Did the Arizona Cardinals make a mistake taking Zaven Collins?

The Arizona Cardinals invested in a linebacker in the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft, but here’s why Zaven Collins may not have been the best choice.

Throughout the 2021 NFL Draft process, there were few prospects who drew more buzz than Tulsa linebacker, Zaven Collins. The first round of the draft is typically reserved for Power 5 players and money positions – with a good deal of them typically coming from the SEC. However, Collins didn’t fit that description at all.

The Tulsa linebacker dominated the American Athletic conference prior to entering the NFL Draft, During his three college seasons, he recorded a whopping 236 tackles, 25 tackles for a loss, and 7.5 sacks, according to Sports Reference. Collins was also a force in the passing game – raking in 5 interceptions and recording 8 pass defenses in 32 career games.

Entering the 2021 NFL Draft, the Arizona Cardinals had plenty of needs. Coming off an 8-8 record in 2020, Kliff Kingsbury’s team was inconsistent on both offense and defense, and finished near the middle of the pack in both areas.

Despite spending the 8th overall pick in linebacker Isaiah Simmons in 2020, the Cardinals clearly needed more help at the position after witnessing a porous defense last season. However, did they make the right decision by going with Zaven Collins with the 16th overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft?

Arizona Cardinals could have targeted a more valuable position

I like Zaven Collins a lot as a player. He’s a well-rounded linebacker who can blitz and cover, and he has remarkable movement skills for a player his size. In addition, his football IQ and instincts are evident in nearly any given play.

While I expect him to be a playmaking linebacker at the next level as well, I still have to wonder if Arizona did the right thing taking him so early in the draft. There are several reasons for this.

For starters, non-Power 5 players rarely get taken in the first round – even ones that were as dominant as Collins at the collegiate level. Obviously, there’s some exception when it comes to the quarterback position, but there’s typically a reason why this is the case.

Instead of going toe-to-toe with the best offensive players in college football, Collins played his college ball against a lot of players who aren’t even close to NFL talents. Had he played in the SEC or the Big Ten, we can’t assume that his film would have been just as good or that he would have the same amount of production.

In addition, the Arizona Cardinals chose to invest in a non-money position for the second year in a row. In today’s NFL, off ball linebackers are like the running backs of the defense. Yes every team needs them, but they are more replaceable than other positions and replacement-level players are typically easy to find.

With great draft capital, the Cardinals ignored much more valuable positions like offensive tackle and cornerback in order to take the small-school linebacker. With potential cornerstone players like Teven Jenkins, Alex Leatherwood, Greg Newsome, and Caleb Farley on the board, it was interesting to see them go this route.

I’m not saying that Zaven Collins isn’t going to be a good football player. However, there is some risk involved here and the Cardinals missed out on some talented prospects at more important positions. Collins could be a leader for this team and he has the ability to create splash plays. It will be interesting to see how he does.