Three prospects Arizona Cardinals must consider if they trade down

COLLEGE PARK, MD - OCTOBER 30: Rashod Bateman #0 of the Minnesota Golden Gophers warms up before a college football game against the Maryland Terrapins on October 30, 2020 at Capital One Field at Maryland Stadium in College Park, Maryland. (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images)
COLLEGE PARK, MD - OCTOBER 30: Rashod Bateman #0 of the Minnesota Golden Gophers warms up before a college football game against the Maryland Terrapins on October 30, 2020 at Capital One Field at Maryland Stadium in College Park, Maryland. (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images) /
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The Arizona Cardinals pick sixteenth in the 2021 NFL Draft.

In a recent post, I outlined three of the top prospects the Arizona Cardinals should consider selecting. The prospects included Patrick Surtain II, Penei Sewell, and DeVonta Smth. All of whom would require the Cardinals to trade up and give away at the very least, sound draft capital.

So what if the Cardinals trade down? Who are mid-to-late first-round prospects worth considering if they swap spots with a team and move into the twenties?

No, they won’t have a chance to draft Surtain, Sewell, or Smith. Unless one of them freefalls on draft day. And if there’s one thing to know about the NFL Draft, it’s to expect the unexpected. Today’s post will assume that Sewell, Surtain, and Smith are gone by the time the Cardinals pick at 16.

It also assumes the Cardinals will trade back into at least the 20th selection. Let’s discover three prospects worth selecting in the latter portion of the first round that will help the Cardinals from day one. And as with the previous post, we can also realistically assume the Cardinals can only take one of the following players.