Where Cardinals See Draft Picks Fitting on Roster
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The reinforcements are coming.
The NFL Draft is over, and the Arizona Cardinals selected eight players and used a pick on one more: wide receiver Hollywood Brown.
Arizona addressed both sides of the ball with draftees at tight end, running back, offensive line, edge and cornerback.
The organization looked to address its holes in some capacity during the weekend, and general manager Steve Keim and head coach Kliff Kingsbury gave ideas to how each draftee will fit in.
TE Trey McBride, Colorado State
The Cardinals took whom they called the best player available with their first pick of the draft (No. 55 overall).
McBride had a stellar 2021 season for the Rams as a dynamic pass-catching tight end with 1,121 receiving yards. That is the fifth-most in FBS history for a player at his position.
The Cardinals had already signed three tight ends this offseason, though, as they retained Zach Ertz and Maxx Williams while adding Stephen Anderson.
Head coach Kliff Kingsbury said the team can never have too many playmakers of McBride's caliber, while general manager Steve Keim said the pick had both the present and future in mind.
"We got a young quarterback (Kyler Murray) that we're excited about, we have a 24-year-old receiver we added yesterday (Brown) and we just added another young dynamic playmaker as a tight end, so it made sense in every way," Keim said.
Plus, Williams has no timetable to return from a torn ACL he suffered last season and Anderson started only four games last year.
Kingsbury said McBride could line up in several spots including the Y, H-back and F-back.
"He played the Y before, been inline, can get it done there and so I'm just excited to see how he develops," Kingsbury said.
OLB Cameron Thomas, San Diego State
Thomas played all over the Aztecs defensive line in college, but he is most comfortable on the edge.
Keim told reporters the draftee will play outside linebacker for the Cardinals, a position of need after Chandler Jones departed in free agency.
That said, Keim alluded to packages in which Thomas can move inside.
"The interesting thing about Cameron Thomas is his ability to play inside in sub downs, potentially a guy that could play at the 5 (technique)," Keim said. "Great motor, highly intelligent, versatile in a number of ways."
Thomas moved inside due to team need at San Diego State as an underclassman and bounced back out as a junior in 2021. He had a breakout campaign with 20.5 tackles for loss.
"My junior season, I was able to make the transition back out there and I just felt most natural," Thomas said. "I think that's really what made me kind of pop off this year."
Keim said he did not believe Thomas would be available at the No. 87 pick had he been healthy this spring. The former Aztec dealt with a hamstring issue, something Keim called "little."
OLB Myjai Sanders, Cincinnati
Sanders is another edge rusher with positional versatility.
Keim said he will play outside linebacker primarily, but could also line up at SAM or WILL in different packages.
The Cardinals stuck to their draft board in taking two edge rushers, but Keim acknowledged the need to bolster the position with depth.
"At the end of the day, how many pass rushers can you really have?" Keim said. "We know that in this division, we have to be able to get after the quarterback and I think both those guys will help us do that."
Sanders had 27 pressures in his last four games, according to Pro Football Focus.
RB Keaontay Ingram, USC
The Cardinals lost running back Chase Edmonds in free agency and retained James Conner to be the full-time starter.
The second running back spot on the depth chart is up for the grabs, and the Cardinals are throwing another name in the hat.
Ingram was a dominant high-school back in Texas before suiting up for the University of Texas. After three seasons at UT, he transferred to USC and gained 911 yards in 10 games last season.
"Just creating competition," Kingsbury said. ""We got James, he's the starter and then we're trying to figure it out from there. So it's just gonna make all these guys better."
Ingram, Jonathan Ward and Eno Benjamin are all competing for the spot, although the Cardinals kept three running backs active for many games last year.
G Lecitus Smith, Virginia Tech
The Cardinals drafted two offensive linemen in one class for the first time since 2019, starting with Smith.
Smith was a big tight end in high school before transitioning to the offensive line at V-Tech.
"Great pulling and playing in space, fits our scheme," Keim said. "There's a lot of really nice things on the second level, natural knee bend for a big guy. I really like his competitiveness and his physicality."
The Cardinals had a need at guard heading into the offseason. Justin Murray dealt with injuries for most of last season and turned 29 years old in April. Josh Jones had penalty issues and his spot was taken by Max Garcia, who is now with the New York Giants.
Arizona added Will Hernandez in free agency, but it wanted more volume at the position.
"I'm a guy that comes with no ego, so it's not like I'm coming in like I hope a guard spot is open," Smith said. "At the same time, I want to know that I have a chance. I want to know that I'm coming in and even though they kind of have that starting offensive line put up on the board, I can still have a fighting chance to win a spot."
CB Christian Matthew, Valdosta State
Matthew is a tall cornerback at 6-foot-2 who last played at a Division II school. He also played at Samford and Georgia Southern.
Keim said there are several traits about each of their seventh-round draft picks that has the organization excited. With Matthew, the general manager pointed to his speed and length combination along with his ability to defend in press coverage.
"Really good movement skills for a guy his length, great straight-line speed, good press corner, fits our scheme, very physical," Keim listed.
The Cardinals were in need of cornerback depth entering the draft.
They selected a long corner in the sixth round last year, Tay Gowan of Central Florida, but the team traded him with a 2022 fifth-rounder for Ertz during the season.
Perhaps that's a player mold they feel is missing.
LB Jesse Luketa, Penn State
More positional versatility is coming with Luketa.
He began the 2021 season as an inside linebacker for the Nittany Lions before moving to the edge.
Keim called Luketa's versatility a strength and said the draftee will likely play inside and outside linebacker with the Cardinals.
"I could be on the edge, I could be on the inside if need be," Luketa said. "Just the versatility I'm looking forward to bring to Arizona is going to be one that I'm excited for."
NFL Network draft analyst Lance Zierlein wrote that Luketa plays like his hair is on fire, and the new Cardinal said he looks forward to lining up with high-motor players.
Dennis Gardeck and Markus Golden come to mind.
G Marquis Hayes, Oklahoma
The Cardinals added even more volume to the offensive line by drafting Hayes with their final pick.
Hayes played left guard for the Sooners and was also teammates with Murray for a couple of seasons.
Keim admitted he felt Hayes' 2020 season was stronger than in 2021, but liked enough traits to add him as depth late.
"Big physical guy, really powerful with the point of attack," Keim said.
He looks forward to their growth with offensive line coach Sean Kugler.
