The Arizona Cardinals - despite what new head coach Bruce Arians seems to think - have a need for a talent infusion along the offensive line. That position was bypassed in the first round, but this time around our friends at Revenge of the Birds are taking steps to address the team’s pass protection issues.
2013 NFL mock draft: Kyle Long to Arizona Cardinals
Can the baseball convert with NFL bloodlines help shore up a bad O-Line?
Jaime Valdez-USA TODAY Sports
| Team | Player | Position | Height | Weight | Class |
| 38. Arizona Cardinals | Kyle Long, Oregon | OL | 6'6" | 313 | SR |
Jess Root: "Arizona finds themselves again in an awkward position because the players they really would have preferred to have selected are off the board. In the first round, they went with a pass rusher -- which is a need. However, this time the team has to go with an offensive lineman. Warford would have been great, but instead they go with the athletically gifted Long. Bruce Arians is comfortable with the offensive line as it is, but getting Long here they get someone with a huge upside." |  | ||||
Here’s our own Dan Kadar to break down the pick:
After giving up the most sacks and fourth-most quarterback hits last season, it’s hard to figure out why Arians would be comfortable with his offensive line. The Cardinals haven’t addressed the position at all this offseason, and could use a new starter or two. Long is a bit of a mystery as a prospect after playing just a season at Oregon. His athleticism and movement skills are hard to deny, though. He’ll likely start his NFL career as a guard, but has the potential to be a tackle at some point in the future.
The second round of the 2013 SB Nation NFL writers' mock draft continues tomorrow morning at 9AM ET, with the New York Jets and Gang Green Nation on the clock until then.
| # | Player | Pos. | College | Ht. | Wt. |
| 22 | Damontre Moore | DE | Texas A&M | 6'5" | 250 |
| 27 | Barrett Jones | C | Alabama | 6'4" | 305 |
| 29 | Manti Te'o | LB | Notre Dame | 6'1" | 241 |
| 32 | Khaseem Greene | LB | Rutgers | 6'1" | 241 |
| 33 | Jamie Collins | LB | Southern Miss | 6'3" | 250 |
Cardinals picks
| Rd | # | Team | Player | Pos. | College |
| 1 | 7 | Arizona Cardinals | Barkevious Mingo | OLB | LSU |
| 2 | 38 | Arizona Cardinals | Kyle Long | OL | Oregon |
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