Arizona Cardinals select safety Jalen Thompson in the supplemental draft
The Arizona Cardinals brought in safety Jalen Thompson in Wednesday’s NFL supplemental draft.
The Arizona Cardinals saw an opportunity to improve and took advantage of it. According to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, the Cardinals took Washington State safety Jalen Thompson in the 2019 NFL supplemental draft. He was chosen in the fifth round.
Thompson immediately becomes a member of the Cardinals and in exchange, Arizona has to give up their fifth-round pick in the 2020 NFL Draft.
The Arizona Cardinals found a good one here and may have found a massive value. Thompson is an extremely quick and athletic safety prospect who shows fantastic natural coverage skills on the back-end. He is also an extremely aggressive and willing tackler who can come up and defend against the run.
The Washington State product also shows tremendous versatility in the secondary, showing the ability to play both safety and slot cornerback. Thompson has an impressive mix of skills that makes him an exciting prospect to watch grow in the next few years.
The Cardinals bringing in Thompson is a bit of a surprise. Their safety situation is pretty much set with Budda Baker, D.J. Swearinger and rookie Deionte Thompson all in the mix. They are also in a solid situation at cornerback with Patrick Peterson (suspended the first four games of 2019), Robert Alford and rookie Byron Murphy leading the way.
That beign said, if Thompson can grow as a player and start to reach his ceiling, there is a clear role for him on this team as a hybrid safety/slot cornerback.
Swearinger becomes a free agent next offseason and I would not be surprised to see the Cardinals shop Peterson on the trade market soon. If both players are moved, a clear rotation starts to form with Murphy and Alford at cornerback, Baker and Deionte Thompson at safety and Jalen Thompson finding snaps at both positions.
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When it comes down to it, this is a nice grab at upside for the Arizona Cardinals. Thompson is a gifted player who is undoubtedly worth the fifth-round selection that they gave up.