NFL Draft roundtable: Darkhorse picks for the Cardinals at No. 8

Doug Franz, co-host of Doug & Wolf: Florida CB C.J. Henderson. It’s only a reach because the rest of the NFL undervalues him. Sorry to Mr. and Mrs. Okudah, but I think C.J. Henderson will prove to be the best CB in the draft. For me, Henderson is the second-most underrated prospect in the draft (USC receiver Michael Pittman is No. 1 and I’m not drafting him eighth overall).

Dave Burns, co-host of Burns & Gambo: A darkhorse for me would be C.J. Henderson. I think cornerback is a sneaky need for this team given the uncertain status of Patrick Peterson a year from now.

I don’t think this is too much of a reach at this point in the draft, which is what makes picking a “darkhorse” kind of tricky. You want a player that is worthy of being the eighth pick in the draft yet doesn’t feel like a reach at that spot. For me, that’s Henderson.

Vince Marotta, co-host of Bickley & Marotta: I’m not on board with any high-risk, high-reward pick at No. 8 — Arizona’s recent draft history doesn’t exactly instill confidence in identifying such a player and there should be too many viable options in that spot to consider reaching there. But, if you’re making me pick, I’m taking K’Lavon Chaisson, the edge rusher out of LSU.

Paul Calvisi, anchor on Doug & Wolf and Cardinals sideline reporter: Mekhi Becton, OT, Louisville. This mountain, err, young man isn’t a darkhorse prospect, he’s the entire herd. At 6-foot-7-plus and over 365 pounds, everything about him is plus-size, including the tale from his former college coach Bobby Petrino that Becton can “reverse-dunk.”

In the trenches, size not only matters, it intimidates. Not since Calais Campbell/Jared Veldheer have the Cardinals had that guy who got off the team bus and left behind a ripple of gawkers.

“Mr. Becton, may we introduce you to Mr. Bosa/Donald/Irvin/Clowney(?). Have fun trying to find Kyler now…”

Luke Lapinski, host of The Rundown with Luke Lapinski and reporter: Just based on where they’re drafting and the way this year’s first round stacks up, I don’t see a lot of guys they’d realistically take at No. 8 that would be considered a “reach.” Some mocks have Alabama’s Henry Ruggs going in the middle of the round so, if he’s considered a reach, I really like that speed in this offense. And you know Kliff Kingsbury loves that idea.

The other darkhorses I like make more sense in the second or third round. Brandon Aiyuk likely won’t be there for the Cards’ second pick — even if they’re able to trade back into the second round. But he could do some damage in this offense if they went o-line or defense with their first pick. And Jonathan Taylor could give them depth at running back now, with the upside to step into a bigger role down the line, depending on how long Kenyan Drake is ultimately here.

Kevin Zimmerman, ArizonaSports.com editor and reporter: I’ve heard enough on our airwaves and read enough to buy Henry Ruggs stock because of his love of football, competitiveness and work ethic. Of the top three wideouts, he’s the best complement to DeAndre Hopkins, and the way Kliff Kingsbury’s offense used the speedy Andy Isabella in packages last year — even without him making too many catches — made me believe that will effectively change how defenses attack the Kyler Murray-led offense.

Kellan Olson, ArizonaSports.com editor and reporter: Henry Ruggs III would be hilarious because Steve Keim has been trending in this direction for years by taking some of the fastest wide receivers. What up, J.J. Nelson, John Brown and Andy Isabella?

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