Cardinals Make Surprise Pick in New Mock Draft

The Arizona Cardinals are beginning to enter the draft-focused phase of the NFL offseason, and according to one of the NFL's most prominent draft experts, who the Cardinals select at No. 16 might lie outside their most pressing positional needs.

According to Arizona Sports 98.7's Tyler Drake, ESPN draft expert Mel Kiper Jr. gave a perhaps-unconventional answer to the question of who the Cardinals would take 16th overall.

Rather than selecting an impact pass rusher or defensive lineman, or even OL depth in a rich draft class, Kiper gave Arizona a defensive back, specifically Michigan CB Will Johnson.

Kiper justified that selection on 98.7's Wolf and Luke show, calling Johnson "an anticipatory corner," and that the DB is "a pick-six waiting to happen."

And perhaps on paper, that might make sense. The Cardinals' CB room does appear thin from an overhead view, and Johnson is an exceptional player. Arizona struggled to pick off the football in 2024 with just nine, ranking 24th in the NFL.

Johnson is an aggressive corner who has a knack for anticipating routes and jumping them, as Kiper described him. The Cardinals CB room features a blend of styles, but with a handful of young, developing players.

Names such as Max Melton, Starling Thomas V, and of course star CB Garrett Williams have begun to gel as a more cohesive, professional-looking unit under Jonathan Gannon, and considering Gannon's documented ability to develop DB talent, the Cardinals could be a dream destination for Johnson.

Johnson is only 21 years old, with plenty of raw athleticism. He held opposing QBs to an incredible 52.6 passer rating when targeted, and has nine interceptions over the course of three college seasons.

And that production game in just 32 games, as he was sidelined with a toe injury in 2024. He also dealt with a hamstring issue that held him out of his pro day.

So while Johnson is a very high-ceiling player, and he'd certainly bring a dimension to this Cardinals' secondary, it's fair to wonder if the injury risk is worth spending a first-round pick on, and it might not make much sense for Arizona to invest that pick into a DB, rather than continuing to build up the weakest unit on the team with an impact DL.

Only time will tell.