With the Super Bowl in the rearview mirror and the NFL draft on the horizon in a couple of months, mock drafts will become a big part of what is around the Internet.
Touchdown Wire’s Mark Schofield put together new projections for the first round of the 2022 NFL draft and has the Arizona Cardinals bolstering a position they have not addressed in the first round since 1998.
With the 23rd pick, the Cardinals select Michigan pass rusher David Ojabo.
Might the Arizona Cardinals address the defense for the third-straight year in the first round? Two years ago it was Isaiah Simmons, and last season the Cardinals added Zaven Collins at linebacker. With Chandler Jones facing free agency, adding a pass rusher could be a need. David Ojabo has the explosiveness and athleticism to be a force off the edge, and with some refinement to his pass-rushing plan, he could be the perfect replacement for Jones if the veteran pass rusher finds himself a new home during the offseason.
Ojabo was the lesser-known of the Michigan pass rushers. While Aidan Hutchinson is the headliner on that defense with his 14 sacks and 16.5 tackles for loss, Ojabo was nearly as productive. He had 11 sacks and 12 tackles for loss, and he forced five fumbles.
He is 6-4, 250 lbs, so he physically fits the Cardinals’ 3-4 outside linebacker position.
The last time the Cardinals selected an edge defender in the first round of the draft, it was 1998 when they selected Andre Wadsworth.
Considering the nature of the position, it is probably time they take a pass rusher in the first round.
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