Cards Connect 4: What if the Cardinals shock by drafting DT Javon Kinlaw?

Doug & Wolf want to attack the Arizona Cardinals’ options in the 2020 NFL Draft differently.

The No. 8 overall pick presents numerous options, and what Arizona does to follow up its first-round pick could change depending on who they select. So Doug & Wolf introduced “Cards Connect Four.”

They’ll pick one different first-round selection and make Arizona’s next three draft picks (Nos. 72, 114 and 131) based on that.

At the least, it’ll introduce different scenarios of how the Cardinals’ own dominoes will fall in the draft. Meanwhile, it’ll allow us to take a look at later-round picks who are good names to know.

Oh, and in a twist, co-host Ron Wolfley doesn’t know what picks are coming. He reacts to the moves made during each segment.

8. Javon Kinlaw, DT, South Carolina

What if the Cardinals draft the other First Team AP All-American defensive tackle out of an SEC school?

Auburn’s Derrick Brown could be off the table by Arizona’s pick, but South Carolina’s Javon Kinlaw is alone in the second-tier of his position.

The 6-foot-5, 324-pound interior lineman posted 35 tackles and 6.0 sacks as a senior and had strong performances against college football powerhouses like Alabama and Georgia.

Wolf’s reaction: “I love this kid. I’d be fine with this. The knock against Javon Kinlaw is he plays way too high, he doesn’t play with great pad level, which limits his anchor strength and the effectiveness of his speed-to-power, I’m told.

“He struggles with sinking his hips and finds himself giving up leverage to offensive lineman. This is a technique issue, though, Basinonians. Coaching can change it. That’s one of the reasons why I love this kid, and I do. I’d be joyful, in fact, if the Cardinals got Javon Kinlaw.”

72. Denzel Mims, WR, Baylor

He’s got 4.38-second 40-yard dash speed in a bouncy 6-foot-3 frame that gives him a great catch radius.

Mims put together two 1,000-yard seasons with the Bears and caught 12 touchdown passes in 2019 alone.

Wolf’s reaction: “The biggest knock against Denzel Mims from what I’ve gleaned is he lacks development as a receiver. He’s just so raw. His route-running needs work, he needs to be more physical getting off the press. The offense he participated in at Baylor didn’t have him running NFL route trees. This guy is just raw through and through … do you have time for that? That is the question.”

114. Ashtyn Davis, S, Cal

Davis is a relative work-in-progress as a football player. He walked on to the football team but had a track scholarship for the Golden Bears.

Davis posted 55 tackles, four passes defensed and two picks with two forced fumbles as a senior to follow a four-interception campaign his junior season.

Wolf’s reaction: “He’s just so reckless, Basinonians. He wants to kill a brother on the football field. Honestly I’m not going to hold it against him — it endears him to me. He’s a downhill brother that likes to stick his face into the fan, but you have to be able to do it responsibly.

“You have to honor your assignment. He has issues, control issues. He’ll miss open-field tackles because he’s too aggressive. He’s out of control. These are things you don’t want your safety to engage in. After all, they’re called safeties for a reason.”

131. Lamar Jackson, CB, Nebraska

The numbers look good: 40 tackles, 12 passes defensed, two forced fumbles and three interceptions in 2019.

Jackson, however, is a tall (6-foot-3) and rangy cornerback who doesn’t have elite speed and could struggles in short spaces with smaller, shiftier receivers. He’s a unique athlete in that regard, but there’s a lot to work with.

Wolf’s reaction: “I’ll tell you right now, it’s not his body. It’s not the physicality of Lamar Jackson. The biggest knock is his awareness, period. At times, it looks like he’s lost. His instincts are a concern. He fails to recognize misdirection and compound route combinations — whenever you have two, maybe three, a trips formation, he fails to recognize those in zone coverage and it gives him trouble. He gets impatient in press man and he’s susceptible to double moves.”

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