The Arizona Cardinals have a number of positions that need addressing but with their first-round pick in the 2022 NFL draft, ideally they can land a player at a premium position.
In the latest mock draft from ESPN draft analyst Todd McShay, they do exactly that. They select a pass rusher with the 23rd pick in the first round.
They take Florida State pass rusher Jermaine Johnson II.
Arizona’s roster has impact players headed toward free agency all over the place, but one of the biggest is edge rusher Chandler Jones. Coupled with the fact that soon-to-be 33-year-old J.J. Watt is coming off a shoulder surgery, this pass rush — which produced 41 sacks last season, tied for 13th most — could take a step back in 2022. Johnson had 12 sacks and 45 pressures at Florida State in 2021 and then put on a show at the Senior Bowl. Even if the Cardinals lose Jones this March, Johnson could join Markus Golden and Watt to form a solid pass-rush group.
It’s noteworthy that the team’s top-two running backs — James Conner and Chase Edmonds — are also free agents. That said, I don’t see a running back worth even considering in Round 1 this year. Texas A&M’s Isaiah Spiller is my top-rated back, way back at No. 55 on my board. We’ve seen only two first rounds without a running back (2013 and 2014), but this is shaping up to be one of those years.
Johnson was dominant in the Senior Bowl. That will have caught the eyes of the Cardinals’ evaluators. He has the size and the length. He has the strength and production.
The Cardinals have not had a young, promising pass rusher since they drafted Golden in the second round in 2015.
Premier pass rushers are premium players. It is certainly a position worth taking in the first round, especially after using first-round picks on inside linebackers the last two years.
The question is whether Johnson would last all the way to the 23rd pick. If he is, he looks like a great fit.
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