3. Arizona Cardinals: Jeremiyah Love, RB, Notre Dame
One of the things we’re going to try to do in this NFL Mock Draft is make predictions we haven’t really made before and haven’t really seen a lot of other folks make. One pick I haven’t seen projected all that much is Jeremiyah Love to the Arizona Cardinals, but the more I thought about it, the more it makes sense.
The Cardinals just hired Mike LaFleur as their new head coach, and LaFleur is inheriting a situation where his quarterback already has one foot out the door. If the Cardinals pivot to a bridge quarterback, they’re going to need a strong running game to keep defenses honest, and Jeremiyah Love is the best player on the board here. He is the top playmaker in this draft, and with James Conner coming off an injury, it makes even more sense.
4. Tennessee Titans: David Bailey, EDGE, Texas Tech
The Tennessee Titans need pass rush help in the worst way. For most of our mock draft scenarios, we’ve had them going after Miami EDGE Rueben Bain. And while that remains a possibility, there has been some talk lately about the fact that Bain, positionally, might be somewhere in the ‘tweener’ category. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, but do the Titans want to take someone who has less than ideal measurables in terms of arm length or whatever it may be in this slot?
I don’t think there is a perfect edge rusher for this particular pick slot, and as a result, I wouldn’t be surprised to see the Titans go after one of the Ohio State guys (Sonny Styles, Caleb Downs) because they’re simply the best player on the board. But David Bailey might be the best pure edge rusher in the class, so he would also make a lot of sense.