After speculation of the Arizona Cardinals potentially trading up or trading down from the 27th pick, Monti Ossenfort decided to stay and ultimately select defensive lineman Darius Robinson out of Missouri. With the Cardinals getting Marvin Harrison Jr. earlier in the night, Ossenfort decided to go and add to the defensive line with Bilal Nichols and Justin Jones. Robinson has an aggressive first step off the ball which could give him an advantage against a blocker. The biggest concern about him is inconsistency but that can be worked on as the season goes on.
Monti Ossenfort did a great job with both first round picks by helping both sides of the ball for the Cardinals. Arizona had a major tough time stopping the run last year (giving up over 140 rushing yards per game) and now Robinson can help contain the run in the middle of the line. It is a little surprising to see the Cardinals pass up on Illinois defensive tackle Johnny Newton, but Ossenfort seems to know what he is doing and has not steered the Cardinals wrong yet.
Robinson has also shown flashes of creating a pass rush which is something else that the Cardinals lacked last year. Standing at 6’5”, Robinson has great size to win one-on-one battles and with the rotation that he will be apart of, he does not need to play all three downs.
On the first night of the draft, the Cardinals were able to give Kyler Murray the best wide receiver in Harrison and add to the defensive line. Ossenfort has the Cardinals going in the right direction and will be looking to add more in the next two days of the NFL Draft. Arizona is set to pick early tomorrow night with the 35th overall pick. Keep an eye out for more brilliant moves by Ossenfort and the front office.