Arizona Cardinals would benefit from taking this running back

The Arizona Cardinals need help at running back. And since they struck gold with Chase Edmonds in the fourth round, it shows Steve Keim can potentially repeat his success in the later rounds of the NFL Draft. The Cardinals currently hold four picks from rounds 5 to 7, and odds are you will see one more name in the backfield.

One running back hardly anyone is talking about is Ohio State’s Trey Sermon. And given Sermon’s skill-set, he can provide the ultimate complement to Edmonds. Athlon Sports Draft Magazine has listed Sermon as a fourth-round projection. However, other sources have dropped him to the fifth round, where the Cardinals hold the 160th overall pick. And if Sermon falls to them, he’s a smart choice.

The best thing about Sermon is the fact that he has a lot of tread remaining on his tires, having just carried the ball 455 times. And if you add receptions to the mix, he has 503 total touches. This shows us that Sermon can be more than durable at the next level.

And while he didn’t score often in college with just 8 rushing touchdowns over the past 2 seasons and 3 career receiving touchdowns (just one in the previous three seasons), his production was off the charts in his limited duty. Sermon averaged 7.1 yards per carry in 2019 and followed up with an encore presentation of 7.5 yards per carry, averaging a total of 7.3 on 170 total carries over the past 2 seasons.

As mentioned, he makes the perfect complement to Edmonds, since Edmonds’ strengths make up for Sermon’s weaknesses. Sermon is more of a one-trick pony. He’s not a creative runner, but instead has a downhill style between the tackles. Plus he’s a non-factor in the passing game, serving as a checkdown option at best.

But he can be a closer. Something Edmonds has and will struggle with if he’s called upon as the featured back in 2021. And as explosive as we know the Cardinals’ offense can be with a healthy Kyler Murray behind center, they need a solid back who can run out the clock.