Not many teams had a more fruitful first round of the 2024 NFL Draft than the Arizona Cardinals. Arizona finally found themselves their new No. 1 receiver in Marvin Harrison Jr. Not only was Harrison Jr. the best receiver in this class but he’s been billed as the best receiver prospect to come out in recent memory. In addition to him, the Cardinals added Missouri edge rusher Darius Robinson with their second first-round pick, acquired from the Houston Texans.
The Cardinals have already added two players to their roster, but they are far from done. They have four more picks to make on Day 2 of the draft. Arizona is going to have a stacked rookie class. That will especially be the case if they find a way to bring in players like Jer’Zhan Newton, Cooper DeJean, and Christian Haynes.
The Cardinals began to beef up their defense with their selection of Robinson last night. They’d be wise to continue adding to that unit. Last season, the Cardinals finished with the 31st-ranked defense in EPA allowed per play. They were bad at everything, but run defense wasn’t their specialty by any means either. They were 27th in EPA allowed per rush. Running backs like Kyren Williams had no problem running all over them last season.
#Rams RB Kyren Williams LOVES playing against the #Cardinals
He's rushed for 301 yards against Arizona between the two meetings this season #RamsHouse | #NFL pic.twitter.com/aKTJVFaZQt
— Pro Football Network (@PFN365) November 27, 2023
One way the Cardinals could try to fix their problem of stopping the run would be to draft Illinois’ Jer’Zhan Newton. Newton finished last season with 52 total tackles. His numbers were not that far off from Texas’ defensive lineman Byron Murphy’s, who went in the first round last night.
I'm going to have a really high grade on Jer'Zhan Newton but Byron Murphy clears him in PRP & Pass Rush Win % via PFF this year.
Newton – 6.8 & 15.5%
Murphy – 9.3 & 19.6%
Granted Newton had over 170 more pass rush reps but seems like Murphy should shoot up boards soon enough. https://t.co/UDpxnhQm2g— Steven Haglund (@StevenIHaglund) January 4, 2024
Newton is not just a run stuffer either. He can really get after the quarterback too. He had 7.5 sacks last season for the Illini and 5.5 sacks the year prior. Not only that, but Newton racked up 102 QB pressures in that span. That’s more than any interior lineman in college football in that span.
Jer’Zhan Newton: 102 QB Pressures Since 2022
24 more than the next closest Defensive Tackle pic.twitter.com/fQq5DaO4d6
— PFF College (@PFF_College) April 19, 2024
Cardinals’ head coach Jonathan Gannon comes from Philadelphia, which always had mammoths on the interior defensive line. He can begin to replicate that in Arizona with Newton. The Cardinals have the third pick in the second round. If Newton, who many had a first-round grade on, can fall two more picks, he’d be a home run pick for Arizona at the top of the second.
Another player that many draft analysts pegged as a first-round pick but fell outside of there would be Cooper DeJean. DeJean was one of the better cornerbacks in college football last season until he tore his ACL. The few times quarterbacks threw his direction did not end with great results.
Iowa CB Cooper DeJean last season:
388 Coverage Snaps
Zero TDs Allowed
2 INTs | 4 PBUs
37.8 Passer Rating Allowed pic.twitter.com/t6KUKMMWQu— PFF College (@PFF_College) April 3, 2024
DeJean also is a tremendous return man. He had a punt return touchdown last season and should’ve had another to win the game for Iowa against Minnesota, but it got controversially called back.
FULL VIDEO: Iowa got ROBBED on its potential GW Punt Return Touchdown that was called back because DeJean supposedly “signaled” a fair catch#Iowa | #BigTen | #Minnesota
pic.twitter.com/M8kQCForDc— Saturday Cadence Podcast (@SaturdayCadence) October 21, 2023
As bad as Arizona was against the run, they were just as bad against the pass. The Cardinals ranked 31st in the league in EPA allowed per dropback . The Washington Commanders were the only worse team in that department. DeJean would be a godsend for them. Hopefully, for their sake, they can draft him at the top of the second round.
Arizona invested in their offensive line last season with Paris Johnson Jr. Perhaps in the third round they can continue that trend with Christian Haynes of Connecticut. Haynes was one of the best guards in college football last season.
You hear Lions Coaches/Front Office talk about violence.. and you can quickly see why UConn RG Christian Haynes (#64) would be a natural fit at 29.
Haynes PFF Grades 2022-23 (rank among FBS OGs):
• 2023 – 80.2 (10th)
• 2022 – 83.9 (5th)
– 91.0 Pass Block Grade (1st) pic.twitter.com/qJmrTNc6R0— Al Karsten (@FootballGuy_Al) March 27, 2024
The Cardinals are set with their tackles, but could afford to beef up the interior of their offensive line. Elijah Wilkinson is a fine left guard, but they can improve there. Haynes would be the perfect player to do so.
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