The Arizona Cardinals are locked in with the 13th overall pick in the upcoming NFL Draft. Pick number 13 is a tough position to predict because of the number of teams that may reach for a quarterback ahead of the Cardinals. So let’s take a look at a handful of options that may still be available when Arizona is on the clock.
Arizona Cardinals Have Many Choices with 13th Overall Pick
Jamal Adams, safety, LSU
Jamal Adams is considered by many as the best strong safety in the draft. He is an athletic freak that plays downhill, is great in coverage and a fantastic open field tackler. D.J. Swearinger and Tony Jefferson are both free agents this upcoming season, and it may be hard for the Cardinals to keep both of them. Adams would bring speed to the back end of an already talented defense. Historically Arizona has done well with defensive backs from LSU.
Marlon Humphrey, cornerback, Alabama
Marlon Humphrey has a unique motor for a cornerback. That is not a term you often hear when describing a defensive back, but his effort is there on every play. Humphrey fights hard to get off blocks and even when plays are away from him he is always in pursuit. He is an excellent tackler in space, which is one of the reasons Alabama can play so aggressively on receiver screen passes. Humphrey is comfortable in man coverage and has great instincts in zone. He is long at 6’1″ and has good speed; clocking a top time of 6.89 seconds in the indoor 60-meter dash. Pairing him opposite of Patrick Peterson would be tough for opposing offenses to handle.
Reuben Foster, inside linebacker, Alabama
Reuben Foster is a pure sideline to sideline linebacker. He has good speed and is a very hard hitter. He plays with excellent eye discipline against the read option and other types designed quarterback runs. Foster is fantastic covering kicks on special teams where he will also be asked to contribute. He is good in coverage and can get great depth on his zone drops. He is susceptible to floating out of his zone window when following the quarterback’s eyes, but this is something that is coachable. If the Cardinals do take Foster, it will be interesting to see if he would take Kevin Minter‘s snaps or if this would allow Deone Buchanon to go back to playing the strong safety position he was drafted to play.
Mike Williams, wide receiver, Clemson
It would be surprising if Mike Williams fell this far, but there is a chance if three quarterbacks come off the board ahead of Arizona. There is no weakness in Williams game. He has great size, speed, route running and excellent hands. He reminds many of a larger framed DeAndre Hopkins. The work he put on film against Auburn this season was incredible. The release of Michael Floyd and the potential retirement of Larry Fitzgerald could leave Arizona very short-handed at receiver.
Final Thoughts
The Cardinals are in an excellent position to get an impact player this draft. This team is still stacked with talent if Fitzgerald does come back next season. Arizona is in reload mode and will not have to go into rebuilding until Carson Palmer walks away. With that said, the Cardinals should still look for the air to Palmer in this upcoming draft.
