Arizona Cardinals have meeting with Louisville running back

One of the biggest dilemmas facing the Arizona Cardinals this offseason centers around the running back position. As much as the club would love to retain free agent Kenyan Drake, a lack of sufficient salary-cap space could very well prevent that from happening. A backup plan appears to be warranted, and the Cards have already begun to line up possible replacements for the talented Drake.

It’s been reported that Arizona has already met with the University of Louisville’s leading rusher. Javian Hawkins, a 5’9, 196 pound prospect, announced this past November that he would enter this coming April’s draft. The sophomore ball-carrier elected to forgo the final two years of his college eligibility to take his talents to the NFL in 2021.

Hawkins turned in an outstanding performance for Louisville back in 2019. The Florida native ran for 1,525 yards and nine touchdowns in 13 games for the Cardinals. Hawkins averaged a hefty 5.8 yards per carry, and also added four receptions for another 58 yards as a pass-catcher.

Last fall, Hawkins played in just eight contests before opting out of the remainder of the 2020 campaign. Concerns associated with the coronavirus served as the reason for his cutting the season short. In eight matchups, Hawkins amassed 949 yards from scrimmage and eight total touchdowns during his final year as a college player.

At the moment, Hawkins projects as a third-day selection. An organization taking the youngster off of the draft board on day two is not out of the question, however. Most experts believe that Hawkins is more of a complimentary-type back, which would actually serve the Cards just fine.

Many Arizona fans feel that Chase Edmonds, a fourth-year professional, is more than capable of being a starter. Last season, the 5’9, 205 pounder rumbled for 448 yards and a touchdown on the ground in a part-time role. Edmonds also hauled in 53 passes for 402 yards and another four scores on receptions for the squad.

For what it’s worth, the Cardinals also have second-year backs Eno Benjamin and Jonathan Ward on the roster. Adding a talent like Hawkins to that mix would seem to be a fine way to go for general manager Steve Keim and his cohorts. We”ll see if the Redbirds follow up on their meeting with the offensive weapon when the draft takes place in April.