Arizona Cardinals: 7-Round 2020 mock draft keeps rebuild on track

The Arizona Cardinals started a rebuild with Kyler Murray last offseason and they continue that quest in this 7-round 2020 mock draft.

The Arizona Cardinals were the talk of the NFL Draft a year ago. After having taken quarterback Josh Rosen with a top-10 pick in 2018, they cut bait quickly and used the No. 1 overall selection to take Heisman-winner Kyler Murray to take up the mantle under center. And after winning Offensive Rookie of the Year, the future is bright for Murray and the Cardinals under the watch of Kliff Kingsbury as the head coach enters his second season.

Having said that, the rebuild in the desert is far from done. As impressive as Murray was in his first season, the Cardinals were still just 5-10-1 on the season and finished in last place in the NFC West. They now hold the No. 8 pick in the 2020 NFL Draft and, after free agency has subsided, they will need to make high-impact choices at the end of April.

There are needs on both sides of the ball in Arizona, though one was seemingly answered after committing to D.J. Humphries by re-signing the offensive tackle. But what can they now do in the 2020 NFL Draft? Let’s try and parse that out with a pre-NFL Combine 7-round mock draft for the Cardinals. (Note: This mock was compiled using The Draft Network’s mock draft machine.)

There are certain aspects of the Cardinals offense that you have to like surrounding Kyler Murray. If they retain Kenyan Drake, he was a dynamic force out of the backfield once he arrived in the desert. Furthermore, Christian Kirk flashed while guys like Andy Isabella and Hakeem Butler have potential. And let’s not forget the ageless Larry Fitzgerald.

While that may be fine, Arizona needs to get a true No. 1 receiver that has a longer shelf life than Fitzgerald who, although still productive, is near the end of his rope. Thus, with the No. 8 overall pick, the Cardinals select Jerry Jeudy out of Alabama to be the other face of their offense and to work and grow with Murray.

Jeudy isn’t an elite physical force at 6-1, 192 pounds and he isn’t the fastest receiver in the 2020 NFL Draft class. However, the Crimson Tide star has terrific speed, quickness and vision that make him a route-running dynamo and a nightmare to try and take down in the open field. He can be a do-it-all weapon that’s almost always open for Murray to find and truly have a WR1 in the high-octane offense.