ARIZONA CARDINALS

Mel Kiper’s first mock draft has Arizona Cardinals taking a corner in first round

Jan 19, 2017, 8:10 AM | Updated: 11:33 am

Florida defensive back Teez Tabor plays against Vanderbilt in the first half of an NCAA college foo...

Florida defensive back Teez Tabor plays against Vanderbilt in the first half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Oct. 1, 2016, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)

(AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)

There’s no other event on the sporting calendar that gets as much speculation pointed toward it than the NFL Draft.

We’re less than a month into the constant cycle of news stories, projections and mock drafts for an event that doesn’t even begin until April 27.

Much will change between now and the time Roger Goodell steps to the podium in Philadelphia to announce the first overall pick in this year’s class, but any time Mel Kiper Jr. of ESPN releases a mock draft, it’s newsworthy.

Kiper did just that Thursday morning in an ESPN Insider piece. Like most mock draft projections that have been released, the draft expert has the Cleveland Browns taking Texas A&M pass rusher Myles Garrett with the top pick.

With the 13th selection, Kiper currently has the Arizona Cardinals addressing an area of need and taking cornerback Teez Tabor out of Florida.

Tabor, my No. 2 cornerback, is a playmaker who had eight interceptions — with three returned for touchdowns — the past two seasons. Arizona struggled to find a No. 2 corner opposite Patrick Peterson all of 2016, and in Tabor the Cardinals would get a guy who could step in and start on Day 1. Arizona could take a look at a pass-rusher, too, depending on what happens with free agents Calais Campbell and Chandler Jones.

Tabor, a junior out of Washington D.C., nearly ended up in Arizona straight out of high school. The 5-star recruit originally committed to play for Rich Rodriguez’s Arizona Wildcats before flipping his commitment to Florida just weeks before National Letter of Intent Day in 2014.

Tabor was a two-time All-SEC First-Team selection, winning the honor in both 2015 and this season.

In three seasons in Gainesville, the 6-foot, 205-pound corner registered 104 total tackles and four sacks while terrorizing opposing quarterbacks in the passing game. Tabor had nine interceptions for 129 yards and took three back for touchdowns.

Corner is an area of need for the Cardinals, as the team struggled to find a reliable option opposite perennial Pro Bowler Patrick Peterson. Marcus Cooper, acquired in a trade from the Kansas City Chiefs late in the preseason, played well at times and had 65 total tackles, which was the fourth-highest total on the team. Cooper also had four interceptions and 11 pass breakups. He was named a Pro Bowl alternate (to the surprise of many) and is slated to become an unrestricted free agent.

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