© John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports
Two Projected First-Round Picks Visit Cardinals
The Arizona Cardinals play host to Rome Odunze and Chop Robinson.
ARIZONA -- The Arizona Cardinals are reportedly hosting Washington WR Rome Odunze and Penn State LB Chop Robinson on draft visits, according to NFL Media's Tom Pelissero:
The Cardinals have done extensive work at both WR and EDGE leading into the 2024 NFL Draft, which is set to begin on April 25. After today, Arizona will have met with the top three consensus wideouts in Odunze, Malik Nabers and Marvin Harrison Jr. while the Cardinals are also reportedly meeting with edge prospect Dallas Turner sometime this week.
Arizona could go a number of different directions with their two first-round picks, and quite honestly, a combination of Odunze/Robinson could be in the cards (no pun intended). The Cardinals are highly expected to trade down from the No. 4 pick, and Odunze could be a player they target in a potential trade-up while Robinson could be there for the taking at No. 27.
Arizona needs help at both position groups, and it's arguable WR/EDGE are the top two needs for the Cardinals approaching the draft.
Their respective draft profiles from NFL.com:
Rome Odunze (pro comp: Larry Fitzgerald): "A team captain with good size and elite ball skills, Odunze consistently dominated his competition. While most receivers look to open separation windows with speed or route running, Odunze seems to relish jump balls and contested catches. He shines in all aspects of ball skills, including positioning, body control, hand strength, timing and mid-air adjustments. He has a tendency to cruise through routes rather than working with attention to detail and pacing. He was a decorated high school sprinter, so speed should not be an issue in the pros. He’s a high-volume target on the next level that play-callers can utilize to mismatch finesse cornerbacks. Elite ball skills are often the secret sauce for top NFL receivers, so it should not surprise if Odunze is a Day 1 starter who becomes a top-flight WR1."
Chop Robinson (pro comp: Micah Parsons): "Edge defender who offers the type of elite athleticism we’ve seen from players like Micah Parsons and Myles Garrett. Robinson might not be as fast as Parsons, but he’s close. He’s ultra-twitchy with the explosiveness to get on top of blockers and overwhelm them in an instant. However, he will need to level up his hand skills and attack angles to reach his potential against NFL tackles. Robinson’s electric athletic traits alone should give him a floor as a good NFL starter. If he crafts a rush approach and learns to string moves/counters together, he could reach his ceiling as a destructive force capable of forcing teams to game plan around him."
