The NFL draft will be held from April 28-30 in Chicago. The Cardinals have addressed many of their biggest needs through the Chandler Jones trade and free agency but will aim to add more impact pieces. This is the final installment of the draft primer series as the Cardinals prepare to make their choices.
Draft primer: Cornerback
Cardinals under contract:Patrick Peterson; Justin Bethel; Cariel Brooks; Asa Jackson; Kevin White; Shaun Prater; Carrington Byndom; Joel Wilkinson.
Need: High
Images of the cornerbacks projected to be selected in the draft
Florida's Vernon Hargreaves III: Projected top-15 pick
Houston's William Jackson III: Projected first-round pick
Ohio State's Eli Apple: Projected first-round pick
Clemson's Mackensie Alexander: Projected first-round pick
Maryland's Sean Davis: Projected second-round pick
Miami's Artie Burns: Projected third-round pick
Virginia Tech's Kendall Fuller: Projected third-round pick
Baylor's Xavien Howard: Projected third-rounder
Alabama's Cyrus Jones: Projected fourth-rounder
Mississippi State's Will Redmond: Projected fourth-round picj
Georgia Tech's D.J. White: Projected fourth-rounder
North Carolina Central's Ryan Smith: Projected fourth-round pick
Notre Dame's KeiVarae Russell: Projected fourth-rounder
Oklahoma's Zack Sanchez: Projected fourth-rounder
Auburn's Jonathan Jones: Projected fifth-round pick
Virginia's Maurice Canady: Projected fifth-rounder
LSU's Rashard Robinson: Projected fifth-rounder
Southeast Louisiana's Harlan Miller: Projected fifth-rounder
Minnesota's Eric Murray: Projected fifth-rounder
USC's Kevon Seymour: Projected fifth-rounder
Purdue's Anthony Brown: Projected sixth-rounder
Southern Mississippi's Kalan Reed: Projected sixth-rounder
Temple's Tavon Young: projected sixth-rounder
Samford's James Bradberry: Projected sixth-rounder
West Virginia's Daryl Worley: Projected sixth-rounder
Southern Utah's Leshaun Sims: Projected seventh-rounder
Kansas State's Morgan Burns: Projected seventh-round pick
Colorado's Ken Crawley: Projected seventh-round pick
Penn State's Trevor Williams: Projected seventh-round pick
Colorado's Ian Wells: Projected seventh-round pick
Analysis: All-Pro cornerback Patrick Peterson recently had ankle surgery, but it was minor and he's expected to be fine for training camp. Peterson will again be counted on to latch onto opposing teams' No. 1 receivers throughout the year. Justin Bethel – who also had surgery and will miss some offseason work -- signed a three-year, $15 million extension during the 2015 season and is another option, but didn't do enough last year to cement himself as the No. 2 cornerback. There isn't much proven depth behind them, which is why cornerback is expected to be one of the positions addressed by the Cardinals in the draft. Last year's starter opposite Peterson, Jerraud Powers, is still a free agent and could be an option down the road.
Cornerback/safety hybrid Jalen Ramsey and Vernon Hargreaves III are projected to be taken long before the Cards make their first-round selection. The other three cornerbacks who are expected to go in the first round are William Jackson III, Eli Apple and Mackensie Alexander. If one or more of them is on the board at No. 29, the Cardinals will likely take a hard look. There is some solid depth at cornerback in the middle rounds, so whether General Manager Steve Keim chooses one early or not, the position could also be in play later on.
The Cardinals play a man-coverage scheme which puts a lot of stress on the cornerbacks, so it's imperative to have trust in the cover men. Peterson has one side locked down, and safety Tyrann Mathieu is excellent in the slot. The other outside cornerback is the big question mark, and if the Cardinals can find a player they like in the draft, Keim won't hesitate to add him to the group.
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