Finding a top-flight CB for future still a priority
The Arizona Republic is examining how the Cardinals might tackle the 2021 NFL draft, offering a daily series of what to look for with a position-by-position breakdown.
Today: Cornerbacks/safeties
Cornerbacks
On the roster: 5
Starters: Malcolm Butler, Robert Alford, Byron Murphy Jr.
Backups: Jace Whittaker,
Nelson
Priority level: High
Evaluation: Since the Cardinals drafted Patrick Peterson with the fifth overall pick in 2011, they have selected a total of just five cornerbacks the past nine years. Only one of them, Murphy Jr., a second-round pick in 2019, is still on the roster.
With Peterson gone, having signed a one-year, free-agent deal with the Vikings, the need to add a top-flight cornerback through the draft has not been this important in the last decade. Until General Manager Steve Keim signed the veteran Butler to a one-year contract and brought back Alford on a cheaper deal just two days after cutting him, the only corner on the roster with any NFL experience was the 23-yearold Murphy Jr.
The situation remains dire nonetheless.
Butler, 31, can pick up where Peterson, who turns 31 in July, left off. And he’s a much more physical presence, having recorded a career-high 100 tackles last season for the Titans after winning two Super Bowl with the Patriots. But Alford is an unknown commodity after missing two straight seasons because of injury and Murphy, despite his talents, is better suited to play slot corner instead of the outside where the Cardinals need the most help now.
Barring a trade for a proven outside corner, which seems unlikely, Arizona must find one in the first or second round of the draft with the 16th or 49th overall pick.
The bad news is, the prospects most commonly seen as the top two corners – Alabama’s Patrick Surtain II and South Carolina’s Jaycee Horn – are expected to be gone before the Cardinals’ first pick. The good news is, another top talent should be available at 16 in former Virginia Tech cornerback Caleb Farley, who might be the best of the bunch but could be a medical concern after having two back procedures and opting out of the 2020 season.
“He was like my fifth or sixth (best) player in the draft,” NFL draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah said during a recent conference call. “He's a freak show. … It just comes down to your doctors and what their comfort level is with him physically. If they give you the okay and he passes, shoot, that would be a home run pick if he shows up and he's healthy.”
Keim met with the team’s medical staff and trainers this week for final determinations regarding Farley’s situation, but he made it clear to reporters during a video conference call last week that he was very intrigued by the tall and rangy 6-2, 207-pound prospect.
“As a player, he hasn’t even scratched the surface yet, but he’s got tremendous upside and potential,” Keim said. “For a guy who is as long as he is, he’s got tremendous stop and start ability and really is as sudden in transition as any corner in this draft. He’s got a bright future.”
Picasso
If the medical recommendation isn’t positive, the Cardinals could have a difficult decision to make. Assuming Surtain II and Horn are both off the board, would they reach for a cornerback such as Northwestern’s Greg Newsome II at No. 16?
Jeremiah, a former NFL scout who has spent the past 10 seasons as a draft analyst for NFL Media, has Newsome (6-1, 190) rated as the 27th-best prospect overall in his final rankings for this year’s draft – five spots behind Farley. He has Surtain II ranked ninth overall and Horn 14th.
Cornerbacks are considered to be plentiful this year, however, so don’t preclude the Cardinals from finding one in the second round with pick No.49. Should they go that route, their options could include prospects such as Asante Samuel Jr. (Florida State), Tyson Campbell (Georgia), Aaron Robinson (UCF), Eric Stokes (Georgia) and Elijah Molden (Washington).
Safeties
On the roster: 7
Starters: Budda Baker, Jalen Thompson
Backups: Shawn Williams, Deionte Thompson, Chris Banjo, Charles Washington, Chris Miller
Priority level: Low
Evaluation: The offseason addition of Shawn Williams bolstered this entire group, which is now genuinely solid and strong from top to bottom. Baker, a twotime All-Pro and three-time Pro Bowl selection is an elite free safety who at 25, is still easily in his prime and should only get better.
It’s at strong safety, however, where the Cardinals could decide to use this week’s draft to find an upgrade for the future.
To do that, they’d have to burn one of their first two picks to likely find one worthy of being the long-term playing partner in the back end alongside Baker. That probably only happens, though, if for whatever reason they decide to skip on drafting a wide receiver or a cornerback early.
Even then, it likely makes more sense to go after one of the best remaining tight ends, edge rushers, linebackers or even an extra offensive lineman before rolling the dice on a safety.
There is one intriguing prospect to keep in mind who wouldn’t be a risk at all.
It’s Trevon Moehrig from TCU, who is a hybrid-type safety who can also play linebacker and is a bigger, badder version of the Honey Badger, Tyrann Mathieu. Interestingly, Jeremiah, the NFL draft analyst, has him rated as the 16thbest prospect in the entire draft.
When it comes to the draft, especially in the first round, NFL teams should always select the best-available player, regardless of need at any position. Keim reiterated that’s the position he always wants the Cardinals to take in most situations.