to have an immediate need at safety, they have been scouting a number of players at the position. Savage is one player who has made an official visit. He ran a 4.36-second 40 at the combine. He had four interceptions as a senior.
Round 3, pick 10: Missouri WR Emanuel Hall
Hall is a freakishly athletic receiver with some size at 6-2 and 200 pounds. He ran the 40 in 4.39 seconds and had a ridiculous 43.5-inch vertical and 11-9 broad jump. A groin injury limited him last year to only nine games but he averaged more than 22 yards per catch. He would give Kliff Kingsbury a big-play receiver to take the top off the defense.
Round 4, pick 9: Ole Miss TE Dawson Knox
The Cardinals make another trade back, dropping from the first to the ninth pick in the round, picking up the eighth pick in the fifth round. They take a tight end with a lot of upside as a receiver. He is an aggressive blocker, though, and it is a position of need. The Cardinals have made him one of their official 30 visits.
Round 5, pick 1: Texas A&M DL Daylon Mack
Mack, a 6-1, 336-pound anchor on the defensive line, could get important snaps as a rookie on a defensive line with little proven experience. He had 5.5 sacks and 10 tackles for loss last year.
Round 5, pick 8: Missouri DL Terry Beckner
With the extra pick in the round, the Cardinals double up on the defensive line. Beckner is 6-4, 296 pounds and was a second-team all-SEC as a senior, when he picked up 3.5 sacks, 11 tackles for loss and a forced fumble.
Round 5, pick 12: Washburn CB Corey Ballentine
The Cardinals see Ballentine on the board a few picks later and don’t want to risk him getting taken before the top of the sixth round. They trade up, giving their first sixth-round pick and their two final seventh-round picks to move up and get the promising athlete. At a minimum, he should be a stud on special teams like Justin Bethel was.
Round 6, pick 6: Stanford LB Bobby Okereke
He was an honorable mention all-conference pick in the Pac-12in 2018, leading Stanford with 96 tackles, 7.5 for losses, including 3.5 sacks. He also broke up five passes, forced two fumbles and scored a safety in 13 starts.
Round 7, pick 11: UC Davis WR Keelan Doss
Arizona moves up in the round and gives up a future seventh-round pick to land Doss, who was ridiculously productive in college. He caught 115 and 113 receptions the last two seasons. He is big and physical. He doesn’t have top-end speed, but has great hands. Arizona was seen recently at his pro day.
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