The Arizona Cardinals go back-to-back and double-dip on LSU players in this mock. This time around, it’s on the offensive side of the ball with tight end Thaddeus Moss. NFL organizations are now starting to see what impact a tight end can bring after Travis Kelce and George Kittle took control of their offense for their respective teams last season.
Current Cardinals tight end Charles Clay is 31-years-old, doesn’t make much of an impact and is on the decline. This selection would add depth and a more reliable weapon to the tight end position for the Arizona Cardinals. Moss is the son of legendary HOF wide receiver, Randy Moss, and shows a couple of similar traits to his father on the playing field.
Moss was one of the favorite targets for 2019 Heisman Trophy winner Joe Burrow, especially in the National Championship Game against Clemson when he scored two touchdowns. Like George Kittle, Moss demonstrates an ability to contribute in the run game as a solid blocker when needed.
He has a nice catch radius at 6-foot-3 and is tremendous at jumping up and fighting for those contested balls in traffic. Furthermore, Moss has good hands and can show great signs of physicality at the point of attack. I feel that he and Kyler Murray would adapt a swagger for each other through the air.
After taking a quick break for the fifth round in the war room, the Arizona Cardinals front-office gets back to it by addressing the linebacker position with Justin Strnad in the sixth round. Strnad is a fluid and smooth linebacker who demonstrates good athleticism in space.
Strnad is a strong coverage linebacker, which is something that the Cardinals currently lack at the position. He was able to intercept the ball four times during his time at Wake Forest. From his film, I salute his effort and the way he consistently gets to the ball, regardless of how far away the carrier is. He also displayed his quickness and range by maneuvering his way into the backfield as he earned eight sacks and a solid 22.5 tackles for loss during his college career.
With their sixth and final pick of this 2020 NFL Mock Draft, the Arizona Cardinals go with safety Syheim Carter from Alabama. Carter played with Xavier McKinney, a first-round safety prospect in this year’s draft. Hopefully, Carter learned something from McKinney’s expertise that he could bring along with him to the Grand Canyon State.
Carter would be brought aboard to add depth to this. He struggles with ideal safety range and deep coverage skills, so I don’t seem him starting anytime soon in the NFL. However, he’s decent at approaching the box and making the critical tackles you wouldn’t typically expect a safety to make. I could see him getting on the field, fitting well with some dime packages as a slot corner with the Arizona Cardinals.