Three late-round candidates for the Arizona Cardinals
By Sion Fawkes
Matt Bushman, TE/BYU
A Dan Arnold clone, Bushman is the ultimate boom-or-bust pick at the position. A ruptured Achilles cost him all of 2020. But before that, he was developing into a prime target, with 47 receptions, 688 yards, and 14.6 yards-per-catch in 2019.
He’s not a blocker. But as long as the Cardinals have Maxx Williams up front and Darrell Daniels, they don’t need to draft a pass-catching player who also specializes in blocking. They do need someone who can potentially draw attention away from DeAndre Hopkins, and Bushman has more potential than the aforementioned names.
He’s also a deep threat, having averaged 17.6 yards-per-catch in 2018. An older prospect who is 25 years old and coming off of a serious injury, he will scare a lot of teams away. However, his pre-injury development was off the charts.
One can only wonder what his 2020 season would have looked like given quarterback Zach Wilson’s numbers. We don’t know if Bushman will ever make it back from his injury, but he’s worth a late-round flyer. Especially as a potential TE1 who probably would find himself much higher up the draft boards had he not gotten hurt.