The Arizona Cardinals made three selections at the end of the seventh round, including the famed Mr. Irrelevant pick.
The Arizona Cardinals made three selections out of the last six in the final round of the 2019 NFL draft. All three look to be high-upside options, and one was even the infamous Steve Keim school-school pick, because, Steve Keim.
No 248: Joshua Miles – OT, Morgan State
The second and last offensive lineman selected by the Cardinals, Miles has real potential to make the opening day 53-man roster in the desert. Measuring in at 6-foot-5 and 314-pounds, Miles has an ideal height-weight-length ratio at either tackle positions. He tested well at the combine, most notably recording a 36-inch vertical jump; impressive for a big man.
Miles was deemed academically ineligible for the 2017 season but returned as a better player the next season. In 11 games as a left tackle, Miles earned All-Conference (MEAC) honors. NFL Media scout Lance Zierlien gave him a fifth to sixth round grade and noted that he was a
"Developmental guard prospect with swing tackle potential possessing elite traits and potentially coachable faults. Miles’ issues are plenty on tape, but they are unrelated to physical or athletic limitations. With just a few days of coaching at the Shrine Game practices, he started to show growth. His lack of instincts are a concern and there is no guarantee his hands and footwork will get corrected, but he has the traits and athletic ability to warrant a Day 3 “lottery scratch-off” selection as a potential low-risk, high-yield pick"
No. 249: Michael Dogbe – DT, Temple
The second addition to the defensive line, Michael Dogbe figures to help Zach Allen in turning around the Cardinals run defense. Although the Temple product is undersized to be an interior block shedder at 6-foot-3 and 281-pounds, he’s shown to make up for it with a tenacious playstyle in the past.
Dogbe flew under-the-radar heading into the draft. He wasn’t invited to the combine, but he started to earn some hype due to his superb senior season at Temple. He tallied 7.0 sacks, 53 total tackles, and according to Pro Football Focus, three QB hits, 29 hurries, and 36 run-stops.
PFF gave Dogbe’s senior season an 83.9 overall grade, 84.5 run-defense grade, and a 75.9 pass-rush grade. His 6.7 pass-rush productivity score ranked ninth in the class, while his run-stop rate of 8.0 ranked 27th in the class. He’s more of a technical inside rusher than a pure-power one. However, he’s been effective in the past and is worth a shot at the end of the draft for the Redbirds.
No. 254: Caleb Wilson – TE, UCLA
This year’s Mr. Irrelevant pick isn’t irrelevant at all; instead, he was one of the most highly sought after receiving tight ends heading into the draft.
Measuring in at 6-foot-4 and 240-pounds, Wilson has the ideal size to play tight end in the NFL. He also has the speed to boot; at the combine, he recorded a 4.56 second 40-yard-dash. As it currently stands, Wilson is just a receiving tight end. In his junior year at UCLA, the tight end caught 60 catches for 965 yards and four touchdowns.
Per Pro Football Focus, Wilson ranks first in the class in tight ends in yards per route run (2.56), eight in slot receptions (15), and seventh in deep pass receptions (4). Impressively enough, he also 467 of his 965 junior year yards after the catch.
It’s no secret why the Cardinals drafted Wilson; he was Josh Rosen’s teammate, and the team selected him to spite their ex-shot-caller. Ok maybe not. Wilson fits well into the Kingsbury Air Raid, he offers the flexibility to play anywhere on the field and is athletic enough to make an impact after the catch. However, the team will need to develop his game and nuances as a receiver before he sees starter snaps.
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