Late-round cover guy possibilities for the Arizona Cardinals

The night of April 29th is going to be full of intrigue for fans of the Arizona Cardinals. For the past few months, a large number of draftniks have predicted that general manager Steve Keim will grab a cover guy with the club’s first-round pick. Nothing is written in stone, however, and there’s a very good possibility that the Cards will go in an entirely different direction with the draft’s 16th-overall selection.

Fortunately for the Cardinals, a bevy of talented cornerbacks will be entering the NFL in 2021. If they’ve done their homework, Keim and company could quite possibly steal a capable corner with one of the team’s later choices. The following are a group of defensive backs who could still be around for Arizona during the draft’s latter stages.

Ambry Thomas, a youngster out of the University of Michigan, could provide solid seventh-round value for the Cards defensive unit. The 6’0,183 pounder racked up 38 tackles, three interceptions and three passes defensed for the Wolverines during his junior campaign in 2019. Thomas, like so many other collegiate athletes, opted out of the 2020 season due to concerns associated with the coronavirus.

Appalachian State’s Shemar Jean-Charles turned in a fantastic performance as a senior last fall. The 5’11,190 pounder totaled 35 tackles, a pick and an eye-popping 16 pass breakups in 11 games for the Mountaineers. The Indianapolis Colts and Los Angeles Chargers are two franchises that have shown interest in the productive Jean-Charles.

Boise State’s Avery Williams is another intriguing late-round prospect who Arizona could take a flier on. In 48 career contests, the 5’9,195 pounder tallied 152 tackles, four interceptions and 22 passes defensed for the Broncos. Williams also has nine return touchdowns (six punts, three kickoffs), a number which happens to be the most in NCAA Division 1 history.

Central Florida’s Tay Gowan was credited with 31 tackles, two picks and eight pass breakups during his junior campaign in ’19. The 6’2,185 pounder was another player who opted out of the ’20 season because of the pandemic. Gowan began his college career at Miami University (OH) back in  2017, before transferring to Central Florida two years later.