Arizona Cardinals fans shouldn’t be angry if they draft Tyree Wilson third overall

Tyree Wilson has been drawing some praise from Arizona Cardinals circles, and you shouldn’t fret if they drafted him over Will Anderson Jr.

With new head coach Jonathan Gannon aboard the Arizona Cardinals ship, you can expect a few changes within the team’s structure. One of those changes will deal with the type of players he and general manager Monti Ossenfort pursue to turn the tide in the desert. 

Some players who they decide to bring in may look like head-scratchers on the surface. For example, there could be players who didn’t post as solid production numbers heading to the desert this year in favor of those that did. 

And when it comes to the NFL Draft, there is no exception to this fact. Take the Tyree Wilson vs. Will Anderson Jr. debate. On paper, Anderson looks like the clear winner over Wilson, as I outlined in my first mock draft. 

While coaches and general managers must consider production, it isn’t everything. What if Gannon, Ossenfort, and assistant general manager David Sears believed Wilson is the better fit? Then by all means, the Cards would, and should, go with Wilson. 

Tyree Wilson could be an excellent fit for the Arizona Cardinals

There are two important yet overrated aspects in every draft class: Production in college and performance at the NFL Combine. While overrated, they should still factor into a team’s ultimate decision regarding who they’d like to select on April 27th. 

Sparkling numbers on the stat sheet and at the Combine can fool anyone (Steve Keim, anyone?). But if a draft prospect doesn’t appear to fit into your system, there is a good chance you will end up wasting your time and wasting their career. 

Since Wilson has drawn some praise within Arizona Cardinals circles, chances are, we’re going to hear his name thrown around a lot from now until the 27th. And if NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell ultimately calls his name as the Cardinals selection over Anderson, know that Ossenfort and Gannon made the decision based primarily on believing him to be the best fit at defensive end/edge for the Redbirds.