Cardinals Land Shutdown Corner in PFN Mock Draft
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The Arizona Cardinals are 4-8, and draft talk will officially be underway once they are mathematically eliminated from the playoffs in the coming weeks.
The Cardinals are set to have a top ten pick next year, and with plenty of needs and pending free agents, there may not be a bad place to start. BPA (best player available) could afford Arizona talent on either side of the ball.
You'll see offensive linemen heavily mocked to the Cardinals, and rightfully so. Arizona needs an injection of youth into their starting five, and names such as Peter Skoronski and Paris Johnson are immediate fits.
Yet in Pro Football Network's latest mock draft, the Cardinals add talent to their secondary:
Cardinals Land Christian Gonzalez in PFN Mock Draft
8) Arizona Cardinals: Christian Gonzalez, CB, Oregon
"We’ve probably seen the last of Christian Gonzalez in an Oregon Ducks uniform, but we’ve seen enough. While there are some aspects of his games to improve, he brings the potential of a shutdown corner to the next level," said Joe Broback.
Gonzalez has quickly rose up the ranks of the draft class to put himself in premier position to be drafted in the top half of the first round.
With Byron Murphy, Trayvon Mullen and Antonio Hamilton all set to hit free agency, the Cardinals could very well make themselves available to top talent in the draft. Even if Murphy re-signs with the Cardinals, a formidable trio between Murphy/Gonzalez/Marco Wilson would complicate things for NFC West quarterbacks.
The pros from his profile on The Draft Network seem pretty good, too.
"Gonzalez has outstanding size and length and is a very good athlete overall. He primarily lines up outside on the boundary but has shown to follow the team’s No. 1 receiver across the formation and even in the slot. He is a patient corner off the line with light feet and good eyes. He is outstanding in press and has good punch timing and hand placement. He is an excellent man-to-man corner and utilizes his length to press the receiver and ride him through the stem and has the fluidity to bend and sink into breaks when it’s time to change direction at the top of the route. He flashes good eyes and instincts in zone coverage and makes it hard to find throwing windows as he naturally covers so much ground with his length. He is a tough and competitive corner who will not shy away from anyone."
Ultimately, Gonzalez's presence in a Cardinals secondary that is currently bottom ten in the league for passing yards allowed (245.4) would be very welcomed.
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