Cardinals projected to take CB in Todd McShay’s way-too-early 2022 mock draft
While the 2021 NFL draft concluded just last weekend, there are already some 2022 mock drafts to see. Of course, they are not predictions. They are more about who the top college players this coming season will be matching them with the needs NFL teams will have in a year.
ESPN’s Todd McShay released his early 2022 mock draft. The order is based on power rankings formed by his colleagues.
For the Arizona Cardinals, that means an even higher draft pick than they had in last week’s draft. Based on those rankings, they would have the 14th pick in the draft.
If that is the case in 2022, things will have gone wrong in the 2021 season.
But as for the pick, McHsay has the Cardinals selecting Ohio State cornerback Sevyn Banks.
The Cardinals lost Patrick Peterson to free agency, and both of their starters outside — Robert Alford and Malcolm Butler — are on one-year deals. I did like the Day 3 selections of Marco Wilson and Tay Gowan, but I think Arizona could look at the cornerback pool next April. Banks has good size, length and speed.
He is 6-1 and 200 pounds. He had six pass breakups in 2020 and had a fumble recovery he returned for a touchdown.
The cornerback position doesn’t look certain in 2022, as Malcolm Butler and Robert Alford will both be free agents. They do like their two Day 3 cornerbacks, but it would be foolish to expect them to be full-time starters by 2022. They might be, but it shouldn’t be counted on right now.
Cornerback is a premium position and definitely worth a top-15 pick. We obviously have to see how Banks plays in 2021, but this ridiculously early mock draft looks reasonable in terms of the selection. As for what pick they have, they better not have the 14th pick unless they acquired it in a trade from a non-playoff team.
List
Check out the OTA, minicamp schedules for all 32 NFL teams this offseason
Listen to the latest from Cards Wire’s Jess Root on his podcast, Rise Up, See Red. Subscribe on Apple podcasts or Spotify.
Listen to the latest from Cards Wire’s Jess Root on his podcast, Rise Up, See Red. Subscribe on Apple podcasts or Spotify.
Latest show:
Previous shows:
and
