The Cardinals enter the 2025 season with a newly extended Kyler Murray and Trey McBride along with high hopes of John Gannon’s third year at the helm. Second-year wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. will also garner plenty of hype as the NFL legacy will look to take the next leap to NFL stardom.
SB Nation NFL mock draft: Cardinals add versatile EDGE at pick 16
Arizona already has a stout defensive line, but Jalon Walker’s versatility makes him impossible to pass up here.
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You may have noticed that all those players I just mentioned were on the offensive side of the ball. That’s because the Cardinals offense is currently in a much better place than their defense. Gannon and Co. did a solid job in free agency brining in guys like Calais Campbell and Josh Sweat, but they need a bit more to really level off this roster.
So with that in mind, Seth Cox of Revenge of the Birds has chosen to use the 16th pick in the SB Nation Community Mock Draft to select the versatile edge rusher Jalon Walker out of Georgia.
16.) Arizona Cardinals: Jalon Walker, EDGE, Georgia
Cox: The Arizona Cardinals coaching staff has had huge success with players like Walker. So adding a high-end talent who can play as a rush end or as a weak-side linebacker seems like a no-brainer at this point in the draft.
Analysis: The Cardinals are fine in regards to their edge defenders entering the draft while their linebacker room leaves a bit to be desired. Currently the group is led by Mack Wilson Sr., Akeem Davis-Gaither, and Baron Browning. None of those guys are lead backers, in my opinion, and a player like Walker would immediately come in and earn a starting job.
Walker has the versatility to line up either off the ball or on the line of scrimmage. He did a lot of both with the Bulldogs. However, scouts still wonder where his exact fit will be. When looking at this Cardinals depth chart, I have to agree with Cox in that he may fit best as the team’s new starting WILL linebacker who can utilize his skillset to chase down runs from behind before being unleashed as a pass rusher on third downs.
The Cardinals get a very good player here with a ton of upside.
Top five remaining players:
- Jahdae Barron, CB, Texas
- Malaki Starks, S Georgia
- James Pearce Jr., EDGE, Tennessee
- Luther Burden, WR, Missouri
- Donovan Ezeiruaku, EDGE, Boston College
One edge rusher leaves and another one jumps into our top five remaining players. The Bengals are next on the clock and after what they just did with their offense (handed it a lot of money) I wouldn’t be surprised to see our third consecutive defender go with their pick.
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