We have officially hit the three-quarter pole in our 2015 Daily Norseman Community Mock Draft, and the Arizona Cardinals are on the clock. We've heard the Cardinals mentioned as a possible destination for Adrian Peterson in a trade, so at first blush it appears that a running back could be in order at this spot. However, Cardinals GM Siberia101 has other designs on what Arizona should do with their selection here.
With the 24th pick in the 2015 Daily Norseman Community Mock Draft, the Arizona Cardinals select. . .
Jalen Collins, cornerback, Louisiana State University
Here's what Siberia101 had to say about why he made this selection.
The biggest need for Arizona would seem to be an edge rusher, but with all of the top prospects already off the board it would feel like a bit of a reach for a first round pick. There are also holes to fill at ILB and C, but with a relatively weak draft class it would seem best to address these in the later rounds, as veteran offseason additions Sean Weatherspoon, LaMarr Woodley and A.Q. Shipley should provide short term answers. That leaves a RB to pair with Andre Ellington and a CB to replace Antonio Cromartie as the main considerations. I was really torn at this stage between taking Melvin Gordon or Jalen Collins. My logic is that Arizona ideally is looking for a power type back, and in a deep draft class, players like David Johnson, Javorius Allen, David Cobb or even Matt Jones should be available as good mid to late round scheme fits.
As for Collins at 6'1 and 203lbs he has the size and length that are desired at this position and combines it with good athleticism and speed. He ran the 40 at the combine in 4.48 despite having a stress fracture in his foot, which he has since had surgery on. His high upside is tempered by the relatively low number of starts he had in college, meaning that his technique is not as refined as some of the other CB prospects, so he may not be a day 1 starter. His physical ability though combined with his football instincts mean that he could have the highest ceiling of any of the CB prospects. Combining him with Patrick Peterson and Tyrann Mathieu in the secondary would create an LSU trio that hopefully will aid in his development, and help him reach his potential sooner rather than later.
My Thoughts
From what I've seen across the web in various mocks and from various scouts, Collins is part of a group that's sort of fighting to be the 3rd cornerback in this year's draft class behind Trae Waynes and Marcus Peters. Collins is definitely a part of that mix, and LSU has picked up a reputation of developing pretty solid defensive backs in recent years. Collins definitely has the size that teams are looking for at corner, but he may not be a guy that can step in and start right away. Personally, if I were to take a corner at this point, I'd probably lean more towards Kevin Johnson out of Wake Forest, but that doesn't necessarily mean that Collins is a bad pick or anything.
What do you think of this pick, folks?
Pick | Team | General Manager | Pick |
1 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | kwarren3 | Marcus Mariota, QB, Oregon |
2 | Tennessee Titans | BVB fan | Amari Cooper, WR, Alabama |
3 | Jacksonville Jaguars | n s | Leonard Williams, DT, Southern Cal |
4 | Oakland Raiders | DrivableGuide9 | Dante Fowler, DE, Florida |
5 | Washington Redskins | tep4 | Vic Beasley, OLB, Clemson |
6 | New York Jets | cycloneallnightlong | Jameis Winston, QB, Florida State |
7 | Chicago Bears | lateefthetruthspeaker | Danny Shelton, DT, Washington |
8 | Atlanta Falcons | berg03 | Alvin Dupree, DE, Kentucky |
9 | New York Giants | thecraphead | Randy Gregory, DE, Nebraska |
10 | St. Louis Rams | VikesFanatic | La'el Collins, OL, LSU |
11 | Minnesota Vikings | e.vogel15 | Marcus Peters, CB, Washington |
12 | Cleveland Browns | Wayne Joseph | Todd Gurley, RB, Georgia |
13 | New Orleans Saints | Austin Blanch | Brandon Scherff, OT, Iowa |
14 | Miami Dolphins | SkolChad | DeVante Parker, WR, Louisville |
15 | San Francisco 49ers | Malte | Kevin White, WR, West Virginia |
16 | Houston Texans | Vikes4lyfe | Ereck Flowers, OT, Miami (FL) |
17 | San Diego Chargers | MDFDisc | D.J. Humphries, OL, Florida |
18 | Kansas City Chiefs | Christopher Gates | Dorial Green-Beckham, WR, Missouri |
19 | Cleveland Browns (from Buffalo) | Wayne Joseph | Maxx Williams, TE, Minnesota |
20 | Philadelphia Eagles | AVeazey24 | Landon Collins, S, Alabama |
21 | Cincinnati Bengals | misterloveSKOL | Shane Ray, DE, Missouri |
22 | Pittsburgh Steelers | Typically Lazy | Trae Waynes, CB, Michigan State |
23 | Detroit Lions | just_rob | Andrus Peat, OT, Stanford |
24 | Arizona Cardinals | Siberia101 | Jalen Collins, CB, LSU |
25 | Carolina Panthers | SweetTooth | |
26 | Baltimore Ravens | lmoe12 | |
27 | Dallas Cowboys | paulser21 | |
28 | Denver Broncos | SpencerN | |
29 | Indianapolis Colts | CCNorseman | |
30 | Green Bay Packers | CCHOF5yearstoolate | |
31 | New Orleans Saints (from Seattle) | Austin Blanch | |
32 | New England Patriots | raging_cloner |