How Seahawks NFC West foes should approach the 2021 NFL draft

Arizona Cardinals

I rank the Cardinals tenth for their current roster, PFF.com has them 14th with the 25th-most draft capital. So like the Rams and even more so the Seahawks, they do not have a lot of opportunities to address their weaknesses via the draft.

They do have first and second round picks, but then no pick until the fifth round. So getting their first two picks right is vital to the Cardinals.

I see their requirements as:

Musts

Tight End

Needs

Nose Tackle

Defensive Tackle

Like to haves

Wide receiver

Linebacker

Running back

Guard

Offensive tackle

Defensive end

Cornerback

The Cardinals, therefore, have ten needs and only six picks, again emphasizing the need to get their first two picks correct.

Round 1

The Cardinals first pick comes at 16, which will be too late to take the TE of a generation in Kyle Pitts and too early to take either Prat Freiermuth or Brevin Jordan as the next best options at TE. And if they tried to trade up for Pitts, that would lily be with teams considering taking Pitts themselves so therefore not likely to bite on any offer made.

So given where this pick sits, I would look for a defensive tackle instead. Christian Barmore (Alabama) would be the first DT off the board and whilst still raw has huge potential if coached properly.

Round 2

To re-iterate, the Cardinals will be waiting for another 111 picks to make another selection so unless they know of a hidden gem at TE from round 5 onwards they should go TE with this pick if they can

Pitts will go early in round 1, and I have the Jags taking Freiermuth with the first pick of round 2. So the third best TE in this draft is Brevin Jordan out of Miami.

Taking him at 49 represents a bit of a stretch though, so the Cardinals must decide whether to reach or settle for a WR and revisit the TE position later. For me, unless Freiermuth falls to their pick, the Cardinal should select Elijah Moore as their slot receiver.

Round 5

If they do not find their TE in rounds 1 or two, they really must go for one with this pick. Hunter Long (Boston College) or Kenny Yeboah (Ole Miss) seem the best options here.

Rounds 6 & 7

With three late-round picks, the Cardinals should take a chance on stumbling on a nose tackle and running back for starters. They should also spend one of the picks on a punter to present a possible upgrade on Andy Lee.