71st overall: Payton Wilson, LB/North Carolina State
I’ve picked Payton Wilson in previous drafts involving PFF’s simulator, and given his overall production, he makes for an outstanding value pick in the middle rounds. He spent a lot of time in the backfield throughout his college career, logging 48.0 tackles for a loss and 15.0 sacks in 47 contests.
85th overall: Ruke Orhorhoro, DI/Clemson
As mentioned earlier, there were several interior defensive linemen available, so I didn’t hesitate when I saw another potential ringer in the productive Ruke Orhorhoro. He’s not as big as you would like a 3-4 interior lineman to be, so should he come to Glendale, the Arizona Cardinals would likely have him slide out and play at end as opposed to tackle.
104th overall: Sedrick Van Pran, OL/Georgia
I was shocked to see Sedrick Van Pran still there at 104th overall, so there was no hesitation with this pick. Van Pran, despite being a Day 3 pick in this mock draft, is someone the Cardinals could realistically plug in and play early in the 2024 season should he win a spot.
133rd overall: Khyree Jackson, CB/Oregon
I didn’t want to wait this long to pick a cornerback, but unfortunately, there was nobody worth taking before this given the way the dominoes fell. Khyree Jackson is a larger corner, and that’s something the Cardinals need, but he lacks collegiate experience with just 25 career games. Ideally, Jackson develops in 2024, so if this becomes the case in real life, cornerback is a position to address in free agency.