After what appears to be a great offseason so far, the Arizona Cardinals can be seen as contenders. The NFC West may end up being a battle between the Cardinals and the Rams for first place.
The Cardinals also brought in former Las Vegas Raider Rodney Hudson to play center. This will certainly help the interior of their offensive line, but there are still holes on the line. However, the biggest need they have is at the cornerback position.
Patrick Peterson left in the offseason. And their two current starters, Malcolm Butler and Robert Alford are both over the age of 30. Their best days are probably behind them. It is definitely time for the Arizona Cardinals to bring in a solid prospect with the potential to be a top cornerback.
What other positions do the Cardinals have holes at?
As far as the other team needs go, the Cardinals could benefit from adding a running back, a tight end, a wide receiver, an offensive guard, and more help on the interior of the defensive line. The thing is, it may be hard to do all of that when the Cardinals only have 6 total draft picks. And only two of those draft picks come in the first four rounds.
It makes it seem likely that the Cardinals trade back for more picks in the 2021 NFL Draft, especially if they feel it will give them the best chance to make a Super Bowl run next season.
Round 1, Pick 22 (via TEN): Greg Newsome II, CB, Northwestern
The Cardinals could potentially trade back to have more picks to fill all their remaining needs. A potential trade-back scenario could be with the Tennesse Titans. They would trade the 16th overall pick to the Titans for the 22nd overall pick and 85th overall pick. By doing this, they would have 3 picks in the first three rounds, instead of just two.
With the 22nd overall pick, the Cardinals could still get their cornerback of the future by drafting Greg Newsome II. It’s a win-win for the Cardinals because they fill a need and get an extra pick to fill another one.
Greg Newsome did have some injury issues during his time at Northwestern, but nothing too serious. His game speaks for itself. The only other real concern with Newsome is his weight. At 6-foot-one and 190 pounds, he may need to put on some muscle. Other than that, Newsome is good in coverage and will go up to defend the pass. He isn’t afraid of mixing it up with receivers.
If the Cardinals can make this trade and get their starting cornerback of the future, it would be another potentially great offseason move.