4 draft prospects the Arizona Cardinals must stay away from - Offense

The Arizona Cardinals cannot afford to waste draft picks this year. So let’s discuss five offensive skill position players they must stay away from.

The Arizona Cardinals must make the most out of their eight draft picks, and perhaps more. They can’t afford to go with the homerun or the strikeout this season, and the same goes for 2024 and beyond. 

Every year, there are draft prospects who may wow NFL scouts with either their ideal size, athletic ability, and overall potential. But when it comes to productivity, or even in some cases, health, they lack plenty of it. 

Therefore, there are four prospects that caught my eye who general manager Monti Ossenfort shouldn’t even bother to place onto his draft board. Sure, they may look the part and possess dynamic traits, but they aren’t worth the potential frustration. 

4 prospects the Arizona Cardinals must stay away from

1 - Hendon Hooker, QB/Tennessee

Hendon Hooker has just about everything you can ask for including productivity and size (6’4, 218lb). With 80 career touchdown passes and 12 picks, you’d think he’d be my ideal candidate. But there is a reason I’ve left Hooker off my list of five quarterbacks the Cardinals could consider.

For one, his inability to be ‘the guy’ over most of his collegiate career haunts me. Further, no one knows what Hooker will look like athletically following his ACL tear. Sure, you can say the same thing about Kyler Murray, but at this point, adding another quarterback on the mend for the same injury makes little sense. 

2 - Tank Bigsby, RB/Auburn

One thing I like about Tank Bigsby is that he has 35 games of experience playing against NFL-level competition in the SEC. The issue is that his productivity was never consistent, and against top powerhouses like Georgia, he never averaged over 3.9 yards per carry. 

Further, Bigsby’s production overall pales compared to some of the game’s better options. He’d be, at best, the type of back you take later in Day 3 if he falls that far. But even then, there could be better options. 

3 - Kayshon Boutte, WR/LSU

It’s almost like Kayshon Boutte steadily regressed after he enjoyed six glorious games with the Louisiana State Tigers. I’m not entirely against receivers who displayed limited production in college thanks to the discrepancies in offensive systems teams can run, but Boutte’s production took a nose-dive from 2021-22. 

In six games back in ‘21, he snagged 38 catches, 509 yards, and 9 touchdowns. Everyone thought the kid would build on that in 2022, only for him to disappoint with pedestrian numbers. 

4 - Darnell Washington, TE/Georga

The one major upside with Darnell Washington is that he’s so big (6’7, 265lb), that he could become an immediate red zone threat for the Arizona Cardinals. What I don’t like about him, however, was his limited production at Georgia, where he amassed 45 catches in 27 games. 

He was ironically a deep threat, finishing his collegiate career with 717 receiving yards, equaling 17.2 yards per reception. But overall, he fits best as a blocker and occasional red zone threat for a team that utilizes more of a run-first, smash mouth system. That won’t be the Cards. 

(Statistics provided by Sports-Reference/CFB)