Arizona Cardinals need to add size at wide receiver during upcoming draft

The Arizona Cardinals desperately need to draft a wideout who can complement the team's undersized group of pass-catchers.

Any day now, the Arizona Cardinals will be parting ways with star wideout DeAndre Hopkins. First-year general manager Monti Ossenfort is rebuilding the roster, and a 30-year-old who carries a salary-cap hit of $30.75 million in 2023 isn't a part of the plan.

The minute that Hopkins departs, the Cards will basically be left with a group of tiny wide receivers. When it comes to size, Marquise Brown (5'9,170), Rondale Moore (5'7,180) and Greg Dortch (5'7,175) simply don't have any. Veteran Zach Pascal is on the larger side at 6 foot 2, 214 pounds, but the free-agent addition is expected to contribute primarily on special teams.

One tool that Arizona's front office can use to address the issue is the NFL Draft, the annual three-day event that will take place later this month. Ossenfort won't likely tackle the problem with either of the club's top two selections. That being said, it would not be surprising to see the Redbirds grab a receiver sometime after Round 2.

A wide receiver with size should be targeted by the Arizona Cardinals sometime after the second round

With a pair of picks at their disposal in round 3, the Cardinals could be tempted to grab a pass-catcher with one of those two choices. Rashee Rice, a 6 foot 1, 204 pounder, tallied 96 receptions, 1,355 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns for SMU last fall. Iowa State University's Xavier Richardson (6'2, 207) hauled in 254 passes for 2,929 yards and 15 scores during his three campaigns with the Cyclones.

Another intriguing wide receiver could be there for the Cards in the fourth round. A.T. Perry, a 6 foot 4, 200 pounder, totaled 152 catches, 2,389 receiving yards and 26 touchdowns during the past two seasons at Wake Forest University.

The University of Mississippi's Jonathan Mingo, a youngster with an ample amount of size, may still be on the board in Round 5. The 6 foot 2, 220 pounder registered 51 receptions, 861 receiving yards and five scores last year for Ole Miss.

There could be a couple of additional options later on in the draft, and it just so happens that Arizona will have two selections to utilize in the sixth round. In five campaigns for the University of Maryland, Dontay Demus (6'3, 217) hauled in 128 passes for 2,008 yards and 14 touchdowns. Puka Nacua, a 6 foot 2, 205 pounder, registered 91 receptions for 1,430 yards and 11 scores over the past two years for Brigham Young University.

(Statistics provided by College Football Reference)