Arizona Cardinals add relentless pass rusher in Missouri’s Markus Golden
May 2, 2015, 4:45 AM | Updated: 6:03 am
TEMPE, Ariz. — There’s a chance that prior to his name being announced Friday by former Arizona Cardinal Adrian Wilson, you had not heard of the team’s second-round pick, Markus Golden.
A defensive end at Missouri, the 6-foot-2, 260-pound Golden will move to outside linebacker for the Cardinals, with the idea being that he will help bolster a defense that collected just 35 sacks last season.
“I’m just relentless, relentless,” he said of how he rushes the passer. “Like, whatever I’ve got to do to get to their quarterback, I’m going to do.
“That’s how I rush the passer. I just do whatever I’ve got to do to get to their quarterback, and I know I can get after him. And I know eventually, by the end of the game, I’m going to make sure I get a few shots on him, and eventually I’m going to bring him down for a sack.”
Golden, the 58th overall pick in the 2015 NFL Draft, tallied 10 sacks and 78 total tackles as a senior last season. He was productive, yet consistently overshadowed by fellow defender Shane Ray, who went 23rd overall to the Denver Broncos on Thursday night.
But while his former teammate may have received most of the attention, it was Golden whom the Cardinals couldn’t take their eyes off of when watching Missouri.
“When we watched Golden, he really stood out to us,” Cardinals GM Steve Keim said. “He’s disruptive and, again, his motor and his backside chase is tremendous.”
