PFF’s analytics mock draft has Cardinals taking WR Jerry Jeudy

Don’t want to overthink who the Arizona Cardinals should pick in the first round of the NFL Draft? You’re in luck, because Pro Football Focus turned to the analytical projection models to help make those decisions for you.

In PFF’s analytical mock draft, the website prioritized two things in letting the selection process sort itself out: positional value and college-to-pro projections.

In other words, it took team need into account and considered the value of each position to determine what type of player each team should draft. Then, it picked the top player at that position based on the algorithmic models. Simple.

At No. 8, the process led Arizona to Alabama receiver Jerry Jeudy. Here’s how that went, according to PFF’s George Chahrouri.

There was a lot of debate about either taking a tackle here or reuniting Kyler Murray with his former Sooner teammate, CeeDee Lamb. However, Jeudy’s production and athleticism made him our No. 2 wide receiver in our projection system, and Kyler found himself without an open receiver far too often in his rookie season.

Jeudy’s Alabama teammate, Henry Ruggs III, was already off the board and went fourth overall to the New York Giants in the mock draft.

Also off the board and of potential interest to the Cardinals were offensive lineman Tristan Wirfs and defensive Swiss Army Knife Isaiah Simmons, who went consecutively before Arizona drafted eighth.

Like Lamb, Jeudy put together consecutive 1,000-yard seasons. He’s a smaller, more fluid route-runner than Lamb. The latter might lead PFF to believe he will help out Murray and the Cardinals more than Lamb.

And that’s where the analytical-versus-human element looks like a toss-up. Murray and Lamb already have a connection, and the Cardinals offense should be easy to grasp for the Oklahoma product; Arizona head coach Kliff Kingsbury tailored some of the language and the schemes to the OU system to make things easier for Murray to learn last season.

All that makes this a fascinating draft to watch from the perspective of Arizona, which at No. 8 has several positions of need but also several justifiable players it could pick at each of those positions.

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