The NFL combine’s completion means a new round of mock drafts and one of them comes from NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein. His second mock draft of the year comes with trades and a surprise for the Arizona Cardinals with the fourth overall pick.
The first three picks in his projections are all quarterbacks, which is something many believe will happen, but the Cardinals don’t make the pick that seems obvious.
Check out how his picks go for the Cardinals below.
Pick No. 4: LSU WR Malik Nabers
The obvious pick for the Cardinals would be Ohio State’s Marvin Harrison Jr. Here, Zierlein has them passing on the elite talent for Nabers, who would be the WR1 in this draft class were it not for Harrison.
The selection should be an easy one in terms of position choice, but stacking the top receivers will be more complicated. There’s a lack of consensus on the WR pecking order, if my discussions with team sources tell me anything. Nabers is ultra-explosive and can work all three levels.
Pick No. 27: Oregon C Jackson Powers-Johnson
The Cardinals had solid center play last season from Hjalte Froholdt but Powers-Johnson is an excellent prospect. Some believe he would immediately be a top starter in the league like Creed Humphrey was for the Chiefs and how Tyler Linderbaum has been for the Ravens.
Powers-Johnson is burly, tough and smart. After watching GM Monti Ossenfort operate in last year’s draft, I can see that he has a vision and philosophy for building his team, and my guess is the trenches continue to get the attention they deserve.
More Cardinals and NFL coverage
Listen to the latest from Cards Wire’s Jess Root on his podcast, Rise Up, See Red. Subscribe on Apple podcasts or Spotify.
