Welp, it happened again. The Arizona Cardinals have landed yet another young defender who has found himself in trouble with the law.
Zaven Collins, this year’s first-round draft pick by the Arizona Cardinals was arrested on Sunday for reckless driving according to TMZ Sports.
This is the absolute worst thing that could’ve happened for Collins, as now he’ll have to work to get rid of the “troubled Cardinals linebacker/defender” status that both Robert Nkemdiche and Darryl Washington had back during their time in the desert.
This is so frustrating, as it seems another big ol’ whiff by Arizona general manager Steve Keim. Legal troubles are never good to have, but they’re amplified when a team’s first-round pick is involved. Especially when this pick made no sense in the first place!
There was something that was just off about Collins ever since his “we’re gonna kill everyone,” comment when he was drafted by the Cardinals back in April.
The pressure to perform is much higher now for Arizona Cardinals rookie Zaven Collins
We’re all young and make mistakes, but this just can’t happen. Collins was literally gifted a starting linebacker job and Jordan Hicks was just pushed to the side like Woody from “Toy Story” when Buzz Lightyear arrived.
Zaven, if there’s anything clear now it’s the fact that you just doubled, if not tripled, the pressure on yourself to perform.
For Keim, this is the definition of insanity. While Collins did not really show any sort of behavioral issues in college, an incident like this makes it look like the team didn’t do enough scouting on the young linebacker. Yes, COVID-19 limitations put quite a damper on teams’ abilities to scout like they normally did as being able to be in person and hold a combine-like interview may have prevented this.
Remember how we said that this team had other needs? Former Alabama running back Najee Harris would sure look good on Arizona’s roster right now. Or how about former Northwestern cornerback Greg Newsome II? Even former Oklahoma offensive lineman Creed Humphrey would have been a great addition to the Cardinals.
Anyone but this small school linebacker who has now put Arizona in an undesirable position. While it may have no impact on the field, it’s the off-the-field and locker room stuff we don’t see that may be damaged here.
This Cardinals team is trying to become something great and positive for the Valley and the country to see. Arizona can’t drive on or off the field, as even Keim was arrested for an extreme DUI in 2018.
The Cardinals need to stop drafting guys that embarrass the franchise and the fan base. For Keim and, unfortunately, Collins, their clocks are ticking. Enjoy the hot seat.