Cardinals can improve the roster during third round of the 2022 NFL Draft

The Arizona Cardinals could still have some intriguing prospects to choose from when the draft’s 87th-overall pick rolls around.

The third-round selection of this year’s NFL Draft will hold extra importance for the Arizona Cardinals. There will be immense pressure on the club’s front office to deliver an impact player to the team at this particular spot. Why would something as mediocre as the 87th-overall pick carry such significance for the franchise?

Once Cards general manager Steve Keim makes that all-important choice known, the club will not be able to take another prospect off of the board until the sixth round. In fact, a whopping 114 players will be drafted before Arizona gets to select again at the 201st-overall slot.

With no fourth or fifth-round selections to utilize, the onus will be on the Cardinals to hit home runs with their first three picks. Fortunately for Keim, the draft happens to be particularly deep at the positions that the Redbirds need to address the most.

Arizona Cardinals could very well land an impact player in the third round

The Cards would be extremely fortunate if defensive tackle Perrion Winfrey is still available in round three. The University of Oklahoma product tallied 40 tackles and six sacks over the last two campaigns for the Sooners.

University of Alabama wideout John Metchie doesn’t receive the acclaim that is heaped upon teammate Jameson Williams. However, the Crimson Tide’s “other” starting wide receiver hauled in an eye-popping 96 passes for 1,142 yards and eight touchdowns in 2021.

USC edge-rusher Drake Jackson would also provide value for Arizona as a third-round addition. The 6-foot-4, 250-pounder totaled 103 tackles (25 for a loss), 12.5 sacks, and two interceptions during his three seasons with the Trojans.

Justin Shaffer, the starting right guard on the University of Georgia national championship squad last fall, would be an excellent choice at pick #87. The mammoth 6-foot-4, 330 pounder was voted Second-team All-SEC following his fine performance in ’21.