Arizona Cardinals: Trading down in first round makes sense

The most logical move for Arizona Cardinals management may be to trade down during the first round of the upcoming NFL Draft

Ask a handful of Arizona Cardinals fans what the club should do with the NFL Draft’s number-eight overall pick and you’ll likely get varying opinions. Some would say that an offensive tackle or a wide receiver would be highly beneficial, while others believe that a defensive prospect should be the choice. There’s another direction that the Cards could go, however, that may ultimately make the most sense for the organization.

Arizona’s position in the first round is one that other franchises could covet. Moving back a few slots, therefore, could very well be an option for general manager Steve Keim when April 23rd arrives. Why would the Cardinals even consider making such a move?

The main reason for doing so, quite obviously, would be to accumulate more draft selections. At the present time, Keim and company have just six picks to play with. The Cards could conceivably acquire another pick or two, and still be able to land a valuable college player a bit later in the opening round by participating in a trade.

While the deal that brought wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins to the desert was a sensational one, Arizona had to forfeit their second-round choice to get it done. Moving down from number-eight overall, perhaps to somewhere in the teens, could possibly allow Keim to fetch another second-rounder. What type of talent could the Cardinals expect to have available to them in the middle of round one?

Despite the fact that the Cards signed defensive tackle Jordan Phillips, coordinator Vance Joseph could still use some additional assistance on his front line. The University of South Carolina’s Javon Kinlaw, a First-team All-SEC performer in 2019, would be a tremendous addition. The 6’6, 310 pounder totaled 82 tackles,10 sacks and eight pass breakups during his three campaigns with the Gamecocks.

Before Hopkins was acquired last month, many draft experts were connecting Arizona to Oklahoma wideout CeeDee Lamb. There’s a pass-catcher out of the University of Alabama, however, who is quite talented in his own right. Henry Ruggs III hauled in 98 passes for 1,716 yards and 24 touchdowns in 40 career games with the Crimson Tide.

The Cardinals signed De’Vondre Campbell during free agency, but the inside linebacker was handed just a one-year contract. Oklahoma’s Kenneth Murray had an incredibly productive three seasons for the Sooners. The 6’2, 234 pounder recorded 325 tackles (36.5 for a loss), 9.5 sacks and six passes defensed during his time at the school.

One more prospect worth mentioning is Louisville offensive tackle Mekhi Becton. The 6’7, 368 pounder was the recipient of the Jacobs Blocking Award for his outstanding performance last fall. Becton, who would likely assume the Cards starting right tackle role, also received First-team All-ACC honors following the ’19 campaign.