The 2021 NFL Draft has officially come to a close, and the Arizona Cardinals have made their six selections. Here’s a rundown of who they picked:
-First Round, No. 16 overall: Zaven Collins (Linebacker, Tulsa)
-Second Round, No. 49 overall: Rondale Moore (Wide receiver, Purdue)
-Fourth Round, No. 136 overall: Marco Wilson (Cornerback, Florida)
-Sixth Round, No. 210 overall: Victor Dimukeje (Outside linebacker, Duke)
-Sixth Round, No. 223 overall: Tay Gowan (Cornerback, UCF)
-Seventh Round, No. 243 overall: James Wiggins (Safety, Cincinnati)
-Seventh Round, No. 247 overall: Michal Menet (Center, Penn State)
With the picks, it’s evident that the Cardinals were looking to add to their front seven and secondary. The most talked about positions prior to the draft were wide receiver, cornerback, and linebacker. All three of those lived up to the expectations.
The question now is, how effective will these picks be? Only time will tell on whether the Cardinals 2021 draft class is one to remember, or it will be one to throw away. There were mixed reviews among some, but overall, General Manager Steve Keim felt pretty good about the team’s haul. Here were some reactions to a few of the Cardinals picks:
Tay Gowan: 26.6 passer rating allowed in single coverage since 2019
2nd lowest in college football 🔐#NFLDraft pic.twitter.com/5ibzWjlKzu
— PFF (@PFF) May 1, 2021
Tay Gowan said dropping to the sixth round is going to motivate him: “I’ll be the Tom Brady of corners.”
— Kyle Odegard (@Kyle_Odegard) May 1, 2021
The Arizona Cardinals select Cincinnati safety James Wiggins. He had 5 INT in 2019 and 2020 combined, including this walkoff pick 6 to beat SMU.pic.twitter.com/InA6t73q5D
— Steve Helwick (@s_helwick) May 1, 2021
RD 1 | PICK 16 – Cardinals: Zaven Collins LB, Tulsa
Collins is 1 of 2 linebackers in this year's draft class to rank top five in both the NGS production score (83, 3rd-highest) and athleticism score (94, also 3rd-highest).#NFLDraft pic.twitter.com/RHrrzJ4yd4
— Next Gen Stats (@NextGenStats) April 30, 2021
RD 4 | PICK 136 – Cardinals: Marco Wilson CB, Florida
Wilson's elite pro day performance (4.34-second 40, 43.5" vertical & 11'4" broad jump) helped Wilson earn a max 99-athleticism score in our model. Let's not forget Wilson put up 26 reps of 225-pounds on the bench press. pic.twitter.com/7XUYitUbps
— Next Gen Stats (@NextGenStats) May 1, 2021
Florida CB Marco Wilson, who Arizona traded up for, is a perfect example. Pro day results:
4.34 40
43.5 vertical
11-4 broad
4.09 shuttle
6.80 cone
26 bench reps https://t.co/0FnOWfy5ns— Gil Brandt (@Gil_Brandt) May 1, 2021
Marco Wilson pick by Arizona is fascinating. He had a massive pro day at Florida. Serious athlete. But many scouts thought the tape was quite bad. Cardinals betting they can help him with that.
— Jeremy Fowler (@JFowlerESPN) May 1, 2021
James Wiggins scored as the 3rd highest S in the class in the Athletic Success Indicator (ASI) by @The33rdTeamFB, ranked just above former 2nd round pick Jaquiski Tartt https://t.co/FKGI6TKvyx
— Mike Tannenbaum (@RealTannenbaum) May 1, 2021
With the 210th pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, the Arizona Cardinals select Victor Dimukeje, EDGE. @DukeFOOTBALL.
Stoutly built, lacking a bit in height but compensates with overall bulk. He's strong at the point of attack and always looked powerful when I watched the footage.
— Dion Caputi (@nfldraftupdate) May 1, 2021