Arizona Cardinals: 2022 NFL Draft Late Round Targets

Charleston Rambo, WR, Miami

For the Arizona Cardinals, losing their number two wide receiver Christian Kirk hurts. But paying him what he got on the open market ($72 million over four years from the Jacksonville Jaguars) may have hurt even more. Arizona still has Deandre Hopkins and they did bring back A.J. Green on a one-year deal. Last year’s second round pick Rondale Moore should be a fixture in the slot, so Rambo wouldn’t necessarily be forced to take on a big role right away.

Rambo’s path to the NFL was a bit circuitous, as he played three years at Oklahoma before transferring to Miami last year. His best year in Norman was his sophomore campaign in 2019 when he posted 743 receiving yards and five touchdowns. His true breakout came last year for the Hurricanes when he racked up 1,172 receiving yards and seven touchdowns. That yardage output nearly equaled his previous three years combined. For his performance Charleston Rambo was named to the second team All-ACC last year in 2021.

It seems that some teams don’t exactly know what to make of Charleston Rambo. He’s a thin receiver at 6’1” 185, but he doesn’t have the height and length of some of the more successful skinnier receivers. He’s not exactly a burner either, as he ran a 4.57 40-yard dash at the NFL combine.

Rambo gets it done with savvy. He’s a technician as a route runner, frequently setting up defenders and using sharp cuts to consistently create separation. Rambo might not have tested well when it comes to top end speed but he’s fast with the ball in his hands and has displayed deceptive speed when running downfield routes.

Some of Charleston Rambo’s value to an NFL team like the Cardinals is his versatility. He’s shown quick feet in tight spaces, and this would make him ideal as a slot receiver. Rambo is also not afraid to go over the middle to catch passes (despite his thin frame) and this would also bode well for him as a slot guy. He’s also a smart player and is instinctive when it comes to avoiding the defensive back’s jam attempts at the line of scrimmage on press coverage, and this could really help in short yardage situations.

Rambo might not be an elite athlete or have sprinter’s speed, and he may have been plagued by the occasional drop at Oklahoma, but he opened some eyes at the East-West Shrine Bowl this past January and could be worth a look for Arizona in the sixth round of the 2022 NFL Draft.