Cardinals drafting for depth in Round 1?

Let’s take a look at how the Cardinals’ Top 30 prospects project at their positions

In the comment section of yesterday’s “Arizona Cardinals move back, land star cornerback in new 2025 NFL Mock Draft”, ROTB Editor-in-Chief Seth Cox made a very interesting point.

Seeing as Monti Ossenfort’s 3 1st round picks were prospects whom the team conducted up-close Top 30 visits with, let’s take a look at how the Cardinals’ Top 30 prospects could project at their positions.

Note: we are going to include the 1st round caliber Ohio St, players seeing as Justin Frye has been as up close with these Buckeyes as any coach can get and that the Cardinals’ connection with Ohio St. is elaborate.

While we are at it, let’s include PFF’s profiles and player comps of each of the prospects, in order of where they rank them on their Big Board.

2025 NFL Draft: Player comps, strengths and weaknesses for PFF’s top 100 players

13. CB Will Johnson, Michigan

Player comp: Darius Slay

Strengths

• Change-of-direction ability is that of a much smaller corner
• Versatile to play on left or right side. Can shadow WR1s
• Very good understanding of leverages
• Smooth when passing off receivers and picking them up in zone
• Can play confidently in the slot if needed
• Fluid transitions from backpedal to shuffle to full stride
• Understands contain in run fits

Weaknesses

• Some inconsistent/ineffective timing with punches in press
• Top speed is good, but doesn’t appear to be in the top tier with recovery
• Sloppy with tackling attempts in 2024

Position Projection with Cardinals? In competition with Sean Murphy-Bunting for the starting LCB spot.

15. ED James Pearce Jr., Tennessee

Player comp: Randy Gregory

Strengths

• Very twitchy player with an explosive first step
• Quick off the ball with good snap reaction
• Very fast hands
• Decent speed-to-power punch given his low weight
• Spot-drop coverage isn’t his strong suit, but he has the movement skills for it
• Good anticipation for snap count/appropriate pre-snap shifts
• Good flexibility to get low and fire fast out of 3/4-point stance with leverage advantage
• Knows how to attack the half-man consistently
• Excellent pursuit speed to the ball carrier

Weaknesses

• Light weight makes it easier to lock him up/finish him to the ground
• Snap count is lower than his peers in this class
• Not much flexibility to play him anywhere inside 5-tech
• Need more of a true pass-rush plan (and the nuance and technique that comes with it) more often
• Wish the motor ran through the whistle more consistently

Position Projection with Cardinals? In competition with Zaven Collins for the starting SOLB spot.

18. T Josh Simmons, Ohio State

Player comp: Christian Darrisaw

Strengths

• Stance and base are wide and strong pre- and post-snap
• Fantastic balance. Can slide and mirror while squatted
• Consistently low pad level at contact
• Adequate length for the NFL
• Footwork is quick. Slide length is adequate
• Competitive. Plays through the whistle
• Really good footwork when anchoring
• Can flip his hips quickly to counter cross-face moves

Weaknesses

• Hands have a low starting point
• No true displacement strength in the run game
• Lower weight makes anchoring tougher (though good knee bend and balance helps)

Position Projection with Cardinals? In competition with Jonah Williams for the starting RT spot.

19. WR Emeka Egbuka, Ohio State

Player comp: Amon-Ra St. Brown

Strengths

• Very quick, controlled player
• High separation scores due to elite body/speed control
• Willing, feisty blocker. He has snaps at the top of the triangle in bunch formation
• High-IQ player who knows how to attack leverages and find space
• Good balance through contact for yards after the catch
• Reliable hands, catching through contact well in 2024
• Used as the main pre-snap motion player and even as a receiver out of the backfield

Weaknesses

• Can just be inconsistent as a blocker
• Lack of size does limit his blocking abilities against LBs
• Route breaks could be sharper

Position Projection with Cardinals? Day 1 starter at WR.

23. DI Walter Nolen, Mississippi

Player comp: Milton Williams

Strengths

• Well-built player
• Incredibly strong, especially with momentum. Clear raw strength and explosiveness
• Has the build to play defensive end and defensive tackle
• Very strong tackler with a low missed tackle rate
• Good effort to the whistle

Weaknesses

• Needs to be more purposeful, but looked less out of control in 2024
• Lacks a go-to pass-rush move
• Needs more of a pass-rush plan
• Pass rushes can stall quickly
• Exposes his chest too easily
• Tries to disengage with just power

Position Projection with Cardinals? Key part of the team’s defensive line rotation.

26. ED Mykel Williams, Georgia

Player comp: Jermaine Johnson

Strengths

• Great build for an edge player — weight and length are NFL-caliber
• Has a violent and fast arm-over/swim move when attacking inside
• Good understanding of the advantages of his arm length
• First-step is explosive and can cover a ton of ground
• Great motor that plays to the whistle
• Strong, reliable run defender who can stack blocks/anchor well from a 4i to a 7-tech

Weaknesses

• Consistently one of the last linemen out of his stance
• Hands are active but could be more purposeful and precise
• Must develop more counters
• Eyes for the ball could improve

Position Projection with Cardinals? In competition with Zaven Collins for the starting SOLB spot.

27. ED Shemar Stewart, Texas A&M

Player comp: Deatrich Wise Jr.

Strengths

• Imposing size, even for NFL standards
• Top-tier explosiveness at his size
• Speed to power can be dominant
• Violent hands to disengage
• Impressive ability to corner for his size
• WIlling and able to hold the POA against the run

Weaknesses

• Consistently launches off his back foot
• Lets OTs get hands on him first
• Pass-rush plans need refinement and more finesse
• Hand placement can be wide and off target
• Too reliant on “see ball, get ball” mentality — needs to anticipate
• Must play with better balance

Position Projection with Cardinals? In competition with Zaven Collins for the starting SOLB spot and could possibly kick inside and become a part of the defensive line rotation.

28. LB Jalon Walker, Georgia

Player comp: Devin White

Strengths

• Natural pass-rusher off the edge
• Adeqaute size to play ILB/OLB in the NFL
• Explosive first step in all directions
• Powerful upper body to stack blockers at contact punch
• Long arms for a 6-foot-2 frame

Weaknesses

• Does not have a lot of experience/success in coverage
• Current game lacks the lateral quickness needed for off-ball LB work
• Lacks true mastery of pass-rush moves/hand usage due to time split off and on the ball
• Instincts and anticipation are still a work in progress for a young player
• Too comfortable with running into blockers instead of getting around them

Position Projection with Cardinals? In competition with Zaven Collins for the starting SOLB spot, could be one of the nickel edge rushers and could possibly become a factor at WILB.

31. ED Nic Scourton, Texas A&M

Player comp: Shaq Lawson

Strengths

• Carries 280 pounds very well for an edge who can be OLB or DE
• Experience playing both right and left side of the line
• Many pass-rush moves already feel like second nature
• Savviness to “get skinny” between blockers
• Great eyes for where the ball is going
• Natural instinct to swipe his hands and stay clean
• Comfortable shallow zone dropping from OLB spot

Weaknesses

• Loses edge contain by crashing down too often (could be what he’s taught)
• Isn’t as violent defending the run as he could be
• Loads/launches off his back foot
• Plays with high pad level
• Arm length appears below average for the pros

Position Projection with Cardinals? In competition with Zaven Collins for the starting SOLB spot and could kick inside and possibly become a part of the defensive line rotation.

36. DI T.J. Sanders, South Carolina

Player comp: Quinton Jefferson

Strengths

• Quick hands to engage and get off blocks
• Plus arm length for the interior
• Competitive third-down player
• Explosive first step laterally and linearly
• Has some twitch for 290-pounder
• Long arms for pass breakups

Weaknesses

• Gives up leverage quickly post-snap
• Can get overzealous to shoot a gap in run defense
• Does not hold up well against doubles
• Could finish tackles/sacks better

Position Projection with Cardinals? Key part of the team’s defensive line rotation.

40. CB Trey Amos, Mississippi

Player comp: Terrion Arnold

Strengths

• Adequate size for the NFL
• Good athlete in all facets with a multi-sport background
• Very high forced incompletion rates over the past three seasons
• Great coverage instincts
• Likes to get hands on receivers and be physical to stay on them
• Very active hands in press, at the break point and at the catch point
• Long arms
• Good strength to rip off WR blocks

Weaknesses

• Top speed won’t “wow” you despite sprinter background
• Tendency to tackle high

Position Projection with Cardinals? In competition for one of the starting CB spots.

44. ED Princely Umanmielen, Mississippi

Player comp: Boye Mafe

Strengths

• Twitchy player with good at changing directions
• Naturally and effectively gets across the face of OL
• Longer arms than his height indicates
• Has the movement skills to spot drop in coverage
• Has the speed to catch RBs from the back side

Weaknesses

• Footwork could be cleaned up — feet are angled, pushes off back foot at the snap, not always set at the snap
• Feels erratic at times — movements could use more precision
• Arm length will likely be well below average
• Needs to be more consistent snap-to-snap
• Plays on the ground too much
• Needs to improve hand work to get off blocks faster and more cleanly
• Crashing stunt plays lack speed-to-power push at contact

Position Projection with Cardinals? In competition with Zaven Collins for the starting SOLB spot and good possibility to earn a nickel edge rusher role.

50. HB Cameron Skattebo, Arizona State

Player comp: Kyren Wiliams

Strengths

• Determined running style
• Willingness to be physical as a rusher and a blocker
• Slippery to force missed tackles
• Decent vision/feel for blocks and open space
• Good weight and balance to bounce off tackles
• Ample experience as a receiver

Weaknesses

• Limited long speed
• Stiff movements when changing direction/slashing
• Feet can look a bit heavy when jump-cutting
• Goes for knockout blocks in pass protection and has some whiffs

Position Projection with Cardinals? In competition with Trey Benson for the #2 RB spot and DeeJay Dallas for the starting kickoff returner spot.

55. DI Shemar Turner, Texas A&M

Player comp: Dominique Easley

Strengths

• High-motor player
• Fast, active hands
• Good instincts for where the ball is going

Weaknesses

• Lower weight profile. Gets pushed around vs. doubles
• Seems to have shorter arms than his frame indicates

Position Projection with Cardinals? Part of the Cardinals’ defensive line rotation.

67. T Donovan Jackson, Ohio State

Player comp: Xavier Suʻa-Filo

Strengths

• Sound footwork in all phases
• Works hard to gain proper positioning in zone run game
• Rarely overpowered in pass protection
• Moved to LT over the final nine games and performed reasonably well

Weaknesses

• More consistently stable than a dominant style of play
• Can get caught off guard by stunts
• Needs to work on pace and leverage when getting to the second level.
• Would like to see him finish plays to the whistle more often

Position Projection with Cardinals? Potential day 1 starter at LG, RG or RT.

Note: this ranking is misleading. Had Donovan Jackson been able to play guard all season, this eval would be much stronger. One may think that the Cardinals should be able to draft him at #47, but some draft pundits are likely more correct for projecting him as late R1, early R2 prospect.

98. T Anthony Belton, North Carolina State

Player comp: Donovan Smith

Strengths

• Good length and raw power at 345 pounds. Mauls opposing defensive linemen when he has a clean shot
• More explosive than expected. Gets to second level with ease
• Stonewalls power rushers with strength in pass protection. Hard to bull rush him

Weaknesses

• Lacks high-end lateral quickness. Some issues with speed rushers
• Late hands in pass protection. Often lets defenders into his chest despite having the length to engulf them
• Footwork needs work. Causes him to be off-balance at times

Position Projection with Cardinals? Could emerge as a RTOF.

Conclusion:

While every one of these prospects would very likely earn a significant rotation role as a rookie and have a good chance to become a full-time starter at some point, the players who have the best chance to win a starting job heading into the regular season are (opinion):

• CB Will Johnson, Michigan
• WR Emeka Egbuka, Ohio St.
• LB Jalon Walker, Georgia —- especially in a Haason Reddick OLB/ED role
• G Donovan Jackson, Ohio St. —- in a trade down in the 1st round or up from the 2nd round.

ROTB Poll:

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