Arizona Cardinals 7-round mock draft, Big-12 only edition

Round 3

A player that I once considered to be a borderline first rounder, I have Yodny Cajuste falling to No. 65 due to a quad injury that will set him back three months. But, the Arizona Cardinals should look past the injury as Cajuste projects as a high-level starter in my mind. If he could develop while D.J. Humphries and Marcus Gilbert hold down the position, the Redbirds would have a steal on their hands.

Measuring in at 6-foot-5 and 312-pounds with 34-inch arms, Cajuste is build to be a blindside tackle in the NFL. His advanced college stats, per Pro Football Focus, continue to reaffirm that notion. Per PFF, Cajuste allowed just 3.0 sacks in college, 2.0 of which were allowed in his freshman year. He also had a pass-blocking efficiency rating of 98.5, which is 17th in the class.

One of the more powerful and fleet-footed tackles in this draft, Cajuste proves to be an efficient anchor in pass protection and a mauler as a run-blocker. Here is how my colleague Cody Potanko described his run-blocking in his prospect profile;

"Cajuste grip is like a vice-grip, and he’s an animal when establishing his dominance at the point of attack. In the run game, he uses his pure power to drive opposing rushers off the line which often opens a gap for the ball carrier to run through."

But Cajuste isn’t complete, and that’s part of the reason he falls here. For as powerful and nimble as he is, you’d like to see him develop more of a kick-slide and loosen out a bit in the hips. However, his mean style of play, anchor abilities, and massive frame don’t give me many doubts for eventual NFL success.