Arizona Cardinals passed over better options to draft Trey McBride
By Jim Koch
The Arizona Cardinals could’ve gone in several better directions with the 55th-overall selection of last April’s NFL Draft.
The Arizona Cardinals front office made a move that surprised their fanbase back in April. Despite being saddled with more pressing needs, the Cards used a second-round pick on tight end Trey McBride. Did general manager Steve Keim mess up another valuable draft choice?
It would be fair to say that the jury is still out on the 23-year-old McBride. The 55th overall selection of the 2022 NFL Draft has totaled just nine receptions, and is averaging an ugly 5.1 yards per catch. Not exactly the type of production the Redbirds were expecting when they added McBride to the roster eight months ago.
Dropped passes recently became an issue for McBride as well. During a Week 12 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers, the Colorado State University product was targeted on a crucial third-down play late in the contest. The pass from quarterback Kyler Murray appeared to be right on the money, but McBride failed to haul it in.
The addition of McBride was peculiar, due to the fact that veteran tight end Zach Ertz was signed to a contract-extension just one month before by the Cardinals. The 6 foot 4, 260 pound McBride was handed a huge opportunity, however, when Ertz suffered a season-ending knee injury back in week 10. In his two starts since then, the rookie pass-catcher has contributed just five receptions for an underwhelming 15 yards to the “Air Raid” offense.
Several 2nd-round draft picks would’ve contributed more to the Arizona Cardinals
With McBride failing to have an impact, it’s only natural to look back on what could have been for Arizona. In hindsight, there are several players who were taken off of the board after McBride who would’ve been helping the squad a whole lot more.
One of the youngsters who the Cards could’ve had in place of McBride is Ed Ingram, a stud guard out of LSU. The 6 foot 3, 315 pounder was selected 59th overall by the Minnesota Vikings, and has been on the field for every offensive snap this season.
Arizona entered last April’s draft in dire need of a pass-rusher, and Ole Miss linebacker Sam Williams was taken just one pick after McBride. In a part-time role, the 6 foot 4, 265 pounder has racked up three sacks, 14 tackles and six quarterback hits for the Dallas Cowboys defense.
James Cook, the 63rd overall choice out of the University of Georgia, has shown tremendous potential as a ball-carrier with the Buffalo Bills. The 5 foot 11,190 pound speedster would’ve been a solid complement for a battering ram back like James Conner.
Edge-rusher Drake Jackson, a 6 foot 4, 250 pounder who was taken six slots after McBride, would’ve also looked phenomenal in Cardinal red. The former USC product has amassed three sacks, 12 tackles and four passes defensed as a backup for the San Francisco 49ers.
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Luke Fortner, a University of Kentucky product who was picked 65th overall, is one more alternative for McBride worth mentioning. The 6 foot 6, 300 pound center has played 100% of the offensive snaps for the Jacksonville Jaguars this fall.
(Statistics provided by Pro Football Reference)
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