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2015 NFL Mock Draft: Arizona Cardinals Select DT Eddie Goldman

By Dan Schmelzer

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With the first round set to begin on Thursday, April 30th, the 2015 NFL Draft is right around the corner. Most of the attention centered around the league is now focused on the draft, meaning that mock drafts are popping up all over the place.

While a mock draft is never perfectly accurate, it is a very interesting way to take a look at which direction teams could possibly go. They are incredibly hard to predict, but more than anything mock drafts are fun, as we get to see numerous scenarios play out for our favorites teams.

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Holding the 24th overall pick in the 2015 draft, the Arizona Cardinals could go in many different directions. They could sure use a pass rusher, but value at pass rusher could be very difficult to find at the end of the first round. Finding a running back to pair with Andre Ellington will be another option for the Cardinals, but in such a deep running back class, they may be able to find better value at the position later.

Defensive tackle, inside linebacker, cornerback and even quarterback are other positions that the Cardinals could consider with the 24th pick, but more than anything Cardinals’ General Manager Steve Keim and his staff will be looking to find the best football player available.

In his most recent mock draft, Bleacher Reports’s NFL Draft Lead Writer Matt Miller did a full seven-round mock draft forecasting all 256 picks in the 2015 NFL Draft. With the Cardinals’ 24th overall selection, Miller had them taking Florida State defensive tackle Eddie Goldman.

Here is what Miller had to say about the Cardinals’ mock selection of Goldman:

"Dan Williams left Arizona for the Oakland Raiders, leaving a big hole in the Cardinals’ defensive line. Now the Cardinals—a team that has drafted very well as of late—must replace the anchor of their defense. The good news is that this is a deep defensive tackle draft.Eddie Goldman is the ideal man to fill that void. There were times in 2014 when he completely took over the offensive line and showed the power and explosiveness to take over games. He’s stout enough to hold ground in the run game and athletic enough to get to the pocket as a pass-rusher.Goldman might not just be Williams’ replacement; he has the potential to be his upgrade."

Inside linebacker Eric Kendricks, cornerback Kevin Johnson, offensive tackle Andrus Peat and edge rushers Owa Odighizuwa and Eli Harold are other strong options who were still available for the Cardinals in Miller’s mock draft. However, Goldman seems like a strong fit, and could easily be considered to be the best player available at the time.

As Miller mentioned, the loss of Williams leaves a big hole in the middle of the Cardinals’ defense. He was a stout run defender who did an incredible job of clogging things up front for Arizona. The additions of Corey Peters and Cory Redding in free agency should help the Cardinals’ fill that void, but neither player brings the upside of Goldman.

The 6-foot-4, 336 pound Goldman was a force to be reckoned with on the talented Florida State defense last season. Goldman has ideal size and strength for the position, but he is very athletic for a man his size, and gets a very quick first step off the line of scrimmage.

Despite his quickness and athleticism, Goldman was not really much of a pass rusher in college, but he does show the ability to get to the quarterback every now and again.

Playing in such a talented defense in college, Goldman was used on the outside at times. He showed a strong ability to set the edge, and he was quick enough for the position. While the Cardinals would likely draft Goldman to replace Williams as their nose tackle, he appears to have the skill set to move to defensive end in their 3-4 defense at least some of the time.

Goldman is a big and powerful man, and many scouts believe that he has potential to get better going forward. It is fairly safe the say that Goldman can be a solid run stuffer, but he has upside to be elite at the position.

Selecting Goldman would be a great pick for the Cardinals, one that would quickly pay huge dividends.

The rest of the Cardinals’ selections in Miller’s mock are as followed: Alabama RB T.J. Yeldon (2nd round), Missouri OLB Markus Golden (3rd round), Ohio State CB Doran Grant (4th round), Michigan State WR Tony Lippett (5th round), Chattanooga DL Derrick Lott (6th round), Purdue OLB Ryan Russell (7th round) and Florida State RB Karlos Williams (7th round).

Next: Running Back Options for Cardinals in 2015 NFL Draft

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