Arizona Cardinals 7-round mock draft, ACC only edition
By Jonah Hovis
If you were to be walking down the street you could tell that Yosh Nijman plays football. One of the biggest players in the draft at 6-foot-7 and weighing 324 pounds has an imposing figure and frame that excites a lot. He has lots of potentials that interest a lot of teams but also has a lot of question marks.
Nijman’s big body is NFL ready day one and if his imposing frame is coached right he can be a quarterbacks shadow for many years in the NFL. He tends to start well on blocks putting him into position to be an effective pass blocker and give time for his quarterback to make plays. He allows has some mobility in run blocking going out in open space and make some key blocks to make holes.
He does tend to be sloppy at times with his hands that lead to missing blocks and not picking up his assignments. He has some lazy tendencies where he is slow to get to his spot making him useless in some situations. He can show a lack of stamina which hurts him in key situations where he needs to show protection of his quarterback.
Arizona needs some help on the offensive line and Nijman could be a good guy to put into rotation for the O-Line. He has signs of showing he can be a good pass blocker with crazy size and good placements of blocks at times shows potential for the Hookie pass blocker.
Having a reliable tight end is something every team wants and needs for their franchise quarterback. Thomas Sweeney showed he was a reliable pass catcher at the tight end position for Boston College last season. Standing at 6-foot-4 and weighing 251 pounds he is a great target with the solid speed and attributes that every team needs.
At Boston College, he was one of the better deep threat targets in College football, according to Pro Football Focus he catches 66.7 percent of deep passes thrown to him. He has reliable, soft hands that make passers feel comfortable throwing to him in any situation. He gives a good effort in pass blocking, but that is not his game and his more of a receiving tight end.
Where he strives in catching, he needs some work to be done in his pass and run block game. He needs to learn better technique and drive his knees lower to gain better blocking abilities to evolve in a better all-around tight end. He also could use some work in his route running, for it is a bit static and could be more versatile.
The Arizona Cardinals did add Charles Clay this year, but many teams have at least three to four tight ends on each team. He could be a nice pass catcher addition to the team and a guy who will work hard. He has great value but needs to improve in some areas which makes him a 6th round pick.