Arizona Cardinals: How will each 2022 draft pick fare this season?
By Sion Fawkes
Christian Matthew, CB
I always find the small school players drafted late rather fascinating, so I am high on this big corner from Valdosta State. Matthew is an older prospect, so there may be a sense of urgency to insert him a little more. Add to the fact he is playing corner for a team whose second-best corner is Marco Wilson, and Matthew may find himself playing in the nickel.
He won’t play in many snaps but expect him to get a chance this season, especially if Wilson continues to struggle. I am projecting he pulls off the impossible and logs a pick-six this season in that one-in-a-million, improbable type of play. Besides that, I’m expecting a quiet year from the corner whose steady play may warrant consideration for a more significant role in 2023.
Jesse Luketa, LB
This season, it is a given that Zaven Collins will start alongside Isaiah Simmons. The Cardinals also have Nick Vigil in the lineup, and he will most likely backup both Collins and Simmons. Luketa will need to impress in camp to stick around, and given special teams Tanner Vallejo and Zeke Turner, Luketa will most likely spend his rookie season on the practice squad.
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Marquis Hayes, OG
Like Luketa, there probably will not be any room for Hayes at his respective position for guard in 2022. Therefore, expect him to earn a spot on the practice squad tops.