The much-anticipated 2018 NFL draft will be held from Thursday through Saturday. The Cardinals have the No. 15 overall pick in the first round and could go a number of different ways with the selection. General Manager Steve Keim would like to select a franchise signal-caller, but said last week a variety of factors will determine whether that comes to fruition. We'll break down each side of the ball over the next two days, beginning with the defense.
Draft primer:Defense
Cardinals' draft picks:First round (No. 15 overall); Second round (No. 47); Third round (No. 79); Third round (No. 97); Fourth round (No. 134); Fifth round (No. 152); Sixth round (No. 182); Seventh round (No. 254).
Biggest needs: Cornerback; safety; defensive tackle.
Top-ranked players (via NFL.com): DE Bradley Chubb; ILB Tremaine Edmunds; CB Denzel Ward; S Minkah Fitzpatrick; DT Vita Vea; DE Marcus Davenport; OLB Roquan Smith; S Derwin James; CB Jaire Alexander; ILB Leighton Vander Esch; DT Da'Ron Payne; CB Josh Jackson.
Images of some of the top cornerback prospects heading into the NFL draft
Ohio State CB Denzel Ward: Projected first-rounder
Louisville CB Jaire Alexander: Projected first-rounder
Iowa CB Josh Jackson: Projected first-rounder
Colorado CB Isaiah Oliver: Projected first-rounder
Central Florida CB Mike Hughes: Projected second-rounder
Texas CB Holton Hill: Projected second-rounder
Virginia Tech Greg Stroman: Projected third-rounder
San Diego State CB Kameron Kelly: Projected third-rounder
Stanford CB Quenton Meeks: Projected third-rounder
Kansas State CB D.J. Reed: Projected third-rounder
North Carolina CB M.J. Stewart: Projected third-rounder
Auburn CB Carlton Davis: Projected fourth-rounder
Alabama CB Levi Wallace: Projected fourth-rounder
LSU CB Donte Jackson: Projected fourth-rounder
UAB CB Darious Williams: Projected fourth-rounder
Tennessee CB Rashaan Gaulden: Projected fourth-rounder
Oregon CB Arrion Springs: Projected fifth-rounder
Western Michigan CB Darius Phillips: Projected fifth-rounder
Tulane CB Parry Nickerson: Projected fifth-rounder
Florida CB Duke Dawson: Projected sixth-rounder
Penn State CB Christian Campbell: Projected sixth-rounder
Arizona CB Dane Cruikshank: Projected sixth-rounder
Florida State CB Tarvarus McFadden: Projected sixth-rounder
Boston College CB Isaac Yiadom: Projected sixth-rounder
Wisconsin CB Nick Nelson: Projected seventh-rounder
Alabama CB Anthony Averett: Projected seventh-rounder
Illinois State CB Davontae Harris: Projected seventh-rounder
Utah State CB Jalen Davis: Projected seventh-rounder
The Cardinals' situation: This side of the ball is certainly more formed, as the nucleus of cornerback Patrick Peterson, defensive end Chandler Jones, safety Budda Baker, linebacker Deone Bucannon, defensive end Markus Golden and linebacker Haason Reddick is a talented start. Even so, General Manager Steve Keim has always been willing to fortify a strength, as last year's choice of Baker proved. The balance of playmakers throughout each level of the defense should give Keim some flexibility.
The draft class: Four quarterbacks are expected to go within the top-10 picks of the draft, which would conceivably push some talented defensive players down to the Cardinals' range if they if they choose to stick at No. 15. Chubb, Edmunds, Ward, Smith, James and Fitzpatrick are generally bunched together as the top-tier of defensive prospects. Most of them could be gobbled up before the Cardinals are on the clock, but there is also a strong possibility one or two is available.
The conclusion: If the Cardinals take a defensive player at No. 15, the most likely "need" scenario would be a cornerback to man the side opposite Peterson. Tramon Williams did a nice job there down the stretch in 2017 but departed for the Packers in free agency, again leaving a hole. In most mock drafts Ward has been off the board, while Alexander and Jackson have been commonly linked to the Cardinals. Recent first-round cornerback selections like Jacksonville's Jalen Ramsey, New Orleans' Marshon Lattimore and Buffalo's Tre'Davious White have made early impacts in the NFL, but others have struggled. If Keim picks a defensive player other than a cornerback, it would be in the best-player-available mold as there isn't a glaring hole elsewhere on the defensive depth chart. Prospects like Vea, Davenport, Fitzpatrick and James would fit into that category.
