Blake Whiteheart best UDFA addition for Cardinals in The Athletic ranking

The Arizona Cardinals added 10 undrafted rookie free agents to the mix shortly after the conclusion of the 2023 NFL Draft.

But there’s one in particular The Athletic’s Nick Baumgardner believes is the best fit for the rebuilding Cardinals in Wake Forest tight end Blake Whiteheart.

Whiteheart is a 6-foot-3, 247-pound potential H-back/flex tight end with 32 1/8-inch arms. He also can hang around the line of scrimmage as a U tight end and block with athleticism on the edge. There’s not a ton of experience here — just 13 starts in college (50 appearances) — but he was rock solid for Dave Clawson last season. If he’s a willing blocker, he’ll have a shot.

Whiteheart is coming off his best season at Wake Forest, recording 295 receiving yards and three touchdowns on 24 catches.

He now joins a tight ends room that features Zach Ertz and Trey McBride as the team’s top options at the position.

There could, however, be opportunities for Whiteheart and other large-bodied pass catchers with Ertz still progressing from a torn ACL suffered in a Week 10 win over the Los Angeles Rams.

Ertz said during voluntary workouts this offseason his target is to return by Arizona’s season opener, though understands not all knee injuries and the rehab that goes into the recovery are the same.

“Week 1 is obviously the goal. That’s about 10 months almost post-injury,” Ertz told reporters on April 11. “Unfortunately, rehabs aren’t linear progressions, so you can’t make bold statements and say, ‘Hey, I’m going to be 100%, I’m going to be my old self Week 1.’

“But I’m doing everything I can to put the best version of myself on the field each and every day and hopefully that ends up with me being ready to go Week 1.”

Follow @AZSports