ARIZONA CARDINALS
ESPN’s Kiper, McShay have Cardinals taking Louisville CB Jaire Alexander
Apr 4, 2018, 8:05 AM | Updated: 12:42 pm
Louisville's Jaire Alexander (10) warms up prior to an NCAA college football game against North Carolina State in Raleigh, N.C., Thursday, Oct. 5, 2017. (AP Photo/Gerry Broome)
(AP Photo/Gerry Broome)
We’re a little more than three weeks away from the NFL Draft, which means if you thought you were inundated by mock drafts before, you ain’t seen nothing yet.
We’ve tracked over 240 mocks since the turn of the calendar on ArizonaSports.com, and that number could double between now and April 26, when the Cleveland Browns are on the clock with the first pick of 2018.
Two more mocks from prominent insiders were released Wednesday. ESPN’s Mel Kiper and Todd McShay released their dueling mock drafts, and while there was plenty of disagreement between the pundits, they were in unison on their selection for the Cardinals with the 15th pick.
Both have Arizona selecting Louisville cornerback Jaire Alexander with that pick.
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“This is a change from my last 1-32 projection, when I went with quarterback Lamar Jackson. Now I’m going with his former teammate, who fills a big hole on the other side of Patrick Peterson,” Kiper wrote.
“Arizona needs a QB, but in this scenario, the Cardinals can’t get any of the top-four guys. Alexander is a fast riser, according to people in the league, and could immediately compete for the No. 2 CB spot,” added McShay.
Alexander has only shown up on three Cardinals mocks in our tracker. Omar Kelly of the Florida Sun Sentinel projected the Louisville DB to Arizona back on Mar. 29.
Alexander, who left Louisville following his junior season, stands 5-foot-10 and weighs 196 pounds. He ran a blazing 4.38 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine in February.
In three college seasons, Alexander had 77 total tackles, seven interceptions and 22 passes defensed.
Kiper has Alexander ranked as the 20th-best prospect in the 2018 draft class and fifth among defensive backs.
McShay, meanwhile, has the Louisville product ranked 25th overall and sixth among DBs.
If drafted, Alexander could compete for a starting spot opposite Patrick Peterson — an area of great need for the Cardinals, who lost Tramon Williams (Green Bay) and Justin Bethel (Atlanta) in free agency. The cornerback depth chart does include third-year player Brandon Williams and Bene Benwikere, who inked a deal with Arizona after spending the last season with the Dallas Cowboys.
